Juniper scaly. Juniper - types and varieties Scaly juniper

Scaly juniper is an ornamental shrub that belongs to the cypress family. This species is very diverse, there are more than 10 varieties. Thanks to this, it has become widely used in landscape design - you can choose a plant to suit any environment and design style of the site.

The homeland of the scaly juniper is the mountainous regions of the island of Taiwan, China, as well as the Eastern Himalayas. Despite the fact that this shrub has high decorative qualities, it is able to survive even in rather harsh conditions. Therefore, caring for it is not difficult even for novice gardeners.

Juniper varieties

Among the variety of varieties of this shrub, the following are of greatest interest to landscape designers:

• “Blue Star” (“Blue Star”);
• "Holger";
• "Meyeri."

Let's consider the features of these varieties of scaly juniper.

Meyeri

This variety was developed in China several decades ago. Its main feature is drooping young shoots. Due to its interesting appearance, it is often used both for landscaping parks and gardens, and for growing bonsai.

The plant acquires its best aesthetic characteristics during active shoot growth, which occurs in late spring - early summer. The needles of new branches have a silvery tint.

The growth rate is up to 10 cm per year, the size of the branches of an adult shrub is up to 3-5 meters. Therefore, Meyeri is considered the largest representative of this species.

Blue Star

The homeland of this variety is Holland. It was bred in the middle of the 20th century among Meyeri bushes. A distinctive feature of “Blue Star” is the absence of drooping young shoots and the characteristic star-shaped arrangement of needles.

This juniper has a dense crown, which is formed by densely spaced silvery shoots with a large number of branches. The variety is classified as dwarf; the height of the plant rarely exceeds one meter. The crown can reach a diameter of 2.5 meters. Growth is very slow - no more than five centimeters per year.

Holger

This variety is quite similar to Meyeri - it also has spreading branches with drooping shoots. However, despite the external similarities, there are also differences between these two varieties.

Representatives of the Holger variety have a height of no more than a meter, while the width of the bush most often reaches a diameter of about one and a half meters. This dwarf variety remains one of the most noticeable among other representatives of scaly juniper due to the bright yellow color of young shoots. Mature branches have the same silvery tint as Meyeri’s.

Thanks to these external features, Holger is perfect both as part of a group of plants and planted separately. This variety helps purify the surrounding air. Even in the presence of a large amount of impurities in the atmosphere, it is able to have a disinfecting effect on it.

In addition to these varieties, there are a large number of other plant varieties that are not as remarkable as those listed above: “Blue Carpet”, “Golden Flame”; "Dream Joy" and others.

Planting seedlings

Junipers are light-loving shrubs. Therefore, they should be planted in open areas of the garden. It is best to choose places with sandy loam or loamy light soil. It should be moderately moisturized and have sufficient nutrients.

In cases where the soil on the site is heavy and clayey, it is necessary to add a mixture of peat, garden soil and sand to it. This mixture may also include coniferous soil - soil that is collected from under coniferous plants in the forest and contains needles and other organic impurities.

Crumbs of white brick or sand should be poured down the planting hole. This makes it possible to create conditions for soil drainage. Despite the fact that the shrub can grow in fairly poor soils, excess moisture will lead to its death.

The optimal soil mixture for juniper is considered to be one that includes:

• two parts each of humus, turf soil and peat;
• one - sand.

You can also add 150 g of Kemira-universal fertilizer to this mixture, along with 300 g of nitrophoska. To increase the survival rate, you can sprinkle the growth regulator Epin under all seedlings.

Depending on the width of the root system of the shrub, the volume of the planting hole is selected. For example, for large varieties, you should dig holes measuring 60 by 80 cm. Planting should be done quickly to prevent the root system from drying out. Care must be taken when doing this, as the delicate roots of juniper are easily damaged. Immediately after planting, the plant should be watered generously and covered with material to protect it from direct sunlight.

The distance between the bushes is selected depending on the composition. Typically it is in the range from 0.5 to 2 meters. If the area is small, then it is better to choose small-sized varieties of juniper, which can be planted at a short distance from each other.

Growing from seeds

Those who decide to collect juniper seeds themselves should do this at the end of summer. In this case, they will not be fully mature, but germination is more likely. Planting should be done immediately after collecting the seeds. The first shoots will appear only after 2-3 years. This is due to the presence of a dense shell in the seeds.

It takes quite a lot of time to grow an adult shrub using this method. This method does not have any advantages over planting seedlings. Therefore, it is better to simply plant a juniper bush dug out in the forest. In order for it to quickly take root in a new place, it should be dug up with a large lump of earth in which a layer of humus remains. It is also necessary to remember how it was oriented in relation to the cardinal points, and plant it on the site in the same way.

Fertilizer use

If, before planting, the variety most adapted to the local climate was correctly selected, the shrub will grow well without the need to use large amounts of fertilizing.

During drought, it is enough to water it in the proper amount and add nitrogen fertilizers to it three times a season.

It is prohibited to use cow or poultry humus for fertilizer. When it is added to the soil, the roots of coniferous plants are damaged. You also need to avoid loosening the soil around the bush - since the root system is located on the surface of the soil, this will lead to its damage and the gradual death of the plant. Instead, it is better to mulch the soil annually with coniferous soil from the forest.

Winter care

Due to the fallen snow, the branches of the juniper may break, and the formed crowns may disintegrate. To prevent this from happening, it is recommended to tie them in the fall. If the plant is sensitive to daily temperature changes, it should be covered with protective material in the winter-spring period.

This will also help prevent sunburn, due to which the crown acquires a yellowish tint and loses its decorative properties.

You should pay attention to juniper buds. If they remain healthy under the influence of frost, then young shoots will grow from them over time. If this does not happen, they should be treated with garden varnish, having previously been trimmed.

At the end of the summer period and in the spring, you need to water the juniper in a timely manner and apply the necessary fertilizing. It is also useful to spray its branches with a solution of microfertilizers. This will allow you to maintain the bright color of the needles even in winter.

To cover the bush in the cold season, you can use not only protective material, but also:

• snow - suitable for small-sized plants, creeping varieties. For shelter you just need to throw snow on the branches. Additionally, it is better to make a protective frame that will prevent damage to the bush during heavy snowfall;
• spruce branches - they are attached to the branches in the form of tiers from bottom to top;
• screen - allows you to protect the juniper from strong winds and bright light. Therefore, it is installed on the most brightly lit side of the planting.

As for covering materials, it is not recommended to use lutrasil, since the sun's rays pass through it. Also, cardboard boxes should not be used for this purpose. According to many gardeners, the best material for covering is considered to be metallized insulation, which is used when laying laminate flooring. In October, before the soil freezes, you need to drive pegs around the bush, and then wrap it with a substrate in December.

Pests and diseases

Juniper, even in unfavorable conditions for it, is rarely susceptible to various diseases. But, if under certain conditions the bush becomes sick, the cause is usually a fungal infection.

The most common diseases of juniper are:

• fusarium;
• juniper rust;
• drying out of branches;
• Alternaria blight;
• brown shutte.

To prevent diseases, you should follow the technique and conditions for planting shrubs, and choose high-quality planting material for this. It is also necessary, if damage appears on the branches, to cut them off and treat the wounds with a solution of 1% copper sulfate, cover them with garden varnish or oil paints.

To combat fungi, you can use the following products: Gamair, Alirin-B, Fitosporin-M. They should be diluted in water and the soil around the bush should be watered with the resulting solution. For treatment and prevention, you can spray the plant with a 0.2% solution of Fundazol.

Scaly juniper is a shrub that can be used to decorate any garden. Thanks to its unpretentiousness, even inexperienced gardeners can grow this plant. If all required preventive measures are observed, juniper will not be susceptible to pests and will retain its aesthetic properties.

Video review of juniper varieties

Evergreen scaly juniper is one of the favorite plants of landscape designers. Most varieties of compact shrubs are low-growing, unpretentious, easily tolerate shaping and are widely used to create topiary.

Characteristics of culture

Junipers belong to the Cypress family, wild plants of the mountainous regions of Southeast Asia. Shrubs have been used in gardening since the beginning of the 19th century. In favorable conditions they live for centuries. Nowadays, varieties with a low, creeping crown, emitting a faint coniferous aroma, have become widespread. These monoecious shrubs are characterized by dense branches with stiff, short needles. The length of the sickle-shaped needles is 5-8 mm, they are collected in whorls of 3, slightly pressed to the branches. The color of the needles is light and silver on top, and dark green on the bottom.

Juniper bushes grow at a low speed, up to several centimeters per season. On mature shrubs, oval cones-berries with 1 seed are created on the branches, which ripen by the end of May every other year. At first they are green-red, then blue, 6-7 mm long. Not all varieties can withstand severe frosts. In the climate of central Russia, many junipers require shelter for the winter.

Juniper squamosus

Note! All work with junipers is carried out with gloves, since the plants contain substances that can harm health.

Description of varieties

More than ten varieties of scaly juniper are known in Russian gardens. The differences are in the shape and color of the crown. Popular ones include Holger juniper and blue creeping bushes.

Meyeri is one of the tall varieties of Chinese selection, bred more than a hundred years ago. The plant stretches up to 5 m, shoots increase by 10 cm per year. But there is a modern version - the compact version of the picturesque Mary juniper, low-growing, 60-70 cm. Meyeri Compakta is distinguished by the bluish color of its needles, undemandingness to soils, and winter hardiness - up to 23 ° C. The shoots extend obliquely, the edges fall beautifully.

Juniper Meyeri

The cone-shaped graceful shape of the crown is distinguished by the Loderi juniper variety, known since 1926. The 1.5 m high shrub was named after the name of its creator, an English aristocrat. The branches of the plant rise densely, occupying a circumference of 80-100 cm. They develop rather slowly - by the age of 10, juniper grows up to 80 cm. The needles are green-gray and short. The variety is drought-resistant, warm and light-loving.

In May and June, the Holger juniper bush stands as if wrapped in a golden glow. Its crown rises up to a meter, with a circumference of 1.5-2.5 m. This is the largest shrub of its kind, created in Sweden in 1946. Due to its seasonal scenic features, the Holger juniper variety is widely used in garden design. The bulk of the needles are a rich bluish-green color, but young branches have a light golden hue, which darkens only in autumn. According to the description, Holger junipers grow 7-10 cm in height and up to 25 in width over the summer. A spreading bush with shaggy branches rising obliquely decorates the yard and purifies the air with phytoncides, which it produces 6 times more than any other coniferous crop.

The decorative properties of the Holger juniper bushes are slightly similar to the previous variety, another plant of the same meter height. Only in terms of growth strength, the Golden Flame juniper lags behind its fellow, expanding laterally by 18-20 cm over the season. By 10 years, the shrub grows up to 1 m. The decorative crown of the variety lasts a whole year due to individual creamy-golden islands against the general bluish background of the needles . The charm of the variety is fully revealed if the juniper is planted in a sunny area.

Juniper Holger

Additional Information. A feature of caring for varieties with decorative yellowish areas of the crown is the need for shading from late January to early March. At this time, the sun's rays are bright and can burn delicate needles.

Dream Joy juniper bushes, as described by gardeners, captivate with their elegance and unique cheerfulness. From the beginning of summer they are similar in color to the previous 2 varieties. The shades of the young shoots against the overall green-bluish background of the bush are more muted in this plant, rather light green and slightly yellowish, but not severe, like many conifers. The variety, bred in England, is low-growing, in 10 years it stretches up only 50-60 cm, the crown expands to 1-1.2 m. The growth of branches is 7-15 cm in height and 16-24 cm in circumference. The shape of the bush is cushion-shaped, symmetrical, compact. To characterize this juniper, mention is made of its winter hardiness, down to -26, -28 °C.

A separate series includes silver-blue scaly junipers bred in Holland and Sweden: Blue Carpet, Blue Star, Blue Swede and others. Their common feature is the deep bluish-silver color of the needles. Most shrubs have creeping branches that bend smoothly downward. Grows in sun and partial shade, does not like low-lying areas. The average height is 60-100 cm, the diameter of the dense crown is 1.5-2.5 m. The winter-hardy Blue Sweet variety has short, 1 cm, needles that become almost gray in the fall. These varieties look impressive on a trunk.

Juniper Blue Carpet

The Floreant juniper variety was created from the Blue Star bush in Holland and named after the popular football club. It grows slowly - 6 cm per season, 40 cm high, the width of the hemispherical crown is 50 cm. Impressive with areas of white-cream needles on a blue background.

Hannethorpe juniper shrubs are considered a variety of Blue Swede. At the outstretched crown, the tips of the shoots fall down. Growth is moderate, reaches 1.5 m in height in 2 decades, diameter - 2.5 m. A beautiful, strict-looking variety with a bluish color can withstand frosts of up to 26, 28 degrees.

Landing

Scaly junipers are propagated by seeds and cuttings, treated with a growth stimulant. The berries are collected in the fall and soaked for 7 days. The seeds are scarified with hard sandpaper and sown in a box, which is placed covered under the snow. Planting of sprouts in the ground is carried out in the spring.

Planting juniper

It is easier to purchase a seedling with a closed root system:

1. A hole is dug in a sunny area or in partial shade, 2 times larger than the container.
2. On clay soils, drainage is arranged with a layer of 20 cm.
3. Garden soil and peat are mixed 1:1.
4. A special mineral complex is added: 5 g per 1 liter of substrate.
5. The lump is installed so that the root collar is flush with the ground.
6. The hole is watered and mulched.

Important! Juniper is planted on acidic soils or acidified neutral ones.

Care

Junipers require moderate watering. Sprinkling is carried out in the evening or early in the morning. Lay a 3-4 cm layer of mulch to retain moisture.

For proper care, bushes are fed with organic matter or minerals:

• Nitrogen preparations are introduced in the spring;
• in July - phosphorus;
• in autumn - potassium;
• Foliar feeding is effective.

Sanitary pruning is carried out regularly, and a plastic crown is formed if desired. For winter in harsh climates, bushes are covered.

Juniper pruning

Diseases and pests

Junipers suffer from fungal diseases, which are prevented by treatment with fungicides Quadris, Horus, Maxim, Switch and others. Shrubs are harmed by scale insects, aphids, moths, and mites. Preventatively sprayed with insecticides Match, Actellik, Enzhio.

Landscape

Bushes with an original crown and a hint of pine needles, like the Dream Joy juniper, act as expressive soloists and are also effective in a group. Creeping varieties are planted in the foreground of compositions. Often in such places bushes of juniper squamat Holger grow. Dense hedges are created from tall ones. Plants with different shades of needles look interesting next to each other.

Scaly junipers will decorate the garden, adding a unique, sophisticated flavor. Caring for bushes is quite simple. Watering and fertilizing will ensure a healthy appearance for the plantings.

Description

Meyeri's juniper (Juniperus squamata Meyeri) is a coniferous evergreen shrub beloved by gardeners and landscape designers. The popularity of the variety is due to the elegance of the crown and the original color of the needles: obliquely located branches with hanging silver-blue ends inspire people who are passionate about gardening to create unique landscape compositions. The shrub is especially beautiful during the period of active growth (late May - June). The growth rate is average (10 cm per year), the shoots are straight, the branches are short. An adult plant can reach 2-5m in height. The fruits are dark blue with a waxy coating of cones. Often used as a plant to create Bonsai.

Planting and caring for juniper scaly Meieri

It is better to plant juniper in sunny places, slight shading is allowed. The distance between planted plants is from 0.5 to 2 m, depending on the size. The planting hole should be 2-3 times larger than the earthen ball and up to 70 cm deep for adult plants. At the bottom of the hole, make a drainage layer of sand or broken brick about 20 cm thick. When planting, it is important that the root collar is not buried.

Junipers prefer soil with a slightly acidic to neutral reaction (see). The soil mixture is made in a 2:1:1 ratio from peat, sand and turf soil, respectively. After planting, the plant needs to be watered abundantly for a week.

In dry summers it needs to be watered. Junipers do not tolerate dry air well, so it is advisable to sprinkle regularly. Fertilizers are applied once a year in the spring at the end of April or in May (nitroammofoska, Kemira-universal, etc.). Young plants need shallow loosening.

For the winter, the plants are sprinkled with peat with a layer thickness of 10 cm, and the young plants are covered with spruce branches. Columnar varieties may suffer from heavy snowfalls, so in the fall the branches are pressed to the trunk with tape or rope (see,).

Any corner of the garden or summer cottage can be decorated with unpretentious and beautiful junipers. In modern landscape design they have become popular and loved due to their various shapes, colors, plasticity and unpretentiousness. Any design idea can be easily realized with the help of these conifers, which cut perfectly. On your site you can plant a lush bush or a spreading tree, creeping ivy or a columnar monolith. There are more than 70 species in the juniper genus. In this article we will talk about the most popular and low-maintenance species and varieties.

Frost-resistant species of junipers

These types of junipers are most often have large habitats. These can be large shrubs growing in light coniferous forests, or small trees found in the undergrowth of deciduous forests.

Common juniper: photos and varieties

A tree or shrub up to 12 meters high can have a variety of shapes. It is distinguished by reddish-brown shoots and flaky bark. The shiny, prickly and narrow lanceolate needles are 14-16 mm long. Blue-black cones with a bluish coating reach 5-9 mm in diameter. They ripen in the second or third year.

Common juniper, resistant to frost and urban air pollution can grow on poor sandy loams. The shrub has about a hundred varieties, which differ in height, color of needles, shape and diameter of the crown. The most popular varieties are:

Pyramid tree native to North America can reach up to 10 m in height. Due to their resistance to adverse factors, rock junipers are in great demand in areas with hot climates. With their help, tall hedges and various coniferous compositions are created. The most unpretentious and known are two varieties:

Red cedar

This coniferous plant can rightfully be considered the most unpretentious and resistant among all types of junipers. In nature he grows along river banks and on windswept mountain slopes. Virginia juniper wood is resistant to rotting. In this regard, it is used to make pencils, and the plant itself is called the “pencil tree”. It is drought-resistant, frost-resistant and tolerates partial shade.

Varieties of this type of juniper are easily propagated by grafting, cuttings and seeds. Every year a large number of cones ripen on the tree, from which seeds can be obtained. After stratification, the seeds are sown in the ground and are an excellent planting material for creating a hedge. Most often used to decorate gardens and parks. seven varieties of juniper virginiana:

1. The Gray Owl variety is a shrub with silver-gray needles and gracefully drooping branches. Grows up to one and a half meters. The width of its crown reaches two meters. A large number of cones berries add additional decorativeness to the shrub. It tolerates pruning well, loves sunny areas, and is frost-resistant.
2. The Hetz variety is a plant with bluish needles that grows up to 2 meters. It can be 2-3 meters wide. Suitable only for large gardens as it quickly grows in width and height. Resistant to almost any weather conditions.
3. The Pendula variety is a spreading tree up to 15 m high. Its “weeping” branches are covered with green needles with a bluish tint.
4. The Burkii variety is a fast-growing, pyramidal shrub, the height of which reaches 5-6 m. At the age of ten years, with a crown diameter of 1.5 m, it has a height of 3 m. It is overgrown with non-thorny needles of a green-blue hue.
5. The Ganaertii variety is an oval-columnar dense tree that grows up to 5-7 m. The branches are covered with dark green needles. In autumn, countless blue-gray cones are formed on the juniper.
6. The Glauca variety is a columnar-shaped tree up to 5 m high. It branches densely and is distinguished by its silvery colored needles.
7. The Blue Cloud variety is a dwarf form of juniper virginiana. It has a height of 0.4-0.5 m, a crown width of up to 1.5 m. Long branches are covered with small gray needles with a blue tint.

Medium junipers: varieties

Shrubs with a wide variety of colors and habit, characterized by good resistance to unfavorable growing conditions. The most popular varieties:

Chinese junipers: photos and varieties

Slow growing pyramidal trees, growing in China, Japan, Korea and the Primorsky Territory. Their height can reach up to 20 m, so bonsai are often formed from them. They love moist, fairly fertile soils. They tolerate drought well.

Some varieties of Chinese juniper are spreading bushes and are suitable for decorating small areas:

Cossack junipers

Most often this winter-hardy, creeping shrubs, which grow naturally in many areas of Asia and in the forests of Europe. They are often used to strengthen slopes because they are undemanding to the soil, light-loving and drought-resistant. Their varieties differ in needle color, habit and size:

Juniper horizontal

A North American plant species that can be used to decorate retaining walls and as a ground cover plant. The most popular varieties:

1. The Limeglow variety is a plant that grows up to only 0.4 m in height and grows up to one and a half meters wide. Its branches are strewn with beautiful, bright golden-yellow needles, which allows the shrub to be used as an accent for any composition in the garden. Does not grow well in heavy soils and prefers well-lit areas.
2. The Blue Forest variety is a dwarf shrub 0.3 m high and 1.5 m wide. Young shoots grow vertically on its creeping crown, creating the impression of a blue miniature forest. The color of juniper is especially bright and original in mid-summer.
3. The Blue Chip variety is one of the most beautiful creeping junipers. A bush with horizontal shoots spreading in different directions with slightly raised ends looks like a thick silver-blue carpet. In winter, the needles change color and become purple.
4. The Andorra Variegata variety is a dwarf shrub 0.4 m high. The cushion-shaped crown grows up to one and a half meters. Juniper is distinguished by bright green needles with creamy splashes in the summer, and purplish-violet needles in winter.

A drought-resistant plant with low soil fertility requirements, it grows naturally in China and on the slopes of the Eastern Himalayas. In landscape design, wide-spreading varieties with silver needles are used:

Nothing will clean and freshen the air in your garden quite like planting junipers in it. They will add their shapes and color to the garden comfort, beauty and originality. You can plant a huge tree, a tiny shrub, or make a composition from them. Any of the varieties and types of juniper will easily fit into the landscape design of a small summer cottage or large garden.

Juniper and its varieties and types

Latin name: Juniperus squamata.

Family: Cypress.

Scaly juniper is an evergreen shrub of the cypress family with a spreading prickly crown, which reaches a height of 0.5 to 1.5 m. The mountains of China, the island of Taiwan, and the Eastern Himalayas are considered its homeland. It has been known in culture since 1824.

Scaly juniper is a coniferous plant. Most often it has dark brown bark and noble gray-blue needles. Juniper usually grows on fertile soils, but sometimes excessive waterlogging can be detrimental to it. The berries of the plant are black and shiny cones, similar in size to a pea, ripening the following year, in the month of May.

This coniferous shrub usually grows with pines and heathers, but also gets along well with roses, cereals, and various perennials. The plant is unpretentious and tolerates winter cold well, but in the spring it must be fed and watered abundantly.

Scaly juniper grows very slowly. This is a very light-loving plant. Among other things, it also perfectly performs a soil-protecting and water-protecting role.

Juniper has more than 60 species, which mainly grow in temperate zones. Conventionally, they can be divided into three subgenera:

The first, the most common subgenus, which includes Cossack Juniper, Chinese Juniper, Rock Juniper, Scaly Juniper, and Virginia Juniper.

The second subgenus includes common, coastal and hard juniper.

The third subgenus is the smallest, as it includes only Stone Stone Juniper.

Scaly juniper also has many different types, but the most common of them are still:

Blue carpet (Blue Carpet) is a dwarf plant, no more than 30 cm in height with a flat crown. This variety is most often recommended for planting in sunny places.

- “Meyeri” is a creeping shrub. Its height also reaches up to 30 cm, and its width up to 1.5 m. The needles have a slightly bluish-white tint.

Blue star (Blue Star) is a low-growing shrub. It is perfect for creeping plantings, creating original garden compositions and borders. This low-growing plant tolerates almost any conditions, including it does not have any special requirements for the soil.

Scaly juniper is a very beautiful ornamental plant. Due to its varied colors, it is most often used to decorate landscapes. It looks great both on alpine slides and for creating groups and various borders in gardens and parks.

This coniferous shrub does not tolerate replanting very well, so it is better to use a “transfer” (together with a lump of earth) so as not to damage the root system. For planting, choose open areas with sufficient sunlight. The soil for planting should be light and ventilated. After planting, do not press the soil around the plant under any circumstances; it will gradually settle on its own.

Caring for Scaly Juniper is simple: it must be watered regularly and preferably sprayed. For spraying, you should choose early morning or late evening so that the plant does not get burned. On very hot days it is better to shade it, otherwise the coniferous shrub will burn.