Content
Blue juniper is a variety of coniferous shrubs that differ in color. Juniper belongs to the Cypress family. Plants are common in the countries of the Northern Hemisphere. Some species are adapted to grow in the polar zone, while others have chosen the mountainous tropics.
Conifers can grow as a single or multi-stemmed tree, with upright raised branches or with shoots creeping along the ground. Evergreen shrubs stand out with a whole palette of colors. The needles are green, light green, variegated, gray, yellow and blue.
Variety of species of blue junipers
Juniper with a blue tint looks noble and majestic. Gardeners and landscape designers prefer shrubs with silvery-bluish needles. Features of Blue Berry Junipers:
- attractive appearance;
- retain their color regardless of the season of the year;
- the ability to use for landscaping parks, rockeries, rock gardens;
- they are planted on the banks of artificial reservoirs, slopes, curbs, lawns;
- complement and fit perfectly into landscape compositions.
According to their external characteristics, blue junipers are divided into tall and low-growing, soil-blooded and erect, with a spreading or compact crown.
Blue juniper varieties in landscape design
Coniferous shrubs favorably decorate the garden, summer cottage, park alleys. Create a calm, elegant landscape. Vertical blue junipers are best represented as a hedge, which will allow you to disguise the building, fence off the neighbors.
To create a dense carpet with a clear structure, creeping varieties of blue junipers are planted in the areas. This is a kind of alternative to a green lawn, but requires more care. Horizontal plants are advantageously combined with phlox, carnations, hydrangea, lilac, cinquefoil. In general, blue junipers look impressive in landscape photos, in plots. They are able to add color to the winter garden.
Blue juniper varieties
Blue junipers have a bright blue, beautiful color of needles. In the garden, soil plants are often planted under tall bushes. They set off the green color of other coniferous or deciduous shrubs. For vertical accents, rocky views with a columnar or pyramidal crown shape are chosen.
Vertical varieties of blue juniper
Typically, these shrubs are pyramidal in shape. They are originally from North America. Height can reach 10 m. Coniferous shrubs look like cypress. The branches are tightly pressed to the base. In any landscape composition, a vertical juniper will look interesting. They are in demand in regions with hot climates.
Rocky Juniper Skyrocket
In 1957, the variety was bred by Dutch breeders. An elegant tall shrub with green-blue needles. The structure is scaly, dense. Needle tips are visible on young shoots.The height of the shrub is 6-8 m. The crown width is 1 m. It develops well in loamy soils. Stagnation of water is unacceptable. The variety is frost-resistant, drought-resistant and wind-resistant. Does not tolerate heavy snowfalls. Suitable for hedges, front porches decoration.
Blue Arrow
This is an improved variety of the previous shrub. The crown is dense, the color is bright. Columnar shape. Height 5 m, width 0.7 m. Shoots with scaly needles are pressed against the trunk. The branches grow almost from the very bottom. The color is deep blue. The plant tolerates frost persistently, it is not whimsical to care for. Grows well in well-drained, sunny areas. Easily gives in to a spiral haircut. It combines well with other crops, takes up little space on the site.
Blueheaven
Rocky appearance with a dense conical crown shape. The color of the needles is sky blue, which does not fade all year round. Height 3-5 m, width - 1.5 m. Shoots are raised, cylindrical. Scaly needles. This type of blue juniper is highly frost-resistant. The soil composition does not matter. Rapid growth is observed on fertile, drained soils. Prefers a sunny location. In partial shade, the crown becomes looser.
Springbank
The vertical variety was developed at the end of the 20th century. Grows up to 2 m in height. The shape of the crown is narrow-pitched. Shoots are flexible, deflected from each other. The ends are filiform. Scaly needles, bright blue. The shrub grows quickly. Easily tolerates periods of drought and extreme cold. Propagated by cuttings. Suitable for group plantings.
Wichitablue
The variety appeared in 1976 in the United States. An upright variety with intensely colored blue needles. The krone is broad-headed. Shoots are tight, directed upwards. The height of the bush is 4 m. It is preferable to land on lighted, flat areas. Inadmissibly close location of groundwater.
Blue varieties of creeping juniper
There are about 60 types of horizontal plants. All of them differ in the shape of the needles, long creeping shoots, creeping branches. They grow slowly. Poorly tolerates high humidity. They use blue low junipers to decorate gardens, terraces, and garden plots.
Wiltoni
The American blue juniper became known in 1914. The creeping shrub is 20 cm high and 2 m in diameter. Branches grow along the ground, forming a continuous canopy. Shoots are intertwined in the shape of a star. Shoots are dense, obliquely directed. Over time, they are layered on top of each other. Blue-gray needles fit tightly to the branches. The shape is needle-shaped.
Blue Forest
Compact horizontal cultivar with short skeletal shoots. Lateral shoots grow vertically. The needles are protruding, needle-shaped, dense. The color is deep blue. Grows up to 50 cm in height. When formed correctly, a graceful appearance appears.
Bar Harbor
A creeping variety of blue juniper with dense needles. Created in 1930 by American breeders. Branches and side shoots are strongly spread out on the sides. The plant is sometimes used as a soil crop. The height of the bush is 30 cm. The needles are small, needle-shaped, loosely pressed to the branches. After the first frost, the blue tint changes to purple.
Blue Chip
The variety was cultivated in 1945 in Denmark. Skeletal branches are rare. The edges of the shoots are directed upward almost vertically, resembling a star in shape. Low form of a juniper with a raised middle. The needles are mostly needle-like, but scaly ones are found. The shade is blue-gray. There are thorns. Blue soil juniper does not tolerate excess moisture, so it is planted in a pit with an obligatory drainage layer.
Icee blue
Low shrub with a height of only 15 cm. It has a significant annual growth. The crown grows up to 2.5 m in diameter. Creeping branches. Shoots are dense, long, forming a continuous carpet. The needles are dense, silvery-blue. In winter, it becomes a purple hue.It is recommended to plant the plant in sandy loam soil, or add baking powder to clay soils. Adapted blue juniper to arid and cold growing regions.
Blue moon
In an adult state, this creeping bush reaches 30 cm. The needles are bluish-gray. The branches lie on the surface of the earth and can root themselves. Shoots are thin and long. In the summer months they are bluish in color, in the winter they turn brown. Blue juniper forms dense spherical canvases.
Glauka
A creeping shrub with tightly pressed branches. Lush shoots form a fluffy cushion. Needles of needle type. The color changes from blue to steel. With the arrival of cold weather, the color remains unchanged. Prefers fertile soil.
Winter blue
A beautiful groundbred blue juniper. Grows in any soil. Decorative qualities are not lost in well-lit, sunny areas. The color of the needles is silvery in summer, and in winter it becomes bright blue.
Planting and caring for blue junipers
Blue junipers do not tolerate transplanting well, due to the existing highly branched root system. Therefore, it is important to immediately find a permanent place for the evergreen shrub.
Shrubs with blue needles are undemanding to the composition of the soil. However, it is better to plant them in sunny areas with well-drained soil. A moderate lack of lighting reduces the decorative properties of the shrub. The complete absence of sunlight leads to yellowing of the needles and loss of crown density.
Blue juniper planting rules
It is advisable to purchase a blue juniper seedling with a closed root system, in plastic containers. Before buying, visually inspect the plant for damage, signs of rot or other diseases.
The shrub grows rapidly in sandy, neutral or slightly acidic soils. Clayy, heavy soils are not suitable for planting Blue Juniper.
- 2-3 days before the intended planting, holes are dug with a depth of 60-70 cm.
- A drainage layer of 20 cm from broken brick or crushed stone is laid in the prepared pit.
- They are filled with a nutrient mixture of sod land, peat, sand by 20 cm, combining the components in equal proportions. This layer will facilitate better root penetration and development.
- Immediately before the procedure, a bag with vermicompost diluted with perlite and pine needles is poured into the recess. Substances will add lightness to the substrate.
- Place the blue juniper seedling in the center of the recess. Do not deepen the root collar.
- The soil is not rammed, it is abundantly moistened with warm water on top.
- The near-stem circle is mulched with sawdust, hay or straw. Layer thickness 3-5 cm.
Care for juniper with blue needles
Blue juniper care is no more difficult than other conifers. The plant reacts sharply to excess moisture in the soil. In hot summer, one water procedure per month is enough. On hot days, you can additionally spray the bush with water from a spray bottle.
Fertilizers are applied in the spring. They mainly use nitroammofosk - 20 g per sq. m or other minerals, according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Junipers are not very fond of loosening the soil, especially blue ones. Their roots are close enough to the surface of the earth, careless movement can break their integrity. Therefore, the trunk circles are loosened no deeper than 5 cm. Or they do not carry out this procedure at all, but replace them with mulching.
Curly varieties or hedge bushes need regular pruning. Their crown is formed several times a year. Low creeping juniper with blue needles does not require additional pruning, except for sanitary ones. It is performed in early spring before the onset of the sap flow period. Remove dry, damaged shoots. Trim off frozen tips on the bush.
Preparing blue juniper for winter
The first two years, young shrubs cover. Spruce branches, agrofibre or burlap are used. In the spring, a plastic box or cardboard box is put on the seedling to protect the plant from sunburn. Snow is not terrible for horizontal varieties, on the contrary, it serves as a heater. For vertical varieties of juniper, snowfall is dangerous. To protect the branches from breakage and the pressure of precipitation, they are tied with a rope.
Conclusion
In terms of care, the blue juniper practically does not differ from other varieties. It lends itself easily to decorative pruning, but does not tolerate excessively wet soil. Poorly tolerates transplants in adulthood. Junipers brought from the forest do not take root at all. The landscape composition will be harmonious if it contains at least three coniferous shrubs of different heights, shapes and colors.
