Taxodium
Swamp or Bald Cypress
| Taxodium distichum is a most remarkable deciduous conifer, and the most commonly cultivated of three species of this North American genus, unlike almost all other temperate trees it grows best in standing water. A long-lived, frost-hardy species of slow growth, it makes a wonderful specimen tree for the margins of a water garden, or as the inhabitant of a wet island. It is variable in shape, from columnar to broadly columnar or domed. The branches are an orange-brown and most attractive during the winter when lit by the sun. The trunk has fibrous bark and is a pale red-brown colour. During spring the tree is illuminated by the bright green emerging foliage.
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 Taxodium distichum
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This turns to mid-green for the summer, but becomes rusty red in autumn. In the summer rounded cones, up to 3cm across, are produced freely on well established trees. The most remarkable feature of Taxodium though is its well adapted root system, which although for the most part is submerged and in a somewhat alien environment, produces emergent roots or “knees” to enable its survival. These are great curios in themselves.
Taxodiums are easy to care for, although when young they are vulnerable to frost damage, and so in cold areas benefit from a little protection from a hessian or burlap screen. They also enjoy being in the full sun. Otherwise they are easy to cater for, being happy in most soils providing that they are wet, or in standing water, although when grown in wet soil conditions rather than water, their interesting “knees” are unlikely to develop. Otherwise care is minimal, although the tendency for trees to produce several leaders should be dealt with promptly, the single strongest being allowed to remain. Propagation is from seeds sown during the spring in a good soil-based compost in a cold frame.
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