Arizona cypress vs Austrian pine

Arizona cypress and Austrian pine are often considered for the same spot in the garden (screening, specimen). The data below shows where they differ: size, hardiness, care, toxicity and price.

Arizona cypress

Cupressus arizonica 3.5 m × 1 m after 10 years

A blue-grey, scale-leaved evergreen that is mostly sold in slim, columnar forms: a handsome specimen in a warm, sunny spot, a screen when planted in a…

Large tree

Full sun

from about HUF 10,000

Austrian pine

Pinus nigra 4.5 m × 2.5 m after 10 years

Austrian pine is a large evergreen with stiff, dark green needles, conical when young and broad and umbrella-shaped with age, and it copes well with…

Large tree

Full sun

from about HUF 3,500

Key differences

Austrian pine: We do not recommend it for most Central European gardens. In Central Europe it has been dying on a large scale in recent years: trees weakened by drought are attacked by Diplodia (Sphaeropsis) tip blight, which browns the new shoots and then whole branches and can kill the tree within a few years.
Austrian pine grows larger: 4.5 m × 2.5 m after ten years, against 3.5 m × 1 m for Arizona cypress (an estimate: sources differ).
Austrian pine is hardier: down to -29 °C, against -18 °C for Arizona cypress.
Austrian pine also takes heavy clay, Arizona cypress needs a loose, free-draining soil.
Arizona cypress needs less care than Austrian pine.

Which one to choose?

Arizona cypress is the safer choice: we do not recommend planting Austrian pine in most gardens.

Watch out for

Arizona cypress

Its winter hardiness is borderline in the continental winters of Central Europe: most reliable sources rate it safely hardy to about -18 °C, although some nurseries report it surviving much colder winters. Avoid frost pockets and open, windy sites and protect young plants in their first winters. Cypress canker (a fungal disease with branch dieback and resin bleeding) occurs and mainly attacks trees weakened by drought. Bark beetles can also colonise it in prolonged drought. The pollen is strongly allergenic and is shed as early as late winter.

Austrian pine

In Central Europe it has been dying on a large scale in recent years: trees weakened by drought are attacked by Diplodia (Sphaeropsis) tip blight, which browns the new shoots and then whole branches and can kill the tree within a few years. Dothistroma red band needle blight also strips the lower branches. Only a small fraction of planted stands is still healthy and treatment in a garden is hardly feasible, so new planting is not recommended. It is not native here, and stands planted on dolomite slopes and sand are a conservation problem, so do not plant it near protected grasslands.

The data side by side

Feature	Arizona cypress	Austrian pine
Group	Large tree	Large tree
Size after 10 years	3.5 m × 1 m (uncertain)	4.5 m × 2.5 m (uncertain)
Ultimate size	5–18 m × 2–6 m	12–25 m × 6–12 m
Growth rate	Medium	Medium
Light	Full sun	Full sun
Soil	Average garden soil, Sandy, Calcareous	Average garden soil, Clay, Sandy, Calcareous, Acidic
Hardiness	down to -18 °C (USDA 6, RHS H6)	down to -29 °C (USDA 4, RHS H7)
Heat tolerance	High (uncertain)	High
Foliage	Evergreen	Evergreen
Water need	Low	Low
Drought tolerance	High	High
Maintenance	Low	Medium
Planting distance	250 cm	600 cm
Typical price	about HUF 10,000 (60–100 cm)	about HUF 3,500 (< 40 cm)

Prices are rounded, indicative values. Toxicity data is for information only. If your pet or child has eaten a plant, contact a vet or a doctor. Data updated: October 17, 2026

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