WHAT: Plumose Japanese cedar features soft, needlelike foliage when it’s young, earning it the common name of plume cedar.
Its evergreen foliage is green in summer. With the onset of cold weather, it turns a mahogany-plum hue.
WHY PLANT IT: It is the perfect backdrop to witch hazels, red- and yellow-twig dogwoods and Japanese maples.
As a young plant, it is excellent in containers, particularly larger pots planted for winter. Its soft texture combines well with other conifers that are stiffer in appearance.
WHERE: It is easy to grow in full sun and in rich, sandy or loamy soils that are slightly acidic.
HOW: Give it average moisture and shelter from high winds.
ACTUAL SIZE: Also known as cryptomeria japonica elegans, this columnar tree grows to 15 feet high and 5 feet wide in 10 years and matures to 30 feet high and 10 feet wide.
LEARN MORE: See www.greatplantpicks.org.
Source: Great Plant Picks
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