Cypress growth update: Murray and Leyland Cypress

Ask any nurseryman their favorite tree to grow and it probably will take less than a few seconds to get them started to talk. We all have our favorites.

Ours is the Murray Cypress. It is by far the fastest grower in the Conifer group and it is a beautiful tree with a metallic blue-green shade. We can make various cultural practices with watering or fertilizer, but the tree grows so fast that it will grow out of mistakes. Other trees are not that forgiving and often will die.

As of May 15, 2024, both cypresses, the Murray and the Leyland Cypress have put on 12-18” of new growth in Lexington, KY.

The Murray Cypress is an improved version of the Leyland Cypress. It is more uniform looking and ornamental. It has a unique color and its diseases and deer resistant.

Both varieties are on track to put on 4’ of new growth this year which is typical for the variety.

The limitations of both varieties is cold tolerance. Neither will tolerate climates colder than zone 6, so planting them North of Columbus OH or Indianapolis IN is a risk. Although we do get calls from Michigan and New York (Long Island) for them and on occasion we see fully grown Cypress trees in these regions, we do not recommend planting them North of Zone 6.