Juniper what it looks like. A handsome conifer in the garden - juniper (60 photos): planting and caring for the plant. Appearance and application in landscape design

COMMON JUNIPER
(JUNIPERUS COMMUNIS)

Common juniper is an evergreen coniferous shrub or tree, from 3 to 12 m in height, from the cypress family. The trunk is very branchy. The leaves are linear, awl-shaped, hard, sharp, grooved on top, arranged in a ring, 3 in each ring. The flowers are dioecious: male in the form of axillary earrings, female in the form of green spherical axillary cones. The fruits of the “cone-berry” are fleshy, berry-shaped, small with three seeds. Honey plant (Fig. 49).

It blooms in May, the fruits ripen in the second year in autumn (October - November).
Distributed in the European part of the USSR, Siberia and the Caucasus. Grows in undergrowth, deciduous and mixed forests, in forests, on sandy soils, on dry hills, on mountain slopes, along river banks. Cultivated as an ornamental and landscaping plant.

Ripe, black fruits (berries) are used. The taste is sweetish-spicy. The smell is peculiar, aromatic.
When collecting, you must remember that it can be confused with Cossack juniper, which is poisonous. The difference is that the fruits of the common juniper have three seeds, the Cossack one has two, the color of the fruit is black-brown, the Cossack one is black and blue with a waxy coating. The leaves of the common juniper are needle-shaped, while those of the Cossack juniper are flat and appressed.

Chemical composition. The fruits contain essential oil (up to 2%), acetic, malic and formic acids, sugars (up to 40%), mainly glucose, fructose; pectin, bitter, resinous substances; flavone glucoside, wax, inositol alcohol, yellow pigment.

Action and application. Essential oil in the digestive tract, irritating the mucous membranes, causes increased peristalsis, while the secretion of the bronchial glands increases; The sputum is liquefied, which facilitates its better separation. The essential oil is released primarily through the kidneys, moderately irritating them and increasing diuresis. In large doses, essential oil causes irritation of the kidneys and reduces the secretion of the bronchial glands. In addition, it has an antimicrobial effect.

Juniper berries are used as a diuretic, disinfectant of the urinary tract (for kidney diseases, stones and sand in the kidneys, for liver diseases), as well as an expectorant and digestive improver. It is necessary to take into account the irritating effect of berries on the kidney parenchyma, therefore they are contraindicated in acute nephritis. Prescribed under the supervision of a physician.

Externally, juniper oil is used for rheumatic pain in joints and muscles in the form of rubbing.
In Poland and Bulgaria, juniper berries are used as a diuretic for chronic inflammation of the kidneys and bladder, for liver diseases, dermatitis, and rheumatism.
In the GDR, in addition to the diseases mentioned above, the fruits are used for diseases of the stomach, liver, skin diseases (scabies, lichen, skin rashes), etc.

As a tea, as a diuretic, for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract: boil 100 g of dried berries in 400 ml of water until soft, strain and take 1 teaspoon daily in the form of syrup with sugar, 3 times a day, before meals.
For gout and rheumatism - in the form of baths (boil 200 g of dried berries in 2 liters of water).
In the spring, to improve blood composition, it is recommended to chew one berry every day on an empty stomach, two on the next day, and reach 15 berries on the 15th day, then reducing to 5.

In France, all parts of the juniper tree are considered to have health benefits. It has long been used as a good diuretic. Leclerc has successfully used the berries to treat arthritis patients with impaired kidney function.
The berries are used as a substitute for coffee, a spice for meat dishes and sauerkraut. Juniper sugar is extracted from the fruits, which is used for making beer, fruit drinks and flavoring drinks. Juniper berries were included in the State Pharmacopoeia of the USSR in 1968.

We use juniper fruits in small doses as a disinfectant and diuretic for kidney stones and cholelithiasis, as well as for anemia.

Among the ancient Slavs, Juniper was a symbol eternal life. The spicy smell of burning branches in the village was a sad sign. This meant that someone in the village was being escorted on their final journey, which would bestow eternal life.

Shamans used juniper smoke in ritual fumigations and ceremonies, giving the bush magical powers.

In Belarusian folklore there was a legend about an evil spirit named “kaduk” living in the trunk of a Juniper tree. In this region the bush was avoided.

At the same time, among other peoples, Juniper is a symbol of holiness, the abode of the gods.

In Christianity, Juniper deserves special mention. Many clergy still maintain the tradition of consecrating a juniper branch and hiding it behind the icon. It is believed that this measure will prevent the temple and icons from misfortune.

juniper names

IN different regions In Russia in the old days, Juniper had many names.

In some areas it was called Veres, in others – Yalovets, Morzhukha, Bruzhevelnik.

The most common name “Juniper”, according to one version, comes from the phrase “between the fir trees”. Often this shrub is found as undergrowth in spruce thickets.

According to another version, the name comes from the ancient Slavic word “mozha”, which means knot. A quick glance at the twisting trunks of old trees reveals similarities with real rope knots.

WHAT JUNIPER LOOKS LIKE

Juniper is a shrub or small tree with a thin trunk and a pointed top, up to 5 - 6 meters high.

The plant's needles, 1–2 cm long, are very hard and prickly.

There are female and male specimens. In male representatives, the crown is denser, narrower and pointed.

The bark has a gray-brown color and a fibrous texture.

The trunk of a tree often bends in bizarre patterns with branches smoothly turning into verticals.

Juniper grows very slowly, so hundred-year-old specimens barely reach large sizes. Even the oldest representatives of the shrub have a height of about 5 meters and a trunk thickness of 10 - 15 cm.

The maximum age of Juniper is 200 years, although there are representatives much older.

Where does Juniper grow?

The shrub is considered a relict plant, a witness to ancient times. After all, Juniper has been growing on Earth for more than 50 million years.

The shrub has 71 species. 20 of them grow in our country.

Juniper is widespread in the Urals, the Caucasus, Primorye and Siberia. Various types of shrubs are found in South-East Asia, in America and the Mediterranean regions.

In the forests of Russia, the most common species is the common juniper.

The shrub grows in the undergrowth and in clearing areas. Cultivated in gardens and parks. Selected species plants are found in the mountains in the most inaccessible points.

When does Juniper bloom?

Juniper blooms in May, forming yellow flowers on male plants, and green on female plants.

It begins to bear fruit in the fall. On the bushes you can find both green and black-purple berries. Juniper fruits ripen only in the second year and are inedible for humans.

Medicinal properties of Juniper

Juniper berries contain copper, iron, manganese, aluminum, a huge amount of vitamins and essential oils.

A decoction of Veres fruits successfully combats problems of the urinary system, so it was used in the treatment of edema, inflammation, and even in the removal of kidney stones.

A decoction of berries improves bile secretion and enhances intestinal motility.

It is also used in the treatment respiratory tract. This remedy is an excellent expectorant and thins mucus.

The needles contain a huge amount of phytoncides that kill harmful bacteria.

A pillow with juniper sawdust can heal headache and a slight runny nose, relieve stress and calm nervous excitement.

IN modern medicine Diuretics, diaphoretics, painkillers and other medicines are made from Juniper.

Applications of Juniper

Green Juniper berries are used for production natural paints golden yellow color. Black - for the production of brown and black paint.

Juniper fruits are not edible and are used as one of the ingredients in Food Industry in the manufacture of sweets, baked goods, fruit drinks, gingerbreads.

Dried juniper is an excellent material for woodworkers and carvers. The wood is perfectly dried and will never crack. Without large resin passages, the wood is easily stained and polished. Possessing high density, this material allows you to apply fine threads.

Valuable resin is extracted from Juniper, which is used to make high-quality natural white varnish.

Veres wood is widely used for making pencils.

Contraindications

Medicines and preparations that contain Juniper are contraindicated for people with kidney problems.

Juniper is an inedible berry. Particular care should be taken when handling Juniper Cossack, as it is poisonous and can cause vomiting, damage to the kidneys and nervous system. In some cases, death can occur.

Juniper - interesting facts

Juniper thickets form near coal seams. This property is used by geologists when searching for coal deposits. Thus, the Moscow Region coal basin was opened.

Before pickling mushrooms, in the old days, peasants treated barrels with boiling water and a juniper broom, killing putrefactive microbes.

The oldest Juniper grows in Crimea. According to one version, its age is approximately 400 years. According to another – 2 thousand years. Determining the exact age of a living Juniper is extremely difficult.

Moths never appear in cabinets made from Juniper.

Photos used in the material: sereja.serjio2015, Zekkadrb , angruzinov valerius66 , Fl1983 (Yandex.Photos)

One of modern trends in landscaping - use coniferous plants. The diversity of their species and varieties allows us to solve even the most complex design problems, and pines, spruces and thujas are gradually winning their “place in the sun” in the world. suburban areas. Juniper is also actively used in landscape design, photos of varieties of which can be seen below.

Juniper is a close relative of cypress, but it grows in harsher conditions than its counterpart. In the wild, there are approximately 70 species of this interesting conifer, but only about 15 are “cultivated”, among which there are dwarfs and giants, plants with compact crowns or spreading ones, varieties with erect or creeping trunks.

The color of junipers is very diverse; almost all shades of green are found here, as well as varieties with bluish needles. And, unlike most of its thorny counterparts, the color of the needles of this genus changes depending on the season of the year - by autumn the crown acquires a bronze or brownish tint. The shape of the needles also varies from species to species, and in some cases depends on the age of the bush.

In addition to the variety of forms, juniper has another advantage - its unpretentiousness. It can grow on rocky soils as well as heavy loams or poor in nutrients sandy soils. The only thing is that the cypress relative will not take root in acidified or wetlands.

The cold resistance of the “northern cypress” depends on the species, but most of the plants used in landscape design tolerate frost well, and only recently planted or young specimens need shelter for the winter.

Another pleasant feature of juniper is its amazing aroma. Moreover, varieties with scaly needles more actively saturate the air with phytoncides, while the smell of those with needle-shaped leaves is less pronounced.

Most members of the juniper genus respond well to pruning.

Types and varieties

There are about a hundred varieties of juniper on sale, bred by breeders or obtained in nature due to mutations. The most common species are based on the following types of juniper:

• • Common (Juniperus communis)- a strong spreading shrub with prickly needles and a bluish coating on it. Drought-resistant and exceptionally frost-resistant.
  • Rocky (Juniperus scopulorum)- conifer native to North America. Unpretentious, but prefers places protected from the wind.
  • Virgin (Juniperus virginiana)- a tree native to North America, in nature it reaches gigantic sizes. This species is not afraid of strong winds; its wood is very durable. Unlike most relatives, it is shade-tolerant.
  • Cossack (Juniperus sabina)- shrub, up to one and a half meters high. It has scaly needles.
  • Medium (Juniperus media)- a rather large plant with an asymmetrical crown and scale-shaped needles.

Common juniper
Rock juniper
Red cedar

Juniper Cossack
Juniper Cossack
Juniper medium

Most popular varieties

Conifers used in landscape design, as a rule, have one important feature - slow growth. Junipers are no exception here. From all the diversity, we can highlight several of the most popular varieties, which, due to their properties, are suitable for solving most design tasks.

Short breed Juniperus chinensis "Stricta" forms a cone-shaped dense crown and grows no higher than two meters. The branches are covered with needle-like needles of a bluish-green color. Ideal for creating an accent in compositions, when single landings or as a hedge.

The variety belongs to another category Juniperus squamata "Blue Star", which rarely exceeds a meter in height and is used to decorate lawns and rock gardens. In addition to its modest size, its unique feature is the needles of an amazing silver-blue hue. This plant can decorate any composition.

Variety Juniperus media "Old Gold", on the contrary, has a golden color. This variety is also dwarf. Looks impressive when planted alone on the lawn, as well as in combination with differently colored conifers.

Chinese juniper "Stricta"
Juniper medium "Old Gold"

Columnar forms

Specimens with a columnar crown shape are expressive in themselves. They are perfect for decorating alleys and creating hedges. In compositions, columnar junipers usually occupy a central place.

Chinese juniper "Spartan"
Juniper virginiana "Skyrocket"

Pairs well with flowering flora of the Juniperus chinensis variety. "Olympia" And "Spartan", which have scaly needles of a rich green color. The Virginia juniper species has an elegant bluish-green crown. "Skyrocket".

Spreading and weeping forms

Spreading specimens look peculiar; they are usually used as solo plants when decorating lawns; they are indispensable when decorating rocky slopes and large alpine hills. In such plants, the crown diameter often exceeds the height. For example, varieties " Blue Alps" Juniperus chinensis with silver-blue spiny needles and "Glauka" Juniperus sabina with bluish-green forms quite picturesque forms.

Juniperus chinensis "Blue Alps"
Common juniper "Horstmann"

Breeds with a weeping crown shape stand a little apart, for example, "Horstmann"- a variety of Juniperus communis, with drooping branches and thorny needles. Such plants are good for decorating ponds or as a soloist.

Dwarfs

Despite their modest size, dwarf junipers are no less expressive. They are good in small areas and when creating small compositions. Dwarfs are irreplaceable on alpine hills, near ponds, as ground cover plants.

Varieties of horizontal juniper, thanks to their branches spreading along the ground, look impressive on lawns and in rockeries. Varieties are often planted on rocky slopes "Tamariscifolia" Juniperus sabina, and "Green Carpet" Juniperus communis, forming a crown in the shape of a flat dome.

Variety of colors

Shrubs and trees with unusual, eye-catching colors add liveliness to any composition. For example, bright yellow short "Gold Star" Juniperus media goes well with dark needles or foliage of other plants, and by autumn it acquires an interesting bronze hue. A variety Juniperus scopulorum "Moonglow" is one of the brightest blue junipers and looks spectacular in any environment.

Caring for "northern cypress"

Despite the fact that plants of this genus are quite unpretentious and are able to grow with virtually no human intervention, there are still some nuances.

Shrubs should be watered only during periods of prolonged drought, as well as in the first season after planting. Plant feeding is not required.

Place and time of landing

Juniper is usually planted in mid-spring or early autumn, but plants with a closed root system can be replanted throughout the warm season. The location for this conifer must meet certain requirements:

• The cypress relative is not a shade-tolerant plant, with the exception of a few species, so it is planted in well-lit, sunny places.
• Places where water accumulates are not suitable for juniper. Groundwater should also be far from the surface.
• Some species need protection from the wind.
• Juniper needs space; it does not like cramped spaces.

Planting

Chinese juniper "Stricta"

Planting holes are prepared in advance; their dimensions, as a rule, are twice the size of the root system of seedlings. You should remember about the intervals between plants - for dwarf forms the gaps will be about half a meter, but large specimens are planted 2-3 meters from each other.

Almost any soil is suitable for junipers; the preferred composition depends on the specific species. Fertile soil is more suitable for large varieties, but it is better to keep dwarfs on a “starvation ration” - if there is an excess nutrients they lose their decorative effect.

But it's worth remembering general rule for: the soil must be sufficiently light and moisture-permeable. The supply of oxygen to the roots and the overall development of the plant depend on this.

To the bottom landing pit lay out a layer of broken brick or gravel, this is especially important if the site is located in a lowland. Next, pour a layer of substrate and place the plant, trying not to bury the root collar. It is best to replant junipers while preserving the earthen clod. The pit is filled with prepared substrate and spilled with plenty of water. The soil surface is usually mulched.

Wintering

Due to their high frost resistance, these cypress relatives do not require shelter from the cold, with the exception of recently planted specimens. Spruce branches or spruce branches are used as shelter non-woven material. At the end of winter, like all conifers, juniper should be protected from the sun - this helps to avoid browning of the needles.

Sometimes columnar and cone-shaped varieties suffer from snow - their branches simply cannot withstand the weight and break, so such plants are tied in late autumn, pressing the shoots to the trunk.

The spectacular beauties of thuja in landscape design rightfully occupy a leading position among coniferous plants...

Diseases and pests

Sometimes when growing juniper, unpleasant situations happen - plants can be affected by fungal diseases and pests.

The most common disease is rust - orange growths on trunks and branches that appear in early summer. It affects not only juniper, but also other decorative and fruit plants, therefore, it is not recommended to plant “northern cypress” next to pears, apple trees and hawthorn. The affected areas of the bush are removed, and the plant is treated with a fungicide solution. Solutions of immunostimulants are used as a preventive measure - they increase the resistance of flora representatives to diseases.

High humidity and low temperatures contribute to the emergence of another fungal disease- shutte. It manifests itself in the form of yellowing or browning of last year's needles, and at the end of summer black round growths become visible on the surface of the needles. Specimens located in the shade are most susceptible to this disease. Control measures include removing affected areas and spraying with fungicides.

Signs of appearance spider mite is the presence of a thin web on the plant and yellow dots on the needles.

Drying, falling of needles, as well as death of the bark may be evidence of the presence of scale insects, but the pests themselves are visible to the naked eye - in the form of round or elongated shields measuring about 1.5-2 mm.

Insecticides are used to control these pests. In case of aphid infestation, not only the plants themselves are treated, but also the colonies of ants - after all, they are the ones who “breed” the aphids. To prevent the appearance of insects, spraying with immunostimulants and weak solutions insecticides.

Neighboring plants for juniper

Not all plants tolerate close proximity to conifers, for example, this applies to clematis, peonies, roses and other large flowering representatives of the flora. Small ground cover plants, on the contrary, live well near their thorny counterparts and help highlight their beauty.

Good neighbors for the “northern cypress” are spirea and boxwood, as well as various types saxifrage. Heathers and garden hydrangeas live wonderfully next to conifers, about which you can find out more. Cotoneaster and barberry create a background for large conifers, and some cereals complement the picture. Also, do not forget about small flowers.

Naturally, juniper looks good with other conifers or small spruce trees, for example.

Once again about landscape design

Of course, the possibility of using juniper to decorate a site depends on the overall stylistic decision. This plant is perfect for gardens with correct geometry, formatted in English or Scandinavian style, Japanese gardens or stone compositions are also difficult to imagine without this conifer.

Common juniper "Compressa"

Depending on the idea, the “northern cypress” can serve as both a central plant and a background for others. Based on this, the shapes and colors of this wonderful shrub are selected.