Lemon Cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa 'Goldcrest Wilma')
koo-PRESS-us mak-roe-KAR-pah 'Goldcrest Wilma'

Evergreen Perennial (usually grown as an annual near you) Columnar, Upright in the Cupressaceae Family
A dwarf, dense, golden-foliage sport of 'Goldcrest' prized for its compact columnar form and strong lemon scent, grown as a small living Christmas tree and houseplant.

Cupressus macrocarpa 'Goldcrest Wilma' (also seen as 'Wilma Goldcrest') is a dwarf, dense, columnar sport of the golden-foliage cultivar 'Goldcrest', discovered as a witch's-broom mutation at P. Overkleeft Nursery in the Netherlands in 1987. Its tightly packed, scale-like foliage is bright golden-yellow year-round and smells strongly of lemon when crushed, the source of its common name, Lemon Cypress.

Outdoors in full sun it reaches roughly 4-6 feet tall and 1-2 feet wide over ten years; it is widely sold as a small, columnar container plant and seasonal houseplant, and is popular as a living, lemon-scented alternative Christmas tree.

Pros

  • Bright golden-yellow foliage year-round
  • Strong, pleasant lemon scent when foliage is crushed
  • Compact, columnar habit good for containers
  • Popular as a small living Christmas tree

Cons

  • Needs bright light; can thin and green up in low light
  • Not reliably frost-hardy below USDA zone 7-8
  • Can be finicky as a houseplant if over- or under-watered
This plant is probably not winter-hardy outdoors where you live.
Highlights A dwarf golden-foliage sport of 'Goldcrest' discovered in the Netherlands in 1987, grown for its bright lemon-scented foliage and compact columnar form; a popular small living Christmas tree and houseplant.
 

Plant Data

Mature Size 4 - 6 feet tall. 12 - 24 inches wide.
Growth Rate Slow
Sun Exposure Partial Sun - Full Sun
Moisture Tolerance Dry - Medium
Zones 7b - 10b (Usually hardy to 5° F)
Tags Dry, Evergreen, Full Sun, Medium, Partial Sun, Perennial
Foliage Color Golden Yellow

Photos of This with...

Sunpatiens Compact Blush Pink Impatiens, Lemon Coral Stonecrop, Kong Scarlet Coleus
 
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Pricing and Availability History

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Past Availability
2025 : 02/05 - 10/04
2024 : 02/08 - 04/06
2023 : 03/02 - 05/21

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Field-Grown vs. Greenhouse-Grown Plants

Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.

Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.


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No Pricing or Availability Right Now

We order from a rotating cast of the best nurseries in the Great Lakes region. It looks like we've offered this plant in the past, but the nurseries we're working with this week don't appear to have it in stock at the moment.

Our goal is to bring as many plants together under "one roof" as possible, so we'll try hard to make it available again in the future!