About This Tree
Native to Florida, the Taxodium distichum or more commonly known as the Swamp Cypress, gets it’s name from its nature of growing in very flooded or wet soil. It was brought to the UK in the 1640s and has since earned the Award of Garden Merit in 2002.
The Swamp Cypress grows very similar to a Metasequoia and from a distance can be confused with one. On the Swamp Cypress a needle like, bright green foliage can be found which come Autumn time, becomes a magnificent display of bright orange which will brighten up any garden throughout the year. Due to it’s nature, the Swamp Cypress will come late into leaf in the UK compared to other trees. As well as the Cypress’ magnificent foliage, small round cones can be found which are usually a purple colour when young.
During the early stages, the distichum requires a large amount of water to grow well but when mature will become a very grand specimen, reaching heights over 20m and also having a pyramidal shape to it. It will perform well in very wet soils such as the edge of ponds.