Bald cypress is deciduous in the way that surprises people who encounter it for the first time: a conifer that drops its needles each fall, turning a rich reddish-brown before going bare. In late summer and through the growing season, the feathery, alternate foliage is a fresh, bright green, flat and two-ranked along the stem. In cultivation, it grows well in average to wet soils in full sun to part shade, tolerating both extended flooding and, once established, reasonably dry upland conditions. The pyramidal habit of young trees gradually gives way, over decades, to the broad and irregular crown of mature specimens reaching 50 to 70 feet tall.

The celebrated knobby root structures called cypress knees appear most commonly when trees grow in or very near standing water. Bark on younger trees is reddish-brown with long, narrow exfoliating strips. The wood, dense and rot-resistant, was historically prized for barrels, railroad ties, and shingles. Hardy in zones 4 through 9, bald cypress is an adaptable choice for rain gardens, wet slopes, and large native plantings. Its fall color alone justifies the commitment for patient gardeners with the space for a tree of this stature.