{"product_id":"cryptomeria-japonica-elegans","title":"Elegans Japanese Cedar - Cryptomeria japonica ‘Elegans’","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePrice includes everything:\u003c\/strong\u003e the plant, free delivery and professional installation by our planting team. One price, whole job done.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eElegans Japanese Cedar - Cryptomeria japonica ‘Elegans’\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUnlike the stiff, scale-leafed adult form of the species, \u003cem\u003eCryptomeria japonica\u003c\/em\u003e ‘Elegans’ never outgrows its juvenile foliage, so the whole tree stays soft, feathery and pleasant to brush past. Through the warm months it reads as a billowing blue-green cloud, then shifts to plum bronze across a cold winter and greens up again with spring growth. It gets chosen in cool temperate gardens when a conifer is wanted without the hard architectural edge of a cypress or spruce.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eWhy Elegans Japanese Cedar\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePermanent juvenile foliage\u003c\/strong\u003e: The needles stay long, soft and plumose for the life of the tree instead of hardening into adult scales.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWinter colour shift\u003c\/strong\u003e: Cold nights turn the canopy bronze purple from about May, reverting to blue-green as new growth pushes in spring.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eInformal outline\u003c\/strong\u003e: The habit is broad and slightly irregular, which softens fence lines and hard paving better than a clipped conifer.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCool climate reliability\u003c\/strong\u003e: It performs well in Melbourne, Tasmania, the Adelaide Hills, Canberra and the Southern Highlands, taking frost without burning.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLow intervention\u003c\/strong\u003e: No shearing is required; the plant simply thickens with age and holds foliage close to ground level in an open position.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eIdeal Applications\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEvergreen backdrop\u003c\/strong\u003e: Set in a loose row it gives a permanent dark green wall behind deciduous trees or perennial planting.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCool climate feature tree\u003c\/strong\u003e: A single specimen on lawn shows the plume texture from every angle and catches low winter light.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eRural windbreak\u003c\/strong\u003e: Grouped along a boundary it filters wind while staying denser at the base than most pines.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eJapanese and woodland gardens\u003c\/strong\u003e: The soft outline suits moss, maple and stone compositions where a formal conifer would look wrong.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eSpecimen \u0026amp; Installation\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpacing (screening\/hedge):\u003c\/strong\u003e 2 to 2.5m\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpacing (feature\/avenue):\u003c\/strong\u003e 4 to 5m\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBest Planting Season:\u003c\/strong\u003e Autumn or early spring; avoid establishing through midsummer heat\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSoil \u0026amp; Drainage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Moist, humus rich, free draining and slightly acidic. It resents dry sandy soils, shallow limestone and hot drying wind.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEstablishment Care:\u003c\/strong\u003e Water deeply twice a week through the first two summers rather than lightly and often, so moisture reaches the full root zone. Keep a 75mm layer of coarse organic mulch pulled clear of the trunk, and stake for the first two years because the soft growth can lean in exposed sites.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003ePlant Details\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 5 to 8m, occasionally 10m over several decades\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWidth:\u003c\/strong\u003e 3 to 4m\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGrowth Rate:\u003c\/strong\u003e Moderate\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFoliage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Evergreen\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLight:\u003c\/strong\u003e Full sun in cool districts, some afternoon shade in hot inland gardens\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNative to:\u003c\/strong\u003e Japan\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFlower Colour:\u003c\/strong\u003e Insignificant\n\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Nursery Direct","offers":[{"title":"430mm","offer_id":59795327811870,"sku":"ND-0576-430MM","price":800.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1000\/2536\/8862\/files\/Q6K3SlbydksfQqFcn_zGr_fBajo5gb.jpg?v=1787313423","url":"https:\/\/nurserydirect.com.au\/products\/cryptomeria-japonica-elegans","provider":"Nursery Direct","version":"1.0","type":"link"}