Juniper - types and varieties. E-Catalog of Ornamental Garden Plants “Landscape Juniperus squamata

Many types and varieties of juniper are in demand in landscape design. Scaly juniper with a squat, creeping or outstretched crown is no exception.

A coniferous evergreen shrub native to east and southeast Asia, it was discovered and studied in the first half of the 19th century. In landscaping, culture is valued due to:

• decorative green-silver dense needles;
• original crown shape;
• frost resistance, allowing wintering in the middle zone;
• undemanding to care and growing conditions;
• long, in nature reaching 600 years of life of the bush.

Description of juniper scaly

Belonging to the Cypress family, the scaly juniper (Juniperus squamata) cannot be called large. Compared to nearby species, the plant has a small crown, the size and shape of which depends on the variety. The shoots of scaly juniper take on a prostrate form, in some varieties a hanging form, and sometimes spread along the ground, forming something like a dense needle-like carpet.

The branches of the shrub have frequent branching and are covered with hard, prickly needles up to 8 mm long. Needles with green back and silver due to the characteristic stripe at the mouth front side there are three in whorls. The needle-shaped needles are curved towards the shoot and have a characteristic juniper aroma.

Like other members of the genus, scaly juniper is no different high speed growth. Over the course of a year, the plant grows in height and width by only a few centimeters. Oval cones containing one seed each form on mature plants and ripen in the second year, reaching a diameter of 6–8 mm and gradually changing color from greenish-red to a deep purple-black hue.

Caring for juniper scaly is no different from caring for other members of the genus. It is better to plant the plant in bright areas protected from cold winds. In the middle zone and to the north, protect the bushes from frost.

In harsh winters, the needles turn brown and die, the bark cracks, and small branches and shoots from the previous year dry out.

Description of popular varieties of scaly juniper

Compact size, unusually hanging shape of young shoots, silver-green, and in some cases even golden needles are the reasons for the popularity of scaly juniper and varieties obtained from wild plants.

Juniper scaly Blue Carpet (Blue Carpet)

Blue Carpet juniper will help create an even carpet of a bluish-silver hue on the site. A creeping, relatively quickly growing shrub of this variety is distinguished by the appearance of young, hanging shoots and the noble shades of prickly, hard needles.

The plant, if a bright area is chosen for it, without the risk of spring flooding and at least minimal care is provided, it easily takes root on hills, borders, and creates picturesque spots near ponds and along the edges of plantings of larger plants. The variety is durable and, compared to related crops, due to its low altitude and snow cover, it easily tolerates frost.

Juniper in the hands of masters scaly variety Thanks to many years of shaping, Blue Carpet turns into fantasy trees with dense caps of greenery on a fancy trunk.

Juniper scaly Meyeri (Meyeri)

The value of juniper scaly Meieri - original form crowns with drooping young shoots. The shrub, bred in China at the beginning of the last century and highly valued in landscape design, is one of the most popular varieties of juniper, and is used not only for landscaping parks, gardens and public gardens, but also for bonsai.

The dynamic shape of the shoots of the juniper scaly Meyeri helps to create miniatures that are unique in their picturesqueness.

The evergreen shrub reaches its maximum decorative value during active growth branches, that is, in the second half of spring and early summer. At this time, young growth with silvery needles appears. Over the course of a year, the plant increases in height by 6–10 cm and in adulthood can grow to 2–5 meters. This is the largest representative of the species.

Juniper scaly Holger (Holger)

Holger is similar to the previous variety of scaly juniper in its spreading crown shape with young drooping shoots, as well as general species characteristics. However, even at the first glance ornamental plant it is difficult to confuse it with other varieties.

The height of scaly juniper Holger in adult plants does not exceed 80–100 cm. The crown width of a small shrub is within one and a half meters. But even with such a modest size, this juniper variety is difficult to miss due to the long-lasting light, golden-yellow color of the young growth.

As if covered with sunlight, the silver-green shrub looks great both in a group and in single landing. Do not forget that juniper on the site is not only living decoration, but also a powerful air purifier. By persistently tolerating the presence of numerous impurities, the plant disinfects the surrounding atmosphere.

Compact evergreen shrub suitable for container growing.

Juniper scaly Dream Joy (Dream Joy)

"Dream and Joy" The name of this species of juniper squamata eloquently represents a plant with a very compact crown, its decorative effect being due to the light green or completely yellow needles on the tops of young branches. As if engulfed in bright fire, the shoots become green with a noticeable bluish tint as they mature. The squat crown of Dream Joy juniper grows no more than 60–80 cm in height, the width of the bush is 120 cm.

In the garden, for a decorative evergreen crop, you should find a bright place with well-aerated soil.

In plantings, it is better to give this variety places in the front rows so that the small shrub does not get lost behind the “backs” of larger plants.

Juniper scaly Blue Star (Blue Star)

In the 50s of the last century, in one of the Dutch nurseries, among the plantings of juniper scaly Meieri, an unusual shrub with an original star-shaped arrangement of needles and the absence of drooping shoots characteristic of the variety was noticed. The plant was noticed, and its mutation was fixed. So, a decade later, gardeners and landscape designers The scaly juniper Blue Star appeared, becoming one of the most sought after in the large family of evergreen shrubs.

The plant is distinguished by a very dense crown formed by ascending, strongly branching shoots densely covered with silvery needles. The height of the medium-sized plant, often classified as a dwarf variety, reaches a meter, and the diameter of the crown reaches 2.5 meters. The variety is characterized by weak growth. Over the course of a year, the dimensions of the bush change by only 3–5 cm.

With long-term formation based on Blue Star juniper plants, it is possible to create decorative standard forms, not found in nature.

Juniper scaly Blue Swede (Blue Swede)

The shrub is distinguished by its silver or greenish-blue needles, compact squat crown and hanging shoots. The plant is undemanding, grows easily in poor soils and is relatively winter-hardy. Juniper scaly Blue Sweet belongs to the medium-sized representatives of the genus. In ten years evergreen reaches only 50 centimeters in height and about a meter in width. The maximum possible dimensions of the bush do not exceed one and a half meters in height and 2.5 meters in width.

A characteristic feature of the Blue Swede juniper variety is its steel, prickly, bluish needles up to 1 cm long, which turn almost gray by winter.

A shrub that tolerates slight shade grows better in the light, is not afraid of frost and is suitable for growing in cities where the air is oversaturated with gases and heavy metal salts.

Juniper scaly Hunnetorp (Hannethorp)

Scaly juniper Hannethorp is popular with landscapers and gardeners in Central Europe and Scandinavia. Evergreen conifer is a variety with a slow growth rate, with a compact, semi-lodging crown and short, sharp, silver-green needles. According to some sources, this plant is a variety of Blue Sweet.

Juniper scaly Floreant (Floreant)

Based on the Blue Star variety of scaly juniper, an original variegated variety was obtained with light yellowish-green needles, not only concentrated at the ends of the shoots, but scattered in spots throughout the entire crown.

dwarf shrub, maximally growing to a height of one meter and a diameter of two meters received the name football club. Today, juniper scaly Floreant with a hemispherical, shaped crown is loved by many fans of garden coniferous crops.

Junipers in nature - video

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 not requiring special care types 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, they create tall hedges and various coniferous compositions. The most unpretentious and known are two varieties:

Red cedar

This coniferous plant can rightfully be considered the most unpretentious and resilient 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. Ripens on the tree every year a large number of cones, from which seeds can be obtained. After stratification, the seeds are sown in the ground and are excellent planting material to obtain 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 give the shrub an additional decorative appearance. 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. Variety Ganaertii is an oval-columnar dense tree, growing 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. Variety Blue Cloud – dwarf form 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

North American plant species that can be used for decoration 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 summer time year, and the needles are purple-violet 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

Homeland: mountains of China, Taiwan Island, Eastern Himalayas.

Very changeable appearance. Evergreen, dioecious, densely branched shrub up to 1.3 - 1.5 m tall. The bark is dark brown. The needles are lanceolate, very hard and sharp, 0.5 - 0.8 cm long, dark green on the underside and white on top due to stomatal stripes, arranged in whorls of 3. The cone berries are black, shiny, ripen on next year in spring, in May.

Juniperus squamata "Golden Flame"
Photo by Epictetus Vladimir

Known in culture since 1824. In St. Petersburg, the first to test it was I. R. Schroeder (1861) at the Imperial Forestry Institute “after the unusually severe winter of 1860-61” and was assigned by him to the “third section” of trees and shrubs easily damaged by frost . Subsequent experience has shown that this species can be grown here in open ground, but in general is interesting for the culture to the southwest of St. Petersburg, in areas with more mild winters. Slowly growing. Photophilous. Not very picky about soils. Grow in well-drained soil; it does not like drying out or especially excessive stagnant moisture. Can be a decoration for any garden or alpine hill in places with a suitable climate, with correct landing and care. Old dried needles remain on shoots for several years, which reduces decorative qualities. Despite this, one of the most decorative species with bluish needles.

Juniperus squamata "Blue Alps"
Photo by Kirill Tkachenko

IN Botanical Garden BIN since 1940, younger plants are now grown. In St. Petersburg it freezes over, but can withstand harsh winters; It is of interest mainly as a collection plant. The Meyer variety (var. meyeri) turned out to be more stable here.

In GBS since 1947, 1 sample (4 copies) was received from Holland. Shrub, height 1.1 m at 22 years, crown diameter 120 cm. Vegetation from 12.V ± 10. Annual growth 0.5 cm, rarely 2-3 cm. Does not generate dust. Winter hardiness is average. The germination rate of seeds obtained from delectus is 24%. 60% of winter cuttings take root without treatment. Does not suffer from heat and dry air.

Known in culture since 1824. In terms of decorativeness it is not inferior to other low-growing junipers; there are many garden forms. The most popular are the following:

Var. bargesii . Tree 5-20 m tall, often with numerous trunks extending from the base. The bark is brown and peels off in long strips. The branches are straight and spreading; drooping branches. Needles up to 8 mm long, thin and prickly, pale or bluish green. The fruits are ovoid, 5-6 mm long, dark blue. Western China, 1907

"Golden flame". The shape is like that of "Meyeri" with yellow-variegated needles.

"Prostrata". Creeping shrub. All branches are horizontally spaced from each other. The needles, widely spaced from each other and slightly curved, are thin, with a thin blue-white stripe on top and a wide green edge, slightly keeled below. 1909

"Wilsonii". Straight shrub, up to 2 m high. The branches are short, compressed, bent back at the end. The needles are wider and shorter, about 4 mm long, dense. China, 1909

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 mountainous regions South-East Asia. Shrubs have been used in gardening since the beginning of the 19th century. IN favorable conditions 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 climate middle zone In 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, the 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 feature, 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.

A bit similar decorative properties for the previous variety, Holger juniper bushes, 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.

There are silver-blue ones in a separate series scaly junipers selections from Holland and Sweden: Blue Carpet, Blue Star, Blue Swede and others. Their common feature– 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. Average height– 60-100 cm, dense crown diameter – 1.5-2.5 m. The winter-hardy variety Blue Sweet 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 arrange drainage with a layer of 20 cm.
3. Garden soil and peat are mixed 1:1.
4. Add special mineral complex: 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 acidify 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.

In the cold season, when all the flowers have fallen asleep and are waiting for new warmings, only conifers are able to bring bright colors to the gardens.

Evergreen and incredibly beautiful conifers are an unsurpassed decoration due to the variety of colors - from dark emerald to silver-gray and golden shades.

One of these is the scaly juniper, thanks to which the garden becomes attractive at any time of the year. Being highly decorative, it fits favorably into any landscape design. (Read about the features of using junipers in landscape design).

general description

Junipers are light-loving plants. For planting them, choose an open, well-lit area. The soil should be light, nutritious and sufficiently moist (loam, sandy loam), but places of possible stagnation of water should be avoided to avoid the death of the plant.

If the soil is clayey and heavy, you can use a special garden mixture of peat, sand, turf in a ratio of 2:1:2, adding mineral fertilizers. And at the bottom of the pit it is done drainage layer made of crushed stone or broken brick 15–20 cm thick.

The distance between bushes can be from 0.5 to 2 m and depends on the project landscape composition. The planting hole should be 2 times larger than the planting ball. Make sure that the root collar remains on the surface.

Expert advice: After planting, under each seedling, add the drug Epin (plant growth regulator) for its optimal survival rate and under no circumstances press down the soil around it, later it will settle down on its own.

Abundant watering of seedlings and protection from direct sun rays. Otherwise, the scales will simply burn.

Proper care

Juniper is an unpretentious plant. In dry weather, it is recommended to water the bush only 2-3 times per season, but regular spraying is very important.

Spraying should be carried out during a decline in solar activity - early in the morning or late evening to avoid burns.

Trimming shrubs depends on the type of plant and where it is grown. If you ultimately want to get a beautiful thick crown, you need to prune it abundantly. If you are satisfied with a crown of moderate density, a small haircut will be enough.

It is necessary to monitor the condition of the branches. If they are dry, just cut them off. But after weeding, you need to loosen the soil and cover it with mulch to maintain plant health.

In spring you should feed with nitroammophoska or complex mineral fertilizers. In October, potassium-phosphorus fertilizers are added. On winter period the bushes are sprinkled with a 10 cm layer of peat, and the young plants are covered with spruce branches.

Varieties

Scaly juniper, due to its huge variety of colors, shapes and at the same time its unpretentiousness, is most often used for decorating landscapes.

Varieties of the scaly juniper species differ significantly in external characteristics, such as:

• dimensions taking into account further growth;
• crown shape;
• coloring;
• pine texture.

This should be taken into account when decorating. There are many known garden forms of juniper scaly. Let's look at the most popular of them.

Blue Star. Dwarf shrub. Suitable for creeping plantings. The crown is wide and resembles a lying hemisphere in appearance. The branches are dense.

The shoots are short. Young shoots have a bright turquoise color, over time their color changes to a calmer - dove-blue.

The crown grows slowly. Over the course of a year, it grows no more than 5 cm in height and 10 cm in width. By the age of 10, it reaches a height of no more than 0.5 m with a diameter of 2 m. The needles are scaly, silver-blue in color. Blue cone berries.

Loves sunny places. Grows in any soil, but does not like waterlogging and salinity. Tolerates frosts, winds and droughts well. It is the “star” of rocky, heather gardens and rock gardens. Looks great in small gardens, both in a group and alone. Often used for landscaping roofs, loggias, balconies and terraces.

Blue Carpet. Dwarf fast-growing creeping shrub. The crown is wide and flat. Drooping shoots. Over the course of a year, it gains no more than 3 cm in height and 5 cm in width. By the age of 10 it reaches 0.3-05.0 m in height with a diameter of 1.5 m.

The needles are short, with pointed ends and have a gray-blue color. The color of the cones is dark blue; a whitish waxy layer is visible on the surface of the fruit.

Loves sunny places, but also tolerates partial shade. Prefers fertile soils. Does not like stagnant water and salinity. Tolerates frost, gas and smoke well.

Used to create compositions in rocky gardens, on slopes, alpine roller coaster, as well as on roofs and balconies. Due to its fast growth, it is often used as a ground cover.

Dream Joy. Dwarf shrub. The crown is flattened, cushion-shaped. The shoots are long, strongly branched, growing asymmetrically from the center of the bush, which can be corrected by pruning.

In spring, the color of the shoots is white-yellow, later changing to silver-green. Often their ends trail along the ground. Over the course of a year it grows 7 - 15 cm in height and 15 - 25 cm in width. By the age of 10 years, they reach 0.5 m in height with a diameter of 1 m.

The needles are small and thin, pointed at the ends. The color of the needles at a young age is golden-yellow, which over time gives way to gray-blue. Loves the sun. Unpretentious, but prefers sour, alkaline soil. Frost-resistant.

Suitable for decorating rock gardens, heather gardens and coastal areas of reservoirs. Takes root well in container conditions.

Holger. Spreading coniferous shrub. The crown is wide and dense. The branches are slightly raised in the center, drooping at the ends. The shoots are silver-blue.

Over the course of a year it grows 10 - 15 cm in height and 15 - 25 cm in width. By the age of 10 it reaches up to 1 m in height with a diameter of 1.5 m. The needles are short and stiff, with pointed ends.

The color of the needles is green with a white coating, and the ends of young shoots are golden. The cone berries are dark blue in color with a bluish tinge. They prefer slightly acidic loams. They don't like stagnant water.

Goes well with coniferous and deciduous dwarf plants. Used to decorate rock gardens, Japanese gardens, and retaining walls. It also gets along well in containers.

Meyeri. Large creeping shrub. The crown is asymmetrical, cup-shaped. The branches are raised high with many side shoots falling down.

Over the course of a year it grows 10 - 12 cm in height and 8 - 10 cm in width. By the age of 10 it reaches a height of 3 - 4 m with a diameter of 2 - 3 m. The silver-blue needles are very thick and prickly.

Prefers moderately fertile soils. Withstands urban climate. Regular trimming is recommended to achieve a tighter shape. Suitable for creating designer garden compositions and borders.

Scaly juniper, thanks to its wide variety of colors and shapes, in combination with other coniferous and deciduous plants allows you to create incredibly beautiful landscape compositions.

Watch the video in which a specialist explains in detail the features of growing Blue Carpet juniper: