x Cupressocyparis leylandii Seven hundred fifty years ago, a wealthy Englishman in Wales imported trees from the Pacific coast of the U.S. to add to his collection of trees from around the world. A Monterey cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa) from California and an Alaskan Cedar (Cupressus nootkatensis) —a cedar-like tree found in the forests of northwest North America. The Discovery In their natural habitat, the two trees grow hundreds of miles apart, with no chance of crossing paths. But when the trees were planted near each other on John Naylor’s estate, nature took its course.  Pollen from the Monterey cypress landed on the cone of the Alaskan Cedar, pollinating its flowers. Christopher Leyland, Naylor’s brother-in-law noticed the seedlings were different, but still shared resemblance to their parent trees. So, in 1888, Leyland planted six of the seedlings on his own estate, Haggerston Castle — where five of them still stand today. Two decades after he transplanted the cross-bred seeds, another cross-pollination took place, but this time the pollen from an Alaskan Cedar fertilized the flowers of the Monterey cypress. This cross breed was even more interesting than the first. These ‘new’ trees were fast growing, hardier and more attractive. Thus, the Leyland … Continue reading Leyland Cypress: A Transatlantic Hybrid