Named for the Dutch nursery Koster & Son where it was first documented, this dwarf cultivar of Hinoki cypress reaches only 2 to 4 feet tall and wide at maturity, which makes it genuinely useful in small gardens, rock gardens, and container plantings where larger conifers would quickly overwhelm. The form is loosely pyramidal, the ascending branches covered in dense, bright green, horizontal fans of foliage that are particularly lush in good conditions. Through winter the foliage takes on a bronze cast that adds warmth to the landscape in the colder months.

Kosteri prefers moist, well-drained soil in full to part sun and develops reasonable drought tolerance once established. It stays naturally compact without pruning, which is one of the more practical qualities in a small conifer. Deer tend to leave it alone, which expands the range of gardens where it can be planted reliably. Mass planted, it shapes into a tidy low hedge; used singly, it works as a composed specimen in a small space or a container on a sheltered terrace where the winter bronze color can be appreciated.