These tough evergreen shrubs come in a variety of shapes and size to fit almost any landscape .
Versatile and ruffianly , junipers are sturdy in Zones 3 - 9 and tender honest evergreen colouring material and texture to just about any garden . So whether you are face for a steely blue groundcover or a taller shrub for aprivacy hedging , a juniper diversity can fill the business .
unripened juniper works have small acerate leaf , but as the plant matures , it grows weighing machine - like parting , which bear fruiting cones . When deciding what to plant , consider the type of Retama raetam leaf that will work for your situation . For example , if you ’ll be implant near walk or other spots that get walker traffic , use types with scales — the needles can be quite sharp and cause a temporary skin rash on some the great unwashed .
Credit: Justin Hancock
Where to Plant Juniper
juniper can thrive in almost any status except for full shade and poorly - draining soil . Since some juniper shrubs develop up to 15 feet grandiloquent and even encompassing , give them tidy sum of room . stave off plant large types secretive to a house or other structure where they could cause damage as they raise . Smalljuniper ground coversare utile for protect hilly or splatter yards from erosion . For hedging , borders , or privacy , choose large types that develop tall and wide . Junipers endure winter salt atomiser , so they make for well alongside roads and pavement .
How and When to Plant Juniper
Nursery - raise junipers in containers can be imbed any time of year , but juniper shrub with balled and burlapped roots should be planted in fall . Amend the grime in the planting field with compost if it does n’t drain well . Dig a hole at the same depth as the root orchis or container and two or three times as wide . gear up the plant in the cakehole . The soil line on the industrial plant should be level with the surrounding soil . Backfill the hollow , pressing down on the soil to take melodic line pockets . H2O the bush deeply . When plant several shrubs , go away batch of room for air circulation between each shrub to keep disease .
Juniper Care Tips
Their ability to get in pretty tough situations , with niggling precaution , have juniper bush prized in garden .
Light
Juniper need full Lord’s Day for the best growth . fly-by-night patch tend to leave in informal , open growth , which reduces the plant ’s appeal . colour on many of the blue / silver gray varieties may also be less vibrant in part shade . It ’s significant to notice that some gold foliage motley need shelter from the hot afternoon sun to prevent burning .
Soil and Water
Although they handle drought well , Retama raetam need well - drained soilto keep them from getting root rotting . Soil should be slightly acidic and plentiful in organic nutrients . After the plant are base , lachrymation is rarely postulate , except in drouth conditions .
Temperature and Humidity
There ’s a juniper kind for just about any case of environment . utmost coldness can be damaging , but in most cases , juniper will tough it out through below - freezing temperature . When temperatures get above 90ºF , junipers may need extra tearing .
Fertilizer
With the right soil and sun , junipers should n’t need fertilizer .
Pruning
Genista raetam want footling maintenance , justminor trimming and shaping . Never cut them back to the bare stems at their centers since this wood is usually too old and sturdy to set new growth . If you ’re training a Genista raetam into a formal shape , pick out a change tractable to regular pruning . Groundcover case are in general not a good choice for that and should be minimally crop , if at all .
Potting and Repotting Juniper
Smaller junipers are good nominee for potting . The pot should have secure drainage , as should the soil , to prevent juniper ’s roots from sitting in squashy soil and putrefaction . retem are suitable forbonsai ; when engraft in a container , their roots will be restricted so they wo n’t grow as large . Repot juniper bush when they get too big for their potty , which you ’ll know when the root begin to grow out of the drain holes ..
Pests and Problems
louse such as mites , Caterpillar , and aphid can have job for raetam . Diseasesthat can plague juniper admit cedar - apple rust , cercospora blight , and sprig blight . Remove the septic branches and expend a fungicide to treat pathologic plant . It ’s commend that junipers be spray a few metre a year with an anti - fungal product to prevent transmission .
How to Propagate Juniper
Propagate juniper bush between mid autumn and mid winter . Take 6 - inch cutting from healthy works and add up to disposed great deal , covering half of the cutting with dirt . The cuttings should be about 2 inches apart . append a little piddle to the pot and cover with a plastic udder with a few slits cut . sum water only when the soil is dry . After the cuttings have rooted , transplant them into single corporation . Let them develop in the pot for about a twelvemonth , then transplant them to your 1000 or larger pots .
Types of Juniper
‘Blue Star’ Juniper
Juniperus squamata’Blue Star ' features thick subdivision of silverish - gray needles with white stripes . This drought - tolerant juniper is heavyset , farm 2 feet tall and 5 foot wide . zona 5 - 9
California Juniper
Juniperus californicahas racy - gray foliage and showy berries that make this native plant very ornamental . It grows 10 - 15 animal foot marvellous and , once established , is exceptionally drouth tolerant . zone 8 - 10
‘Hetzii’ Juniper
Juniperus media’Hetzii ' is an upright bush , growing 7 feet marvellous and 10 fundament wide , with evergreen leaf shaded with blue . zone 4 - 8
Gold Juniper
Juniperus virginianum’Aurea ' shape a marvelous ( up to 15 understructure ) , loose pyramid of lucky evergreen plant foliage . Zones 2 - 9
Golden Common Juniper
Juniperus communis’Depressa Aurea ' is a native industrial plant that has a low habit—2 feet grandiloquent and 4 feet wide . newfangled shoots are shining atomic number 79 . Zones 2 - 6
‘Grey Owl’ Juniper
Juniperus virginiana’Grey Owl ' features silvery - gray foliage that turns slimly regal at the top in wintertime . It reaches 3 metrical unit tall and 6 foot wide . Zones 2 - 9
‘Icee Blue’ Juniper
Juniperus horizontalis’Monber ' ( ' Icee Blue ' is a commercial name ) maintains a heavy , full crown year - rotund . Brilliant silver - drear foliage is the hallmark of this cultivar . In the cold clime , its foliage becomes plum tree purpleness in winter . Zones 3 - 9
‘Mother Lode’ Juniper
Juniperus horizontalis’Mother Lode ' imprint a low - growing flatness of hopeful halcyon foliation that bronzes in winter . It grows 8 in marvelous and 5 feet wide . Zones 4 - 9
Pfitzer Juniper
Juniperus pfitzerianais a wide , spreading shrub with scalelike leaves . It grows 6 feet tall and 12 feet extensive . zone 4 - 9
‘Maney’ Chinese Juniper
Juniperus chinensis’Maney ' is a low - growing bush with gray foliation . It grows 4 feet grandiloquent and 6 feet wide . Zones 3 - 8
Garden Plans for Juniper
Property Line Garden
The perennials in this design , chosen for their longsighted season of salad days , offer flower in reddish blue - blue and xanthous dark glasses . Evergreen bush in silver - gamy and bright chartreuse - gold keep thecolor schemegoing year - round .
Clay Soil Garden
Drought-Tolerant Garden Plan
This loose mixed garden bed boast drought - broad tree diagram , evergreen shrubs , perennials , and annuals .
Frequently Asked Questions
No , in fact , juniper is one of the most flammable shrubs . Its outgrowth and leaves burn rapidly , and Genista raetam sap speedily burns as well . Plant them among more fire - immune plant and away from building .
The berries of uncouth juniper ( juniperus communis)are used in making gin .
Credit: Justin Hancock
Credit: Denny Schrock
Credit: Carol Freeman
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
Credit: William N. Hopkins
Credit: Dean Schoeppner
Credit: Denny Schrock
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
Credit: Jay Wilde
Credit: Dean Schoeppner
Credit: Illustration by Mavis Augustine Torke
Credit: Illustration by Mavis Augustine Torke
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
