A heavier, more normally foliaged specimen, Tntertexta', grows with age into a fine, noble tree. Several forms will be found in nurseries and garden centres labelled 'Pendula', and most of these are worth a place in the garden. Chamaecyparis lawsoniana is much used for formal hedges, responding well to annual shearing. If seed-raised stock is used-and it is far less costly than named cultivars-a hedge showing considerable variation of colour, and possibly form, is usually produced which may be acceptable to some gardeners. If a formal hedge of one colour is preferred, one of the suitable cultivars should be chosen. Here again, the gardener should heed the warning made previously concerning the tendency for some cultivars to become bare at the base. This would be particularly undesirable in a hedge. The dark green cultivar 'Green Hedger' is a superb selection and far superior to any other for this purpose. To digress for a moment, let us consider other conifers which may rival the Lawson's cypress for hedging. The common yew, Taxus baccata, is by far the best choice for a truly formal hedge. It is more tolerant of shearing than any other conifer and can be "stopped" at a height of 4ft(i.25m). A height of 6ft(2m) is more usual for other hedging conifers. Two thujas, Thuja occidentalis and T. plicata, show very little variation in colour and are strong contenders for use as a formal hedge. Both have a number of forms which are also suitable for this purpose. To return to the Lawson's cypress, and in particular the dwarf and slower-growing forms (ultimate height 6ft[2m]), tiny forms are uncommon, but two, 'Gnome' and 'Green Globe', are recent arrivals which eventually grow into small bun form. It is difficult to accept that this great species as seen in the wild can produce such tiny forms. Of green or blue-green selections, 'Gimbornii', 'Minima', 'Minima Glauca', 'Nana' and 'Nana Glauca' are all reliable, first-class, slow-growing conifers which will eventually reach a height of 3 to 4ft(i to 1.25m) and be broadly pyramidal in outline. Of similar colour and size, but very different in form, are 'Caudata' and 'Forsteckensis'; both are irregular in outline. Gold- and silver-foliaged cultivars also feature here, and the following are excellent coloured variants of the green pyramidal forms described above: 'Aurea Densa', 'Lutea Nana' and 'Nana Aurea', all fine golds, and 'Pygmaea Argentea', with pretty silver variegation. There is also an extremely useful group of cultivars with wide-spreading branches and a height of 3 to 4ft(i to 1.25m) or so. All are blue-green and all are superb "architectural" shrubs. In addition, they are useful for ground-cover purposes. Those to search for are 'Dow's Gem', 'Knowefieldensis' and 'Tamariscifolia'. The Nootka cypress, Chamaecyparis nootkatensis, although a very fine species with a few excellent forms, is best suited to gardens and arboreta of larger size.