Back in 2008, I was visiting Virginia plantsman, Paul James, and was taken by the form of one of the now mature bald cypress seedlings that he’d planted around his extensive mountainside property. Bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) are deciduous conifers, native to the southeastern US, and while all are nice, I found this one exceptional. Garden Treasures founder, Pat McCracken was willing to graft us a few for the garden. Even 18 years later, as our garden plant below shows, I’ve yet to see any named cultivar that I think is better than this. Perhaps one day, we’ll find a nurseryman willing to commercially graft our selection, Taxodium distichum ‘Paul James’
It is definitely a beautifully shaped tree
What are the involved superior characteristics?
Form and density
I, too, have seen that tree at Paul’s garden, Tony. It is an incredible clone of baldcypress. Perhaps Creech can work with you on rooting it from cuttings.
What a beautiful tree. I really like the compact shape of ‘Paul James’.
I’d happily have one in the garden if I could find it.
All bald cypress cultivars should be grafted on to Cypress La Nana from SFA It doesn’t grow any knees!
See Dr Creech at SFA
Great tip!
Eighteen years is a great test of a plant’s character, and the dense, compact form really does make this bald cypress stand out. It would be wonderful to see ‘Paul James’ propagated more widely so gardeners could experience it beyond the collection.
Eighteen years is a pretty good test of whether a plant really deserves cultivar status. If the form and density still stand out after all that time, it would be great to see ‘Paul James’ finally propagated more widely. It’s a shame when a genuinely distinctive tree stays almost impossible for ordinary gardeners to find.
The suggestion about using a rootstock that doesn’t produce knees is really interesting. A compact bald cypress already has a lot of appeal for smaller gardens, and removing one of the messier traits would make it even more practical. I’d be curious to see how ‘Paul James’ performs on that kind of rootstock.