Microbiota decussata

RHS Plant Profile

Russian arbor-vitae

RHS 1999

Other common names

Siberian carpet cypress

Shrubs Conifers

Buy this from Plant Nurseries
4 Suppliers

A prostrate, evergreen shrubby conifer making a wide, dense mat, with small scale-like leaves turning bronze-purple in winter. Flowers inconspicuous, fruit berry-like, yellow-brown, 3mm in length

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

0.1-0.5 metres

Max Spread

1-1.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity: 10–20 years
Max Spread: 1-1.5 metres
Max Height: 0.1-0.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Clay Loam Sand

Moisture: Moist but well–drained
pH: Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun

Aspect: South–facing or West–facing or East–facing
Exposure: Exposed or Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20): H7

Colour & Scent

Season	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family: Cupressaceae
Native to GB/Ireland: No
Foliage: Evergreen
Habit: Matforming
Genus: Microbiota are low-growing or prostrate evergreen coniferous shrubs with tiny triangular green scale-like leaves becoming bronze in winter; flowers and cones are small and inconspicuous
Name Status: Correct
Plant Range: Primorye

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grows well in most moderately fertile soils in full sun. Useful in the shrub border, the leaves turn bronze in winter sometimes giving the impression that the plant has died

Propagation

Propagate by seed sown in a seedbed in autumn or by semi-hardwood cuttings in summer

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Cottage and informal garden
Rock garden
Low Maintenance
Banks and slopes
Flower borders and beds
Ground cover

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

Generally disease-free