Cupressus sempervirens (1.5 litre pot | 60 - 80cm tall)

A slender, evergreen, narrowly upright, dark-green conifer. Position: full sun Soil: any well-drained soil Rate of growth: fast-growing Hardiness: fully hardy Dense, flattened branches of grey-green to dark green leaves and spherical or prickly brown female cones. This evergreen Italian cypress performs best in a sunny, sheltered site with well-drained soil. A narrowly upright, pencil-like form useful for punctuating designs, it does however need to be balanced with other rounded and prostrate forms. Garden care: Remove any competing leaders that appear in spring, cutting out the weaker or crooked shoot cleanly at its base.