Does anyone know what is this tree, it is scented, although I wouldnt like to say what it smells like, and seems very susceptible to wind damage, as you can see from the photo it has had most of the centre blown out, although the wood seems quite flexible as the blown out bits dont seem to snap off. Thoughts that crossed my mind were Thuja orientalis and Thujopsis dolabrata but neither seem to fit the bill.
With this description alone, I'd say it's some sort of juniper, but I'll let someone more knowledgeable step in and confirm.
A Lawson's Cypress (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana) cultivar with semi-juvenile foliage, probably 'Ellwoodii'.
And I will second that; thanks Micheal ;p. And now you have set me off on the Chamaecyparis lawsoniana path, I can defiantly see a similarity. My books give very little information on it, other than a habit sketch in which 'Ellwoodii' looks columnar in habit tapering to a point near the top, and this is (or was before the centre blew out) more egg shaped to my eye. The foliage also seems to grow out at all sorts of different angles not just in one flat plane like Chamaecyparis lawsoniana foliage seems to. I presume it noticeably scented, also I saw somewhere that it only reached 3 feet in 10 years, making it slow growing, and the tree here at about 25' quite old?
Yes, quite an old one. They do tend to get broader with age ('specially when the middle blows out!!), so "more egg shaped to my eye" is to be expected. The UK champ 'Ellwoodii' is 16m tall, so it can eventually get to a good size
Plants vary with site conditions and propagation method. Some garden conifers exhibit a phenomenon known as cultivariance, wherein the habit of the propagule varies with where on the mother (stock) plant it came from (as a scion or cutting).
Thanks Michael & Ron, very interesting, although more egg shaped to my eye was before the centre blew out. The tree is on my watch list with thoughts of replacement, and I would be quite keen to get another one the same, how easy are they to propagate by cutting?
Yeah, it looks sort of more 'V'-shaped or even 'N'-shaped now ;-) By cuttings, of moderate ease. Not easy like a willow, you can't just stick it in water and watch it put out roots, but it can be done without great difficulty if you've got a greenhouse and propagating bench, and a spot of rooting hormone. As per Ron's comments on cultivariance, take a cutting from a strong shoot high in the crown if you want a faster-growing plant, from lower down if you want a more dwarfed plant. Cuttings from strong shoots will root a little more easily.
Indeed, I can see why people say you should net them ;<. I think i am going to have to look up a bit about cutting, such as do the woody parts, or fresh growth root best, and does it just want to be powdered and placed in damp compost etc. my supplies run to rooting hormone I intended to use for taking some lime cuttings.
Most recent growth, recognizable by being bluish. maybe with a small bit of older (brownish) wood at the base. There's a procedure and setup involved, same as with cooking so you should research the topic beforehand. Autumn is traditional but one study reported online found that Nooktka cypress rooted best in April.
