Hinoki cypress ‘Narrator’

What does it mean to introduce a new plant cultivar? This means we discovered a unique new variety of tree, never named before, and are now able to name it ourselves and reproduce it. A “cultivar” is not a unique species, but variety within a species, sort of like a breed. In this case, we discovered a new type of cypress, so we’re proud to introduce Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Narrator’! Propagated from a witches broom found on a Hinoki cypress, Narrator is a dwarf with bluish, more needle-like foliage. Narrator was named and propagated specifically to be the literal narrator of a puppet show we are currently working on, to tell some of the stories behind the trees in the Arboretum through puppets! Pressed cuttings of Narrator will be stored in perpetuity in the archives of the Dawes Arboretum in Ohio and the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew. Dreams do come true!