PlantFiles: Italian Cypress, Funeral Cypress
Cupressus sempervirens

When I lived in Roseville, Ca, I planted a dozen seedlings as a barrier near the back fence to block the view of the neighbor's ugly yard. The first few years were tricky, as the young trees tended to topple over during a rainstorm. After they reached about 10 feet in height, they were solidly rooted and I had no further problems. To get them to grow fast and give them drainage, I dug 3ft deep holes in the ground. Where I lived, this depth broke through the nasty clay topsoil to the sandy stuff beneath. Sand is great for drainage, which these trees need so the roots don't rot. I doubt these trees would do well in north Dallas because of the bad soil conditions here. The deep clay doesn't provide the necessary drainage.

Aside from a Juniper, these were the only trees in our yard when we moved in a few years ago... very common trees all over California (too common)... Don't make all that great a shade unless planted right next to each other (which ours are)... are VERY messy trees, dumping a load of 'needles' yearly... but which tend to get trapped in the branches thanks to the upright shape of all the branches... then suddenly dropping several pounds of litter all at once... also all that litter makes for a huge fire hazard.. Saying that, they still are sort of an odd tree, and though tempted to have them all cut down and removed, they do shade our house a bit, and I can grow palm trees up between them. Ours are about 50' tall right now. I see them topped often- not sure how good that is for the tree, but doesn't obviously seem to hurt them any.

This plant grows extensively in Austin, Texas.

Italian Cypress is a relatively quick growing evergreen tree that can eventually grow to over 100 feet tall. They are a good choice where space is at a premium. A row of several can be used as a windbreak. They are usually planted in groups of threes as an accent against a tall building, with underplantings of flowering shrubs or colorful perennials. They can be used to "hide" an ugly wall. I have even seen pictures of them with their tops tied together, turning them into a kind of "living arch".