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Not all owners of the site have the time and desire to understand the types and varieties of plants. Many just want them to have a beautiful garden, plant yellow roses here, there is a columnar juniper. And there is no way to flip through the literature or carefully study articles on the Internet in order to choose first the type of ephedra, and then read the description of the varieties.
A selection, very briefly telling about what columnar junipers can be planted in the garden, will be useful for "advanced" amateurs. It will help you save time when choosing plants. Of course, it is impossible to give all the varieties of junipers with a narrow crown in one article, the published information will only give the right direction when looking for crops.
Description of columnar juniper
The genus Juniper (Juniperus) belongs to the Cypress family, it includes about 75 species distributed in the Northern Hemisphere from Alaska to Africa. Some of them are columnar.
Moreover, the species juniper does not always have a narrow ascending crown. It can be of any configuration, only erect varieties have not yet been bred from creeping forms. But on junipers with a columnar or pyramidal crown, mutations were found, from which various cultivars were created.
That is why, within the same species, you can find varieties with an erect, rounded, weeping and creeping shape. Often it is difficult not only to attribute them to one taxon, but even to suspect of kinship.
Why does the juniper look different from the picture
Not only beginners, but also many experienced gardeners consider it the height of snobbery when someone orders a common juniper variety from a certain foreign nursery. After all, you can buy it much cheaper from local producers! And such a plant will take root faster and better.
And varieties reproduce, for the most part, by cuttings. They are nothing more than a clone of the same plant. And should look like twins. But it is not so. Or rather, not at all. That is why junipers of the same species and varieties can be very different.
The question requires clarification. Juniper is a plastic culture. This explains the variety of varieties. In nature, mutations constantly occur, the soil, water, environmental conditions, climate, the presence or absence of fertilizing affect the appearance of the plant. The list is endless. Many believe that it is even of great importance whether the owners of the juniper and each other love each other, whether they are evil or good people.
So everything changes. Plants too. We have grown a juniper from a twig, taken it to another country, or simply placed it in excellent conditions. When grafting, its "children" will already be slightly different. Etc. Or maybe the differences will be so significant that a new cultivar will appear!
And since seedlings are constantly screened for varietal discrepancy in nurseries, the junipers in them really resemble each other, like twins. But they may well differ from those grown by another organization. But everything will be within the "limits" of the grade!
What do columnar junipers of different species and varieties have in common?
Whatever species the columnar junipers belong to, they all have a slender, elongated crown. These can be tall and low shrubs or trees.
The branches of narrow-columnar junipers are directed vertically and tightly pressed against each other. They resemble a pillar and are clearly visible from all sides.
In shirokolonovidny junipers, the crown is somewhat wider, and the shoots are more loosely located. They do not always look like an obelisk, they can be spindle-shaped.
The spiny or soft needles of the columnar juniper depend on the species, the color of the needles is determined by the variety.
Types and varieties of columnar juniper
There are so many varieties of columnar junipers that it is impossible to list them all. In addition, the creation of new cultivars does not stop. The species, which are often used in culture on the territory of Russia, Europe, and neighboring countries, are offered for consideration.
Columnar Juniper Virginia
The species has produced many columnar varieties. It is a tree with a rather thick trunk. The needles are often acicular, prickly, but in old plants they can be partially scaly. Coloring - from green to gray.
Lives over 100 years. In the middle lane it winters without shelter. It tolerates urban conditions well, and can grow even on moderately saline soils and construction debris sprinkled with soil.
Among the columnar varieties of Juniperus virginiana, the following stand out:
- Boskop Purple with gray-blue needles;
- Canaerti (Сanaertii) with dark green needles - the crown, depending on the nursery, can be columnar or conical;
- Robusta green - blue-green needles;
- Fastigiata - columnar juniper with blue needles;
- Skyrocket forms a narrow tree with silvery needles;
- Glauka (Glauca) - blue with a wide-columnar crown;
- Burki (Burkii) - the shape of the crown becomes straight and even only in an adult tree;
- Spartan (Spartan) with a wide-columnar crown and green needles.
Columnar Juniperus vulgaris
This is what kind of crown can actually look like a pole, without any discounts! The needles of this columnar juniper are prickly, sharp, but not too tough. It is the cones of this species that are added to gin.
There are many varieties with a narrow crown, it is worth mentioning separately:
- Meyer (Meuer) with a symmetrical, rather wide crown, and blue-green needles;
- Suecica (Suecica), which has several forms, including those with golden needles;
- Sentinel (Sentinel) with a narrow cigar-shaped crown, green needles, by the end of the season acquiring a bluish tide;
- Gold Cone - wide cone with golden needles;
- Compressa - undersized columnar juniper;
- Hibernica (Hibernica) with a narrow dense crown and bluish needles;
- Arnold (Arnold) - columnar with green, in places bluish needles;
- Erecta (Erecta) similar to Hibernica, but with a narrower crown.
Columnar Rocky Juniper
The species includes trees, often multi-stemmed, with thick, tetrahedral shoots and dark red-brown bark. The needles are scaly, usually gray, but sometimes green. The most drought-resistant species, it gave many columnar forms. Among them:
- Blue Arrow - one of the most famous, with a narrow crown and silvery needles;
- Blue Angel - columnar with bluish-gray needles;
- Gray Cleam has a beautiful symmetrical crown and silvery-gray needles;
- Silver Cord (Silver Cord) - a variety of columnar juniper for a small garden with a thin crown, bluish-silver needles;
- Skyrocket - Blue Rocket, the most famous variety, nowhere without it;
- Springbank (Springbank) - narrow crown with slightly bent tips of shoots and bright silvery needles.
Columnar Chinese Juniper
This species is interesting in that both needle and scaly needles grow on adult specimens, and male and female plants are very different.
It should be highlighted:
- Columnaris (Columnaris) - columnar, with loosely adjacent branches, but directed upwards;
- Mountbatten in shape resembles a wide cylinder, with short branches, gray-green needle-like needles;
- Obelisk (Obelisk) - the famous low juniper with a wide columnar crown and thorny needles;
- Stricta is a common cultivar with raised branches, a dense crown and sharp bluish-green needles that turn yellowish-gray in winter.
Features of growing columnar juniper
Indeed, when caring for a juniper with a columnar crown, some features must be taken into account. It is a branched tree with one, often several trunks or a shrub. Shoots are raised up and form a dense crown.
In all columnar junipers, they are more or less pressed against each other, so the crown is poorly ventilated, little light gets inside. As a result, the needles near the trunk dries out quickly. When carrying out sanitary measures, it is necessary not only to remove dead and broken branches, but also to clean off the needles. Otherwise, a spider mite will settle there, which is especially difficult to fight on plants with sharp needles.
Pest and disease control is another feature to be aware of when caring for columnar juniper. It must be constantly monitored, since all "problems" can hide inside a dense crown. Shoots are regularly inspected, especially those that grow without access to light.
Sprinkling is useful for junipers, columnar varieties are no exception. But it is better to water species with sharp needles from a hose in the early morning, and not in the evening. The needles do not always have time to dry out until nightfall, moisture lingers in the sinuses of the vegetative organs. Because of this, a variety of rot appears, and in warm regions (not necessarily southern ones) it is also difficult to remove mealybugs.
Planting and caring for columnar juniper
In a columnar juniper, the planting is no different from varieties with a different crown shape. A hole is dug so deep that the root and drainage can fit in it, the diameter is 1.5-2 times larger than the earthen lump. The root collar is at ground level. Sod land, peat, sand are added to the substrate for planting.
The only difference is that for a seedling that exceeds a height of 50 cm, a peg is driven into the bottom of the pit, to which a juniper is tied. This is done simply for sustainability.
Water abundantly only after planting. Then - depending on the recommendations, usually - in moderation. The most undemanding to watering is the Rocky Juniper.
The greatest differences in columnar varieties from those with a crown of a different shape are in a shelter for the winter. Its branches must be tied with twine, otherwise the snow can simply break the plant.
Mulching soil for columnar forms is also a mandatory procedure. Their root is not protected by branches lying on the ground. Covering material protects it from freezing in winter, and does not overheat in summer.
Pruning columnar juniper
In fact, the culture tolerates pruning well, regardless of the shape of the crown. Columnar junipers can be trimmed with a haircut. It is from them that topiary is made.For the initial pruning, you should invite a specialist, then the form is maintained independently.
For all columnar shapes, sanitary pruning is an important care element. In addition to the fact that dry and broken branches are clearly visible and look unattractive on a narrow crown, the health of the juniper also depends on this. On dry shoots, pests quickly start and fungal spores settle. And since the branches are pressed against each other, any "nuisance" will quickly spread throughout the plant.
How to propagate columnar juniper
Shoots take root all season. But for amateurs who have never been involved in breeding conifers before, it is better to take them in the spring, tearing them off together with the "heel". The lower part is freed from needles, treated with a stimulant, planted in sand, perlite or pure peat.
Rooting takes 30-45 days. After that, the cuttings are transplanted into individual containers. You should not overexpose them in a light substrate - the juniper needs nutrition for growth, but perlite or sand cannot give it.
From the moment of grafting to planting in the ground, at least two years should pass.
Conclusion
Columnar juniper is a good solution for any garden. It looks attractive, takes up little space, and requires minimal maintenance. In addition, if desired, you can create a topiary from it.
