Look for the cultivar of Cupressus sempervirens called Tiny Tower ('Monshel'). Although not exactly what I'd consider "tiny", this selection only grows about 1/3 the height of standard Italian cypresses. And it takes a long time to get there :-) Other choice you could consider are narrow, upright conifers that have been trained into a topiary form - arborvitae, junipers, dwarf Alberta spruce, etc. And there are other, broadleaved evergreen shrubs available trained in the same form. As long as you are willing to provide the attention to maintain their topiary form, these tend to stay quite small and in scale. Here is a link that might be useful: Cupressus sempervirens 'Monshel' - Tiny Tower

Hi. Even though I tend to agree with Resin's statement about shearing, I think your choice may depend on the desired width of your hedge. Planting 2-3 m (7-10 ft) 'Horizontalis' will give you a wide hedge right from the start, with fairly thick side-branches.If these need cutting back, you may find yourself with a fairly bare hedge. Not sure if this will fill in rapidly. T.

It is always better to grow natives than foreign. And this brings me to the question of substituting Italian (or Mediterranean) Cypress with native Callistris (Cypress Pine). But, there are so many species of Callistris. Which one(s) closely resemble that of the Italian Cypress? Also I would like to know which cypress pine withstands heat and drought better than the rest. All recommendations are great help to me. Thank you so much.

unless you bonsai it ... intentionally dwarfing it thru root pruning ... you can not control an aggressively growing tree... by potting it ... perusal of the link.. tends to indicate.. they grow one to two feet per year .... can you picture a 12 footer in your pot ...???? that is not to say .... you shouldnt try.. and learn ... good luck ken Here is a link that might be useful: link