One of the many dwarf Cryptomeria japonica cultivars

The branch & needle shape look spruce like to me. “Picea Abies” aka Norway spruce more than “Picea Glauca” Aka Alberta spruce. First 2 pics are Abies, 3&4 are Glauca. Mine are al dwarf

PS - I’m Zone 8 Vancouver WA. My guess on pathology of those brown branches is wind burn if it happened during winter, sun scald if it was summer damage. A couple of my dwarf cypress have the same problem in a west facing planting. This was the second winter for them though it was a pretty mild one but a dry one for us.

Well rats. We don't have a consensus.

I don't know when the damage happened. I'll have to ask. I have only done piece work for this client in the past. What i saw and heard there today was - I think she needs some therapy away from the garden. I have to put her on my regular schedule.

Looks like a cryptomeria to me as well. In fact, it looks like a sheared 'Yokohama. I have another dwarf cultivar one that is doing something very similar, with patches that have browned out for no apparent reason. Doesn't get full sun, especially in winter, too protected a site for windburn and it certainly isn't cold.

I tried shearing the brown, dead parts out last season but it's just gotten worse.

I have a couple dwarf cryptomeria in same area as the Abies & glauca - I’ll dig out their tags & take pics tomorrow. To me both have a similar growth pattern- spikey needles & a little “bun” of new growth at tips. Biggest difference I see is in the touch & feel - spruce is soft & cryptomeria is a bit prickly

I'll go feel it up in the morning. The root ball was all I handled in the transplanting.

Cryptomeria japonica ' Compressa '

I hate to report that in the feel test of the rejected conifer it was softer and less prickly than a nearby Picea abies 'Nidiformis' I felt up for comparison. The growth is so dense and compact it might be hard for old gardeners hand to get pricked though.

My thoughts are the opposite of KW's - I have always found cryptomeria foliage to be very soft to the touch compared to most other conifers, especially spruces or firs. No prickles at all.

The first photo I posted was a few years old. Here is a couple from 10 min ago coming out of its winter purple...
After a little warmer weather will return to a nice very dark green...

@Christopher CNC - I was wrong about prickly feel - I had my plants mixed up. My Crypto does have the same softness & maybe more flexibility than the Piceas I showed. Here’s my “Crypto J. Tansu” which is also a dwarf & in ground 3 years. Tag says “dark green, finely textured foliage ..” but there is definitely a blue tone to this guy which was why I sited him in front of my Boulder & around the purple sedum that I hope will blanket the entire area. I confused this Crypto with my Chamaecyparis Pisifera “Tsukumo” which is a bit prickly. Seems odds are the others are correct & you have planted a Cryptomeria!

KW please read about cypresses

ron

cypress

@plantkiller_il_5 - Ron, I have just read the piece about cypresses. A great article authored by Sarah! Interesting to me as I have 3 of the ”Green Arrow” in my back yard. I’m missing your subtle point on why you pointed me to this piece on cypress - please elaborate. I assume the tags that were on my plants at purchase are correct. When I planted I took a photo of the entire area & labeled it for my future reference as my interest in dwarf conifers is recent for me. Here’s an older pic of my Crypto Tansu that shows the off the blue color better.

That blue conifer with upward facing shoot ends is not a 'Tansu'.

cryptomeria japonica tansu - Bing images

Ok @Embothrium , so my pretty blue dwarf is likely mislabeled & that‘s what @plantkiller_il_5 was suggesting to me as well. It doesn’t look like any cypress I’ve seen or have though. I looked at your pics on tansu & these pics at Tansu dwarf I found & couldn‘t find a match either. It looks like the older shoots on mine droop a bit but they definitely point up which gives it the round shape. I’ve never cut anything off of it. I did note that all cryptomeria have a caution to protect from drying winter winds so @Christopher CNC ,maybe that’s what caused the browned parts on the one you rescued.

Resembles this one, which was on the PNW independent garden center market in recent years:

Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Rimpelaar' / Rimpelaar Lawson cypress | Conifer Trinomial | American Conifer Society

Just to muddle things up. This was sold to me as Barton's Cypress. My best sleuthing says it is Chamaecyparis thyoides 'Barton'. It has the same kind foliage as all of the above.

JC Raulston Arboretum (ncsu.edu)

Up close peek at the needles

I fondled some Cryptomeria at the Big Box this morning. They were soft, as soft as the 'Fat Albert' spruce nearby. The feel test hasn't been working.

I'll have to read the cypress article later this evening. This is what the Barton's Cypress look like in the wild were they get some extreme weathers, competition and aren't in proper conifer display beds. I do believe Cryptomeria won for the ID of the discard.

OMG! @Embothrium - that’s it!, that’s my little darling blue ball! I recognize the name “Rimpelaar” as being on a tag I had for a plant in a pot. Thank you for your research! The long story about this little plant is that it lived in a big pot in back yard for couple years. When we reduced front yard grass area I created my dwarf conifer border & moved this little guy to front yard. Obviously my filing system needs updating. The big envelopes labeled by yard section need to be sorted & cleaned. @Christopher CNC - I agree with you - Cryptomeria wins. Fun discussion that you initiated! Love it when I learn something about our green friends.

Here is the Cryptomeria japonica 'Discard' in its new digs. Over on the right among the daffodils is a Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Trash'.

Pretty nice! What’s the blaze of lavender & purple? Surely too soon for phlox?

Phlox. Now is the time.

Hmm - not quite yet in the PNW! Our daffs are in full bloom but no phlox. Although the forecast calls for abnormal temps in low 80’s this weekend. So, all bets are off. We’re all turning our irrigation systems on now mostly because we’ve been having dry gusting winds from east for last few days.

using the generic term cypress is very confusing

" As we do with so many other plants, it is common for people to indiscriminately refer to all kinds of conifers as cypress, even if they are not of the genus Cupressus "

KW I do like what you got going in your garden

ron

Chris , I had been thinking thyoides but wouldn't know what cultivar

ron

Edit : Versent or Blue Rock

is this one of those conifers that due to its congested canopy.. can benefit with a cleaning out every now and then??? ... might you go as far as saying all such could benefit???

basically.. as the canopy extends.. all the old stuff is trapped inside.. and can lead to rodent and disease issues ...

i think glauce conica is the famous one that benefits from such.. as well as many of the small pines ...

per above.. everyone doesnt call everything a cypress ... they call everything evergreen.. a pine ... but maybe its regional ...

ken

Everything conifer is a pine down south too. It's closer to the truth too.

@plantkiller_il_5 are you saying my 'Barton' may be an imposter? They have to be coming from a local grower. They are not labeled. Just given a name and put on display with a size and form expectation. The only other info I could get out of my plant dealer was chamaecyparis.

No,No , per the data base , that's what a Barton looks like

I'm guessing the mystery plant is thyoides

ron

I guess not being able to type in full sentences is trouble

PPS ; I'm sure Sara meant to say , refer to many conifers as cypress