Cupressus nootkatensis ‘Green Arrow’ Alaskan Cedar

Green Arrow Alaskan Cedar is a strikingly narrow tree with a weeping form that is an excellent choice for small spaces and an elegant addition to any garden. It is not a true cedar but a conifer in the Cypress family that goes by many names. You will see it called Cupressus nootkatensis ‘Green Arrow’, Xanthocyparus nootkatensis ‘Green Arrow’, Chamaecyparis nootkatensis ‘Green Arrow’, or Callitropsis nootkatensis ‘Green Arrow’. The most botanically accepted names to date are Cupressus and Callitropsis, but all of them are used commercially.
Cupressus nootkatensis is native to the Pacific Northwest of North America, from Alaska down to northern California. Gordon Bentham discovered the ‘Green Arrow’ selection on government land on Vancouver Island, Canada, and his friend, Talon Buchholtz, an Oregon nurseryman, introduced it to the nursery trade in 1984. Its hardiness and stately weeping form earned it an Award of Garden Merit in 2012 from the Royal Horticulture Society.
‘Green Arrow’ grows quickly, at 18″-25″ per year, to dimensions of about 20′ high and 2′-3′ wide in 10 years. It pierces the sky with its extremely narrow, dramatic silhouette. The long, gray-green branches droop down irregularly and form a skirt around the bottom of the tree. ‘Green Arrow’ is a spectacular specimen tree or as hedges and screens, at entrances, in mixed borders, or containers.
This weeping tree grows well in either full sun or partial shade but needs some afternoon shade in the southernmost parts of its 4-8 hardiness zones, especially when young. It is not fussy about its soil and will grow in loam, sand, silt, or clay as long as it is moist, well-draining, and slightly acidic. Water it well at planting and regularly during its first year, and it will be moderately drought-tolerant once established If grown in a container, it will need more frequent watering since the soil in a pot dries out quicker than garden soil. ‘Green Arrow’ will not tolerate wet feet, however, and should only be planted in a well-draining spot. It will not need pruning, and it is deer-resistant and resistant to most pests and diseases, making it a low-maintenance addition to your garden.
With its stunning shape, ‘Green Arrow’ is sure to be a year-round focal point in the garden. Flowering, woody ornamentals planted nearby can provide contrasting colors and textures against the tree as the seasons roll around. Roses, redbuds, weigelas, smoke trees, hydrangeas, viburnums, crape myrtles, and magnolias bring a pop of color in the spring and summer. Flowering perennials, such as sedums, asters, chrysanthemums, coneflowers, and Japanese anemones, continue the color through the fall.