Not sure where to post this but I'm looking for some feedback on planting Italian Cypress. We live in the Baltimore MD area and have lost 4 out of 5 Italian Cypress. They were purchased on line from Ty Ty Nursery i Ty Ty GA. We received them in may,and had a professional landscaper install them. We just got back from going to GA and getting 4 replacements ourselves. Our soil is all clay. I've read where they will take to just about any soil. They will be in direct sun 80% of the day. I was told at the nursery to plant them in top soil mixed with sand and add gravel in the bottom of the hole. Is this correct or does anyone have more information on planting for these in this this zone which is zone 7?
No, don't plant in pits of coarser material dug out of a clay-like soil: when water is abundant it creates a sump. Plant instead in the same material that came out of the original hole, so that there is the same texture all around the new tree. If the existing soil is unsuitable for this type of tree you will have to dig out a big area and replace it with more suitable soil or place more suitable soil on top of the existing soil, plant in that - without mixing the two together. If it happens that the climate or soil there is not really right for this tree you may have to give up on trying to grow it, plant something else instead. There is an important conifer collection in the US National Arboretum in Washington, DC. You might want to visit that for ideas of alternative selections.
Ron, Thanks for the reply. I planned on digging a hole 2X larger than the root ball and planting them in soil that offers drainage. I understand what you mean about clay soil that would act as a sump. It just doesn't drain well. I can't understand how this one tree has taken. We purchased 5 and this one is living and looking pretty good even though it is growing into the clay by now. The landscaper did plant them in some kind of mixture instead of right in the clay. I'll give your recommendation a try. Thanks again.
One more thing. It is now November 30. The weather here in Maryland has been hanging around the 40s a& 50s, though this past weekend it went into the high 60s. I have these 4 Italian Cypress I need to get in the ground asap. Do they stand a chance being planted this late in the fall?
Very unlikely to be hardy in Baltimore. They might last for a few years if you get a run of mild winters, but sooner or later a hard winter will kill them. PS given the reputation of TyTy, you were very lucky to get one out of five alive. From what I've read, nearly all their stuff is dead before it is sent out (if they send it out at all, mostly they just take the money and disappear).
