The Golden Charm Thread-Branch Cypress, otherwise known as the Chamaecyparis Pisifera Filifera ‘Golden Charm’ or Sawara Cypress ‘Filifera Aurea’, Japanese Cypress ‘Filifera Aurea’, is a rather well known shrub plant by gardening enthusiasts around the world.
Best known for its low maintenance and slow growth, this shrub will likely liven up your house (or garden) with its yellow colored leaves. But, only if you learn how to take proper care of it for it to thrive.
Fortunately, taking care of your Golden Charm Thread-Branch Cypress is not too difficult – as long as you follow our guidelines in this Golden Charm Thread-Branch Cypress Care Guide. Now let’s get started.
In order to take proper care of your Golden Charm Thread-Branch Cypress you’ll need to keep in mind the following guidelines:
- Water: The Golden Charm Thread-Branch Cypress prefers constant watering each week and more during the hot season.
- Light: Keep your Chamaecyparis Pisifera Filifera ‘Golden Charm’ in an environment where it can receive full sun on a daily basis.
- Soil: Make sure to keep the Golden Charm Thread-Branch Cypress in soil with moist but well-draining properties, so ideally, one that is made of clay, loam, chalk, and sand.
And that’s practically it! If you keep these three factors in check, your Golden Charm Thread-Branch Cypress will likely have all it needs for it to survive and even thrive.
Description and Botanical Aspects
In botanical terms, the Golden Charm Thread-Branch Cypress belongs to the Cupressaceae family, the genus Chamaecyparis and the species Pisifera, hence its scientific (or botanical) name Chamaecyparis Pisifera Filifera ‘Golden Charm’ (kam-e-SIP-a-ris pi-SIF-er-a fil-LIF-er-uh).
Other common Cupressaceae species include Chamaecyparis Obtusa ‘Nana Lutea’, Grey Owl Juniper, Jet Trail Flowering Quince, Juniperus x media ‘Hetzii’, Taxodium distichum var. imbricarium, Savin Juniper, Juniperus Procumbens ‘Nana’, Taxus Baccata ‘Stricta Aurea’, Cupressus Sempervirens, Juniperus Chinensis ‘Hetzii Glauca’, Juniperus Horizontalis ‘Blue Chip’, Juniperus Horizontalis ‘Wiltonii’, Japanese Cypress ‘Golden Mop’, Singleseed Juniper ‘Blue Star’, Chamaecyparis Obtusa ‘Filicoides’ and British Columbia Cedar ‘Fluffy’.
As with other Chamaecyparis’s, the Golden Charm Thread-Branch Cypress is an evergreen plant, which means it will be present year round in your garden.
| Name | Golden Charm Thread-Branch Cypress (Chamaecyparis Pisifera Filifera ‘Golden Charm’) |
| Watering | Once per week |
| Light | Full sun |
| Temperature | As low as -30°F |
| Soil | Well draining properties |
Growing Region
As a rule of thumb, we recommend to always keep in mind your plants’ native region and environment, since these are the conditions that your Golden Charm Thread-Branch Cypress is most accustomed to, thus where it can most favorably.
With this in mind, the Chamaecyparis Pisifera Filifera ‘Golden Charm’ will be most used to the heat zones in the 1 – 8 region, as the plant hardiness level falls between 4b, 4a, 5b, 5a, 6b, 6a, 7b, 7a and the ideal climate zone is between 2, 2B, 3, 3A, 3B, 4, 5, 6, 15, 16, 17, A3.
Growth and Size
In terms of size and growth, the Golden Charm Thread-Branch Cypress is a relatively slow grower, which makes things easy for any plant enthusiast.
But, what size of Golden Charm Thread-Branch Cypress are we talking about? What can you expect in terms of height, spread and spacing? Let’s dig in…
How big does Gold Thread Cypress get?
The Chamaecyparis Pisifera Filifera ‘Golden Charm’ can grow up to 6′ – 20′ (180cm – 6m) tall and 3′ – 7′ (90cm – 210cm) wide. Its growth rate ranges from 6” to 12” per year.
These dimensions make the Golden Charm Thread-Branch Cypress a relatively large shrub compared to others, so it’s best to keep this fact in mind since it will affect where you want to keep yours at home.
Also, expect it to grow in a wonderful compact, and pyramidal shape, which is something worthwhile to remember when making your garden landscape plans.
This is why experts recommend keeping an area of approximately 84″ (210cm) free so the Golden Charm Thread-Branch Cypress can spread to its best extent.
Water
In terms of watering, the Golden Charm Thread-Branch Cypress is a fairly simple plant to take care of.
This is mostly because it has a straightforward watering schedule and somewhat regular watering needs.
Specifically, most experts agree that the Chamaecyparis Pisifera Filifera ‘Golden Charm’ prefers constant watering each week and more during the hot season.
Which is why it is considered a plant with relatively average needs in terms of water.
Watering
As a rule of thumb, you should remember to keep your Golden Charm Thread-Branch Cypress in soil with moist but well-draining characteristics, as these will guarantee the right conditions for your plant to grow and thrive.
When you consider this, this is why you should aim to choose soil that has good drainage, and moist properties to keep the right moisture levels at all times.
However, in our experience, the best solution to knowing the right amount of water for your Golden Charm Thread-Branch Cypress is with the ‘thumb’ technique. Basically, you insert your finger into the soil, and based if you feel the soil moist or dry, you determine if it needs any water, which is the most appropriate way to go about watering your leafy friend.
Soil Mix
As mentioned earlier, the Golden Charm Thread-Branch Cypress prefers to have soil with good drainage, and moist properties at all times, reason why you need to make the soil mix out of clay, loam, chalk, and sand.
This is why most experts agree that the Golden Charm Thread-Branch Cypress requires soil with clay, loam (silt), and sand, which will give you the right conditions it needs.
In addition to this, expert gardeners recommend having preferably neutral to acid soil.
Light and Exposure
In terms of light & exposure, the Golden Charm Thread-Branch Cypress requires full sun in order for it to thrive under the right conditions.
Most experts agree that this shrub will do well as long as you keep it in partial to full sun, and it will be able to grow properly.
Specifically, we recommend that you place your Chamaecyparis Pisifera Filifera ‘Golden Charm’ in little to partial shade (only 2-6 hours of direct sunlight a day), to full and direct sun (more 6 hours of direct sunlight per day).
Season
Being an evergreen plant, the Golden Charm Thread-Branch Cypress will be present year round in your garden.
But, you can expect it to have its ‘prime-time’ during the spring (early, mid, late), the summer (early, mid, late), the fall, and during the winter.
Foliage
The leaves from the Golden Charm Thread-Branch Cypress have a beautiful yellow color during most of the year.
In particular, they have a needles arrangement with a opposite organization in its leaves.
Attracts, Tolerance and Resistance
The Golden Charm Thread-Branch Cypress is well known for its tolerance to drought conditions, so don’t worry if any of these come along, your Chamaecyparis Pisifera Filifera ‘Golden Charm’ will be fine.
Garden
Does your Golden Charm Thread-Branch Cypress have any garden recommendations? Does it serve any gardening purposes? Here’s how you can get the most out of your new plant.
Most Chamaecyparis Pisifera Filifera ‘Golden Charm’ owners agree that this shrub will look great in most asian/zen gardens of all types.
Other owners consider that they complement well most gardens of gravel and rock garden, prairie and meadow, city and courtyard, informal and cottage, and in traditional garden styles.
In particular, the Golden Charm Thread-Branch Cypress’s best location within your garden is in hedges and screens, others use it for landscaping in a wildlife garden, urban garden, specimen, mass planting, hedge, container, border, or a woodland garden.
Companion Plants
Golden Charm Thread-Branch Cypress’s do well with some other plants beside it. One good companion plant is the Buxus, which will pair up nicely with your leafy friend.
Others consider that a nice Weigela will work well too, so choose whichever you find works best for you!
Conclusion
So that’s it! These are the main plant care requirements that you need to keep in mind in order to have a healthy Golden Charm Thread-Branch Cypress in your garden or home.
Related Questions
What is the difference between Gold Mop Cypress and Gold Thread Cypress?
The two trees are similar in shape and size, but the leaves of Gold Thread cypress are slightly smaller and have a more delicate appearance. The bark of Gold Thread cypress is also smoother than the bark of Golden Mop cypress.
The most obvious difference between these two trees, however, is their color. As the name suggests, the leaves of Gold Thread cypress have a golden tone, while the leaves of Golden Mop cypress are more yellow.
How do you prune a Golden Charm Thread-Branch Cypress?
Prune a Golden Charm Thread-Branch Cypress by taking the height down just a little bit in early spring. This will help keep the tree nice and tidy. Make sure to use sharp pruning shears so you don’t damage the tree’s branches.
