Port Orford cedar 'Erecta Viridis'

Try to plant in a location that enjoys full sun and remember to water moderately. Keep in mind when planting that Erecta Viridis is thought of as hardy, so this plant will grow or become dormant during the winter. Try to keep the ph of your soil between the range of 4.8 and 7.5 as Erecta Viridis likes to be in moderately acidic soil - weakly alkaline soil.

Ensure that temperatures are mild and all chance of frost has passed before planting out, as Erecta Viridis is a hardy plant.

This variety tends to be ready for harvesting by late autumn.

It was first discovered (by Euro-Americans) near Port Orford in Oregon and introduced into cultivation in 1854, by collectors working for the Lawson & Son nursery in Edinburgh, Scotland, after whom it was named as Lawson Cypress by the describing botanist Andrew Murray². The USDA officially calls it by the name Port Orford cedar, as do most people in its native area, but some botanists prefer to use the name Lawson cypress (or in very rare instances Port Orford cypress) instead. The name “Lawson’s cypress” is widely used in horticulture². This tree has many botanical synonyms, but the current officially-accepted name is Chamaecyparis lawsoniana^{1 2}.

The variety name ‘Erecta Viridis’ refers to its upright (erect) growth habit and green foliage (viridis).

Anthony Waterer of Knaphill Nursery, Woking, Surrey, United Kingdom is credited with the introduction of this cultivar in 1855. ‘Erecta Viridis’ is a selection that Waterer made from seedlings he cultivated from seed he obtained from California. Although this selection was originally listed as ‘Erecta’ it was later found that another cultivar previously had that name, so ‘Erecta Viridis’ soon became the accepted correct name for this cultivar⁴.

¹ The Plant List

² Chamaecyparis lawsoniana on Wikipedia

³ Erecta Viridis on the Conifer Society website

⁴ :Aris Auders and Derek Spicer; RHS Encyclopedia of Conifers; ©2012, Kingsblue Publishing