Monterey Cypress

Monterey cypress is the wind-sculpted coastal conifer that defines the California coastline around Monterey and Carmel, the one in the photographs, growing from the cliffs with a spreading, flat-topped canopy shaped by decades of Pacific wind. In its extremely limited native range in Monterey County, California, it is a rare species. In cultivation, it has been planted worldwide in mild maritime climates, and in the Pacific Northwest it grows fast into a large, broad tree that eventually reaches eighty feet or more.

In Western Washington, Monterey cypress performs well near the coast and in the milder microclimates of the Puget Sound lowlands, rated Zone 7a through 10b. It takes full sun and handles salt spray, wind exposure, and the lean, sandy soils common to coastal sites. Two diseases are tracked, including cypress canker, which can cause significant dieback in stressed trees. The fast growth rate is both the appeal and the liability, it fills space quickly but becomes a management challenge as it reaches mature size. This is not a tree for a small lot. But on a larger coastal or rural property where you want the sculptural, wind-resistant character that only this species provides, Monterey cypress is a dramatic choice.