Japanese cedar
Cryptomeria japonica (likely 'Sekkan-sugi')
Young conifer with soft, awl-shaped needles spiralling round drooping branches, and golden-tipped new growth. Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica), probably the cultivar 'Sekkan-sugi' going by the creamy-yellow tips. A kink at the base of the trunk, staked to a cane. Work planned for late winter or early spring.
- Common name
- Japanese cedar
- Section
- Trees & shrubs
- Style
- Pre-bonsai / raw material
- Spot
- Garden
- Soil
- Nursery compost
- Options
Bonsai · Patio pot · Plant out
Bonsai
Possible formal upright or forest planting.
Patio pot
A potted conifer specimen, with eventual size affecting the container choice.
Plant out
A garden conifer where there is room for its mature size.
- From
- A local farm shop plant stall, Sep 2026
- Age
- About 3 years
- Next repot
- Around Mar 2027
- Edible
- ❌ Not for eating.
- Hardy
- ✅ Fully
- Garden-centre price
- about £12
Did you know?
Japan's national tree. One on Yakushima island is thought to be at least 2,000 years old.
Care & updates
- Next root check
- Mar 2027
- What to expect
- Evergreen: the needles stay on all winter, though they can take on a bronze tinge in the cold before greening up again in spring. Fast growth once settled, often 30 cm or more a year in a good pot.
- Feeding
- Every 28 days, Apr–Aug, with Balanced liquid feed, half strength
- Observation
Healthy with bright golden-green new growth. Grass and weeds growing in the pot. Trunk tied to a bamboo cane with green ties, and something wrapped around the lower trunk. A little browning on the lowest foliage.
🎮
Japanese cedars lining the battlefields of feudal Japan.
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