Monterey cypress is a famously rugged tree that inhabits harshly exposed coastal cliffs. It grows fast to get big and gnarly with age. Lemon cypress, Hesperocyparis macrocarpa ‘Goldcrest’, is a more civilized cultivar. It might potentially grow nearly forty feet tall, but at less than a foot annually. Vertical trunks support compact and relatively columnar form.

Lemon cypress foliage is densely evergreen, with tiny and tightly set scale leaves. New spring growth is impressively cheery yellow. It fades somewhat to yellowish chartreuse through summer. If the weather gets cool enough through winter, the foliage can get a bit more amber. The foliar aroma is coincidentally slightly lemony, to match the foliar color.

Once established, lemon cypress does not require much more than occasional pruning. It is satisfied with only infrequent irrigation, and might survive with none at all. Actually, it is susceptible to rot with generous or frequent irrigation. ‘Goldcrest Wilma’ is susceptible to foliar diseases within its even denser foliage. It stays compact enough for pots though (Incidentally, Hesperocyparis was Cupressus.)