I would like to make "kind" of a formal Italian garden and would very much like to know if I can plant Italian Cypress in Zone 6, Westchester County in NY. It is a very narrow cypress and has columnar habit. Any help will be highly appreciated.
Italian Cypress are supposed to be hardy only to zone 7, so probably wont work in your zone 6 garden. You might want to try Juniperus scopulorum 'Sky Rocket' which has a similar form and is hardy to Zone 3-7. Take care, marg
I have found them to be very miserable in zone 6, unfortunately. You could try Leyland Cypress, but they are fatter-looking. Cupressocyparis leylandii. It's a hybrid of Cupressus macrocarpa and Chamaecyparis nootkatensis. Boxwood would be great, too (as an addition, not a substitute, of course!).
Columnar Hetzii Juniper - Juniperus chinensis 'Hetzii Columnaris' (15-20 feet)or Juniperus chinensis 'Torulosa'-Hollywood Juniper(10-15 feet) could also serve as nice substitutes for the Italian Cypress. The 'Hetzii' is hardy to zone 4 and the 'Torulosa' to zone 3.
