A beautiful and unpretentious juniper will decorate any garden or summer cottage. Recently, this plant has become extremely popular among gardeners due to the variety of shapes and colors. In addition, these conifers can be cut, giving them any shape, which means that any design idea becomes feasible. The genus of junipers includes more than 70 species. Today we will talk about the most popular types and varieties of juniper, planting and caring for them.
Common juniper
These junipers are trees or shrubs that can reach a height of 12 meters. The form can be absolutely any. The main difference is reddish-brown shoots, flaky bark. The needles are shiny, narrow, prickly, the plant has blue-black cones covered with a bluish bloom. This type of juniper is resistant to cold weather and is not afraid of air pollution. grow itmaybe on poor soils. The species has about a hundred varieties! Let's talk about the most popular of them.
Suezica
The shape of this juniper is columnar, the height can reach 4 meters! The shoots are vertical, covered with bluish-green or light green needles. This variety prefers lighted places. Planting juniper and caring for it allow you to get an excellent garden composition. Planting this plant in a shady spot can cause the crown to become sprawling and loose.
Green Carpet
This representative of common junipers can grow up to only 0.5 m. But its width is usually 1.5 m! That is why gardeners use this plant for planting on slopes and in rocky gardens. The shoots of the plant are spreading, the needles on them are light green.
Gold Con
This variety has a dense conical shape, can grow up to 4 meters. The width of the crown of an adult juniper usually reaches a meter. Gardeners note that the shoots repeatedly change their color during the year: in spring they are bright yellow, in autumn they turn yellow-green, and closer to winter the shoots acquire a bronze tone. Gold Con is resistant to frost, grows on infertile soil. However, waterlogging can lead to diseases and even death of this juniper. Even novice gardeners can plant and care for this plant: it is only important to monitor the moisture content of the soil and provide it with sunlight.
Rock Juniper
The birthplace of this pyramidal tree is North America. Rocky junipers are tall - up to ten meters! In addition, they are resistant to various adverse factors, and therefore are ideal for regions with a hot climate. Due to their unpretentiousness and height, rocky junipers are suitable for creating hedges and original coniferous compositions. Among gardeners, two varieties are most popular.
Skyrocket
This variety has a columnar shape, and its height often exceeds 6 meters. The width of the crown is usually about one meter. Skyrocket is an incredibly beautiful and unpretentious juniper. Planting and caring for it will not be difficult for both experienced and novice gardeners: it grows well on light loamy soils, tolerates drought and frost, and is wind resistant. The only condition is to tie up its branches for the winter.
Blue Arrow
Another great representative of rocky junipers is Blue Arrow. The height of the columnar tree is about 5 meters, and the width can reach 70 cm. The shoots of the plant are quite rigid, the needles are not prickly, scaly, its color is deep blue with quality care. This juniper prefers well-drained soils, areas that are well lit.
Virginia juniper
One of the most unpretentious and sustainable species, gardeners call virginian juniper. Under natural conditions, this plant can be found on the banks of rivers, blown mountain slopes. CostsIt should be noted that the wood of such a juniper is resistant to decay, and therefore it is used in the manufacture of pencils. All varieties of this species can be propagated by seeds, grafting and cuttings. Usually, the following types of virginian juniper are used to decorate parks and gardens:
- Grey Oul is a silvery gray shrub that grows to about 1.5 m tall. The branches of this plant are gracefully drooping, while the crown width can reach 2 m. This juniper tolerates pruning and is resistant to cold.
- Hetz is a juniper ideal for large gardens. It grows very quickly both in height (up to two meters) and in width (up to three meters).
- Pendula is one of the tallest virgin junipers. It can grow up to 15 meters. Its branches are "weeping", green, with a slight bluish bloom.
- Blue Cloud can be called a dwarf form of this species. It rarely grows above half a meter, while its crown is quite spreading - its width is about 1.5 m. The needles are gray, with a blue tint.
Medium junipers
These shrubs are characterized by resistance to growing conditions, a variety of colors. Among the most popular varieties are the following:
- Pfitzeriana Aurea - sprawling juniper up to one meter high. The branches are horizontal, the shoots are golden-lemon in color, the needles are yellowish-green. This shrub grows extremely slowly, prefers sunny places.
- Gold Coast is another slow growing juniper. He feels equally goodon almost any soil, the only requirement is sufficient sunlight.
- Mint Julep is an amazingly beautiful shrub with arcuate curved branches. It grows quickly in rich soils, with proper care, the needles acquire a rich green color.
Chinese junipers
These twenty-meter pyramidal trees are commonly found in Japan, China, Korea and Primorsky Krai. Speaking about planting and caring for Chinese juniper, it is worth noting that it even tolerates prolonged drought. True, it grows faster on fertile and moist soils, and its crown becomes more spreading. What varieties are popular with gardeners? For example, Kurivao Gold is a sprawling plant with a rounded shape. Growing in shady areas, the juniper of this variety loses color saturation, but it grows well on stony soils. Another very beautiful variety is Variegata juniper. Planting and caring for this representative of Chinese junipers is extremely simple - it needs moist (but well-drained) soil, shelter from the early spring sun. In all other respects, the shrub is completely unpretentious. The Blue Alps variety is also undemanding to the soil. He is not afraid of air pollution. However, gardeners say that in order for the shrub to be lush, it should be planted in sunny areas.
But the Blauv juniper grows well in partial shade. At the same time, it can grow up to 1.5 m! The ground for it must benutritious, best with a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction. Gardeners especially appreciate the Strikt juniper variety. Planting and caring for this shrub is quite simple, and the result is simply amazing: the plant can reach a height of 2.5 meters, its life span is 100 years. This variety is distinguished by its endurance, resistance to severe cold snaps.
Cossack Junipers
Often this type is used to strengthen the slopes. After all, Cossack junipers are undemanding to the soil, love the light and perfectly tolerate dry periods. Planting a Cossack juniper and caring for it are quite simple - you need to choose a lighted place (light partial shade is also allowed), prepare a mixture of sand, soddy soil and peat. Immediately after planting, it is recommended to water this shrub for a week. One of the most popular varieties is Tamariscifolia. Its height is about half a meter, and its width is about two meters. The color of the needles depends on the amount of sunlight, it can be light green, bluish. The Glauka variety is also decorative - black cones with a slight bluish bloom grow against the background of thick gray-blue needles.
Horizontal Junipers
Ideal for decorating retaining walls - horizontal juniper. Planting and caring for this plant are practically the same as caring for other types of junipers. Gardeners especially appreciate such varieties as Lime Glow (plant with golden yellow needles), Blue Forest (delightful juniper with a blue tint), Blue Chip (silver-blue creeping shrub,turning purple in winter).
Landing
Have you decided to purchase such an amazing plant as juniper? Planting in open ground and caring for shrubs is not as difficult as it might seem. Start by choosing a location. Junipers prefer well-lit places; in the shade, their needles lose color and become loose. The pit for a young plant should be 2 times larger than an earthen ball. It is necessary to lay out sand or broken bricks at the bottom, and then pour in a mixture of two parts of peat and one part of fertile soil and sand.
Care
In dry times, even the most unpretentious varieties need watering. One adult juniper will require about 15-20 liters of water, it is necessary to water 3-4 times in one season. Once a week, you can spray the bush, and you should do it after sunset.
After planting, juniper care also includes shelter for the winter. This must be done in the first two years. Before heavy snowfalls, the plant can be tied with twine.
Reproduction
The best option is propagation by cuttings. Suitable for this plant, which is 8-10 years old. Young 10-centimeter cuttings must be cut at the end of April, clear the lower part of the needles. After the escape, you should hold for a day in a growth stimulator. Then plant the cuttings in a mixture of peat and sand, cover with foil and leave in the shade in place. When the plant develops a root system, it can be planted in the ground.
