Juniper is very popular in landscaping and often used by landscape designers. Due to its high decorative qualities, it will easily fit into any composition, especially in Japanese or Chinese style. And this is not surprising, because Japan, China, Korea and Mongolia are considered the birthplace of junipers. One of the varieties of the shrub has a stunning green-blue tint of needles - this is the Chinese Strikta juniper. Caring for it requires some effort and careful approach, but in general it is quite simple. Junipers have a number of useful qualities. Firstly, they clean and disinfect the air, like many other conifers. Secondly, its roots, berries and shoots are actively used in folk medicine. This is an evergreen plant, so branches, for example, for a sauna or bath can be used all year round. Juniper brooms are very popular and he althy, they promote good blood circulation.
Chinese juniper varieties
There are not so many types, they differ mainly in formcrowns and the height that they reach in our climate. Junipers prefer a natural environment and a clean atmosphere, but among them there are varieties adapted to urban polluted air: Blauv (has gray-green needles, columnar shape), Blue Alps (silver-blue needles, quite tall - up to 4 m.), Plumose aurea (color changes depending on the season, in summer it is golden green, and in autumn it is bronze yellow). There is also a very unusual variety Globoza, which has a spherical shape, it is undersized and reaches a height of only one meter. Juniper Chinese Strikta Variegata is a variety with an unusual color of needles.
The shrub can grow up to two meters in height. The color is variegated, among the green shoots there is an abundant interspersing of cream-colored branches. It looks very interesting and unusual. It is easily propagated by layering. The Spartan variety is large in size and grows up to 6 meters in height, has a beautiful pyramidal crown shape and bright, deep green needles.
Strict Juniper: species description
This is one of the many species of the genus Junipers, united in a large family of Cypress. Unlike many fellows, it is very miniature, it grows only up to 1.8-2 meters in height, and about 80 cm in diameter. The branches are thin, but very densely covered with bluish needles. Therefore, the Strikta juniper has a very dense, even, cone-shaped crown. "Miniature" size allows it to be used in bothas a low hedge, and on alpine slides, for rocky gardens in the Japanese style. It grows very slowly, the growth is only 5-7 cm per year. Berries or, as botanists call them, cones, have a rich dark blue color with a white coating.
In dried, whole or ground form, they are actively used in cooking as a seasoning for marinades, meat, fish and sauces. If you want to combine useful qualities and beauty, then choose Strikta juniper. Care is simple but thorough. But decorativeness compensates for all efforts doubly.
Strict Juniper: planting and care
Choose a sunny place for it, but keep in mind that at first the young plant will have to be covered from the scorching rays. If your site has slightly acidic or neutral soil, then the Chinese Strict juniper is ideal for landscaping. Planting seedlings can be carried out both in autumn and in spring. If you are buying a young plant that has an open root system, it is best to plant it in early spring, before the buds begin to open. As the experience of many gardeners shows, it is best to buy Strikta juniper in containers, then you can plant it at any time, except for extreme heat.
In addition, such plants adapt much better to new conditions and start growing faster. You need to plant at a distance of a meter from each other, if this is a group composition. The pit is dug according tothe size of the root system, an average of 70 by 70 cm, or twice the size of an earthen coma. At the bottom, it is imperative to pour drainage from brick chips or coarse river sand. Gardening experts advise the following universal composition for junipers: soddy land, peat and sand in a ratio of 1:2:1. After planting, the plant must be watered, and the upper near-stem area of \u200b\u200bthe soil must be mulched. You can use crushed pine bark, cones, wood chips for this. This will improve the growth conditions and make the plant even more decorative.
Water and fertilize
Strict juniper is not picky about watering. And only in the driest and hottest summer it can be watered three or four times during the entire season, the water consumption is from 10 to 30 liters for an adult plant, depending on size and age. But it does not tolerate dry air, so it will be nice if it is periodically sprayed, only this should be done after sunset or in the early morning. Juniper does not need to be fed too hard, it will be enough to apply nitroammophoska during the period of active growth.
Pruning and shelter for the winter
Pruning juniper does not require, and so it grows quite slowly. Therefore, only dry or diseased branches should be removed. The plant is frost-resistant, but young specimens of the first 2 years of growth for the winter are best covered. The only thing to do with large trees is to tie them with twine so that branches do not break from heavy snow. If you are still afraid for an adult plant, then you can cover the near-stem circle with spruce orpine spruce branches.
Propagation by cuttings
Many plants are propagated by cuttings, including Strict juniper. Planting and caring for them is very easy. This quality, by the way, favorably distinguishes it from the total mass of conifers, which are extremely difficult and almost impossible to propagate with branches from the parent specimen. Cuttings need to be cut in the middle of summer, in June, from the branches of the juniper crown. All lateral processes must be removed and the bark removed from the lower part with a sharp knife. Root them in a mixture of peat with river sand. It is necessary to withstand young seedlings in a dark room, and only after rooting gradually accustom to the sun.
Propagation by layering
This method is most suitable for creeping juniper species. In the spring, for this, it is necessary to dig shallow grooves near the plant, fill them with a wet mixture of peat with earth and sand. In them, lay out the shoots that creep along the ground, lightly sprinkle with soil, and pinch the top of the branch. In the spring of the following year, it is separated from the mother plant and transplanted to a permanent place.
Diseases and pests
The most dangerous fungal disease for juniper is rust. You can fight it and quite successfully, if you use drugs like "Arcerida" in time, spraying should be carried out at intervals of ten days.
Of the pests, juniper most often damages spider mites, juniper scale insects and aphids. For timely treatment of the plant, you need to carefully follow it.observe and, if necessary, immediately treat with insecticides. It is also necessary to spray trees and shrubs adjacent to junipers. Garden roses are the most common breeding ground for aphids.
Place in the garden
You can and even need to use Strikta juniper in the design of your site. Reviews of landscape designers about this plant are positive, this is due, first of all, to unpretentiousness to the soil, watering, cold resistance and high decorative effect. With a developed and powerful root system, juniper will hold the soil well - this can be used to prevent erosion in certain areas.
Application in the landscape also depends on the variety. If you choose high varieties, then they will look great both in group plantings and singly. Juniper Strikta is used in single and heather plantings. Creeping forms are good to use on alpine slides or in rockeries. Shrub forms are suitable for creating hedges. All junipers look good in group planting with other conifers, such as dwarf, mountain pine or spruce.
Juniper bonsai
Many people are familiar with the bonsai technique, this is a rather laborious and long process, which results in an exact copy of a large tree in miniature. Very often get miniature copies of a very unusual and amazingly beautiful form. Juniper Strikta is ideal for this, and itno wonder: they share the same homeland with the art of bonsai - China.
The main task is to restrain growth by cutting roots, poor soil, small volume of earthen coma, minimal top dressing. To give the plant a bizarre shape, it is pinched, pruned throughout the growing season, and wire is also used to give the trunk the desired shape. Buy already grown bonsai - Strikta juniper. It's much easier to take care of it. Remember that this is still not a houseplant, and the best place for it would be a terrace or greenhouse. Someone considers it an art, but there are those who regard this method of growing as a mockery of the plant.
In Asia, they believed that the smell of burning juniper branches scares away evil spirits, and according to Feng Shui, this plant perfectly “cleanses” the space from negative energy, so it is advised to plant it around the perimeter of the site. And if you plant a tree under the bedroom windows, then this contributes to finding peace and harmony in family life. True or not, the juniper is truly one of the best garden decorations.
