Bald Cypress Trees, Delivered and Planted in SW Florida
Bald cypress is a native, deciduous conifer and one of the best large shade trees for wet or flood-prone Southwest Florida yards, though it also grows on dry ground. It reaches 60 feet or more, turns copper in late fall, drops its feathery needles for winter and leafs out again in spring. It suits pond and canal edges and big open lawns. We deliver and plant 25 and 45 gallon trees.
- Light:
- Full sun to part shade
- Water:
- Thrives in wet or flooded soil; drought tolerant once established
- Salt:
- Moderate; some salt spray is fine, salt water around the roots is not
Bald Cypress sizes we deliver and plant
Every size below is planted by our crew, set at the right depth and watered in. Send the size and how many, and we text back a planted price, usually within the hour during the day.
| Plant | Sizes |
|---|---|
| Bald Cypress | 25 Gallon, 45 Gallon |
Bald Cypress in SW Florida, at a glance
- Mature size here
- 60 to 80 ft tall and 25 to 35 ft wide; 40 to 50 ft in 15 to 25 years
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Water
- Thrives in wet or flooded soil; drought tolerant once established
- Salt tolerance
- Moderate; some salt spray is fine, salt water around the roots is not
- Cold tolerance
- Fully hardy; cold is not an issue here
- Growth rate
- Moderate to fast
- Spacing
- 20 to 30 ft apart in a row; 20 ft or more from the house and pool
- Florida native
- Yes
- Botanical name
- Taxodium distichum
Where Bald Cypress works in a SW Florida yard
Plant bald cypress where it has room, 20 or more feet from the house, pool and pavement, such as a back corner lot, a pond or lake edge, or the low spot that stays wet after summer rain. The shade is light and dappled, so grass and shrubs below still grow.
It drops needles in winter, so keep it off the pool deck. For a native look, pair it with sabal palms, dahoon holly and sand cordgrass at the water's edge.
- Wet and low-lying yards
- Pond and canal-bank shade
- Large open-lawn shade tree
- Native screening rows
- Copper fall color
How our crew plants it
Dig the hole 2 to 3 times as wide as the root ball and no deeper, and set the top of the root ball level with the soil, with the root flare showing. Skip heavy amendments. Add a 3 inch mulch ring pulled back from the trunk.
Water in deeply; Lee and Collier allow extra watering for new plantings, and a young tree in sand dries out fast, so keep the root ball moist for the first months. Stake only if the tree wobbles.
Care after planting
- Water young trees regularly through the first year, including each assigned day in the November to May dry season, then they handle dry spells well.
- Keep mulch 2 to 3 inches deep, spread wide and pulled back from the trunk.
- Watch the needles in dry stretches; early browning usually means spider mites, which a hard spray of water can knock back.
- Feed lightly in spring with a slow-release tree fertilizer that includes iron and manganese; Lee County, Naples and Marco Island ban nitrogen and phosphorus products from June 1 to September 30.
- Prune only dead wood and unwanted low branches, since bald cypress holds a straight trunk on its own.
What to watch for
- Bald cypress turns yellow and struggles in alkaline soil above about pH 7.5, which is common in shell-heavy fill across Cape Coral, Naples and Marco, so test the soil and plan on iron and manganese treatments.
- Knees, the woody root projections that form near water, can trip a mower and spoil a lawn, though on dry ground they rarely form.
- Bagworms can strip sections of the tree, and spider mites brown the needles in dry weather.
Bald Cypress questions we hear
Does bald cypress grow in Southwest Florida?+
Yes. It is native to Florida's wetlands and grows well in Lee, Collier and Charlotte counties, whether in standing water or on a dry lawn. The main catch is alkaline soil, since shell-rich fill can turn the needles yellow. It is fast, reaching 40 to 50 feet in about 15 to 25 years.
Does bald cypress lose its leaves in Florida?+
Yes, it is deciduous. The needles turn rusty copper in late fall, drop through winter, and fresh green growth returns in early spring. That needle drop is why you keep it back from the pool, gutters and screen enclosure.
Are cypress knees a problem in a yard?+
Near water, they can be. Knees are woody root projections that form where roots sit in wet ground, and they can trip a mower or break up a lawn along a pond or canal bank. On dry upland sites they generally do not form, so plant on higher ground if you want a clean lawn.
How far from my house or pool should I plant bald cypress?+
Plant it at least 20 feet from the house, pool and pavement, and more if you can. It gets 25 to 35 feet wide and 60 feet or more tall. UF/IFAS says its roots lift sidewalks less readily than some other trees, but needles and cones still drop in winter.
Is bald cypress salt tolerant on a canal or bay lot?+
Moderately. UF/IFAS rates its salt-spray tolerance as moderate, so it is fine inland and with some protection near the water. Skip the first row on an exposed bay or Gulf lot, and avoid ground that floods with salt water.
How much does it cost to have a bald cypress planted?+
Tree size (25 or 45 gallon) and quantity drive the price. Text your address and what you want planted, and a planted price follows, usually within the hour during the day. Half down holds the trees and a delivery day.
Updated October 2026
Get a planted price on Bald Cypress
Tell us what and how many. Quinten prices it from the nursery's live list and texts you back, usually within the hour during the day.
Only need the plant delivered, no planting? It is on our nursery's list at Palm & Plant Co.
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We deliver and plant across Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Naples, Estero, Bonita Springs and about an hour around.