Does anyone know anything about bald Cyprus trees?

[Bufferingkisses]

I'm hoping for some insight into these trees. We have one in our garden, it has been there at least 20 years (it was there when we bought the house). I've only just found out what it is and how big they get! Everything I've read says they are very slow growing but that they tend to live in wetlands. My garden is definitely not a wetland!

I'm hoping to get an idea how long they take to mature and what to do to keep it healthy.

Are you quite sure that's what it is? Does it lose its leaves in the winter or is it evergreen? If evergreen then it isn't a bald cypress.

They are relatively uncommon in UK domestic gardens, and they do adapt to normal soil conditions. They're not particularly slow-growing once they get past the adolescent stage, and can get to 50-70 feet tall within 50+ years.

You can prune them in early spring before the new leaves emerge.

Yes it loses its foliage every year, that's what threw me trying to identify it! Ok, i suspect it is about 30ft now so it has a bit to go. We haven't pruned it yet but I think this year we will have to. It is beautiful and I am worried about ruining the shape. Good to know they adapt to the soil conditions though, thank you.

Is bald cypress the same as swamp cypress. Taxodium distichium I think? (though that name just sprang into my brain and may be something completely different.)

It is yes, Taxodium distichum

Mine's growing very slowly - at 25 years it still looks like a sapling. It's probably about 15 ft tall, so presumably doesn't like my garden as much as it likes yours. It's a bit shaded and was growing lopsided, but has tolerated pruning very well.

There's some beauties in one of the botanic gardens in Portugal, a whole row of them, complete with "knees". And not in obviously wet ground, either.

I'd love to see a picture @MereDintofPandiculation - if you're happy to share one? I'm intrigued by the knees, I've seen pictures of some that are huge and so many of them. I'm assuming I won't get anything like that with it growing in "captivity" as it were.

My poor thing is overshadowed by apple trees in one direction and whatever of the boundary trees it's nearest in the other, so a picture might be difficult. I'll see what I can do.

It's the Lisbon botanical garden where they had a row of them - here's a wonderful pic of the knees. So that's captivity, albeit a rather large cage.
digital.museus.ul.pt/items/show/1213

and here's a view looking up the trunk (you probably won't want to see this )
digital.museus.ul.pt/items/show/1211

Thanks for asking the question - I wouldn't have found this repository if I hadn't been doing a search for Taxodium distichum botanic portugal

@Bufferingkisses

Yes it loses its foliage every year, that's what threw me trying to identify it! Ok, i suspect it is about 30ft now so it has a bit to go. We haven't pruned it yet but I think this year we will have to. It is beautiful and I am worried about ruining the shape. Good to know they adapt to the soil conditions though, thank you.

See if you can google images of the mature trees, and when you prune it, try and do it sympathetically and in a way that will enhance its shape in years to come.

Your average jobbing 'tree surgeon' is usually just trained in how to wield a chainsaw rather than being a qualified arboriculturalist, so don't necessarily rely on paying an 'expert' to do it.

Sorry i didn't come back sooner, I thought I'd pop back and add an autumn photo, I am hoping people don't jump in saying I have got it wrong now

Hmm. Is the trunk as orange as it looks in the photo, or is it more of a greyish brown? Can you take a closer-up photo of it?

Because that trunk colour looks more like a metasequoia.

It does look more red there than it does in person but interesting, I'll have to look at the needles when I'm back. Apparently they are arranged differently so identifying should be easy enough