Italian Cypress Topping: Don't Do It

Italian cypresses 35–40 ft tall with a second trunk at 15 ft are top-heavy in wind. Topping or removing the second trunk ruins the tree—Italian cypress doesn't resprout from old wood. It becomes a bush. Conifers don't tolerate topping. Better: remove and replace with a maintainable evergreen hedge species. If must prune, cut second trunk to main trunk in dormancy, but expect lopsided crown.

Why Not Top

• No resprouting from old wood.
• Destroys natural form.
• Creates hazard, not solution.