Many lovers of gardening know what a rocky juniper is. This small shrub is often used to decorate gardens. Often it can be found in squares and parks, near the administrative buildings of the region. For landscape design today, many varieties of culture have been bred, which this article talks about.
About culture
An evergreen coniferous shrub is called rocky juniper. The culture belongs to the Juniper family, from the genus Cypress. The place of growth is considered to be a mountainous area North America, height from 1.5 to 2.7 meters above sea level.
Individual species are found in Canada, British Columbia, southwestern Alberta, the United States, and northern Mexico.
Juniper rocky
The plant is distinguished by the duration of development and life, special specimens have existed for more than a thousand years.
As a decorative culture, it has been known since 1839. In Russia, rocky juniper has been actively grown since the 60s of the last century. The first step was the cultivation of crops for the purposes Agriculture. Juniper type of wood was valued for its strength and durability of use. The manufacture of the first household items from this material was noticed in North America, by the first Indian settlements. Such items in everyday life differed in the duration of use, pleasant color and aroma.
Interesting. Often, juniper skalnik was used in medicine, contributing to the healing of minor injuries, to treat joint and skin problems.
Description of culture
The culture is shrubs and dioecious trees. At home in nature, such plants can reach 18 meters in height, with a trunk girth of 0.8 to 2 meters. garden views are smaller in size. Starting from the base, a crown of irregular conical shape grows, which gradually rounds off.
The color of the foliage can vary from dark green to gray-blue.
An excellent feature of the plant is the reddish-brown color of the bark and the pale blue color of young stems. The foliage is oppositely located with an ovoid-rhombic plate shape, often resembling scales, the length of which is not more than 0.2 cm, the diameter is 0.1 cm. The color of the foliage can vary from dark green to gray-blue.
The fruits are distinguished by an interesting spherical shape of dark blue color with a characteristic bluish coniferous coating. The length can vary from 0.4 to 0.6 cm. The first ripening of the fruit occurs only towards the end of the second year after planting. Inside the cone hides a seed, brown-red in color, with a diameter of not more than 50 mm.
The best varieties
As a result of selection, the world knows more than one variety of culture, they are gradually gaining the trust of gardeners. American breeders have bred the following varieties that are popular today, planted in mid-latitudes ：
- Rocky juniper Blue Arow. The height of the plant can vary from 150 to 250 cm. A feature is considered to be a narrow, columnar crown, no more than 50 centimeters wide. The needles are needle-shaped, green-blue in color, scaly with a metallic sheen;
Rocky Juniper Blue Arow
- Blue Haven - low bushes, 0.2 meters high. They have a pyramidal crown, the width of which is 0.1 m. Plant color all year round light blue;
- Juniper Blue Sky - one of the few winter-hardy species, reaches 6 meters in height at 10 summer age. It is distinguished by a narrow and slender trunk and straight, adjoining stems. The needles, like other species, are scaly, green-gray in color. Most susceptible to attack by fungal infections;
- Moffat Blue. The difference of the variety is winter hardiness. Dense wide crown of a pyramidal shape. The needles are greenish-blue. The maximum height is 6 meters, with a crown width of 130 cm. It does not like excess moisture, which makes it impossible to grow the variety in regions with high humidity;
- Moonglow is similar to Blue Haven in many ways. The only difference is the color of the needles is blue-silver, which becomes even brighter in winter time;
- Silver King. Bush with wide spreading branches. At the age of 10, it reaches 60 cm in height, with a crown width of up to 2 meters. Like everyone else, the needles are scaly, blue in color;
- Table Top Blue - has a characteristic oval-shaped crown, with a blue-silver color. After ten years from the date of planting, the plant has a compact size: 2 m in height with a crown span of up to 2.5 meters;
- Wichita Blue. It has open branches, the maximum width of which is 150 cm, with a height of 10 years old tree 40 cm. Color - silver-blue.
Wichita Blue
In addition to the species described above, others are also used in horticulture: juniper Fisht, Green, Erekta, Medora, Gray Glim, etc.
Features of agricultural technology
Landing
Bushes with a closed root system can be planted all year round. Planting seedlings with open roots in open ground is carried out only after the arrival of spring and sufficient warming of the soil, without waiting for the start of sap flow. Subject to the rules of agricultural technology, caring for a tree is not difficult.
When choosing a planting site, you need to prefer a sunny open space. Care should be taken that the distance to groundwater was at least 10 meters. For low-growing varieties, you need to choose poor soils, otherwise the dwarf property will remain on the sidelines. Full-fledged species are grown in nutrient soil in open areas.
When choosing a planting site, you need to prefer a sunny open space.
Should be taken into account! The size of the hole under the tree should be at least 2 times the volume of the root system. Dwarf varieties planted with an interval of 50 cm. For tall representatives of the culture, a larger distance is needed, given the annual increase not only in height, but also in the volume of crowns.
First of all, the bottom of the pit is covered with a drainage layer, its thickness should be at least 20 cm. You can use broken stones, bricks or crushed stone. Following in landing pit lower the bush, filling everything with a mixture of peat, soddy soil and sand (proportion 2: 1: 1). Now a freshly planted bush needs to be watered abundantly, wait until the moisture is completely absorbed.
The layer of mulch should be at least 8 centimeters, consist of peat, wood chips, sawdust or pine bark. When planting a tree, you need to pay attention so that the root neck after planting is flush with the ground.
The layer of mulch should be at least 8 centimeters
Important! To carefully pull the seedling out of the pot, first, a few hours before planting, the pot must be placed in a container of water. Thus, the tree can be removed from the container without damaging the roots. All this will help the plant take root better.
Care
In the greater mass, the rock is valued precisely for its unpretentiousness. At the same time, it must be understood that, regardless of the care provided, the growth of the tree slows down in the first years. For full development, the newly planted juniper is watered several times a month, provided there is no natural precipitation. Additionally, it is recommended to spray the bushes warm water, exclusively in the evening. Adult representatives are watered only during periods of drought, while during the season they can be moistened no more than a few times.
It is strictly forbidden to use juniper for feeding organic fertilizers. For young trees, one top dressing is enough, carried out in the transitional period from April to May. For 1 bucket of water, use 20 grams of Kemira-universal or add nitroammophoska at the rate of 30-40 grams per square meter. Plants that have taken root do not need fertilizer.
Kemira wagon
The need for care in the winter may be due to the peculiarity of the variety. For columnar trees, it may be necessary to chip the snow from the branches, saving them from damage under weight. Also in the fall, you can pull the branches, pressing them to the trunk, so that the crowns do not break from heavy snowfalls.
Diseases and pests
Most coniferous trees suffer from fungal infections. Diseases and pests that juniper suffers from:
- Rust is a fungus that manifests itself as growths of a rich orange color. To combat it, the affected areas are cut off and treated with any fungicide;
- Tracheomycosis (fusarium wilt) is a disease of the root system associated with waterlogging of the soil. It is recommended to replace with fresh soil upper layer, cut off the affected parts, spray the soil surface under the top layer with fungicides against fungal infections;
- Drying of the branches - the needles begin to die off, turn yellow, small fruit mushrooms begin to cover the trunk. For treatment, the affected branches and other areas are removed, the entire tree is treated with fungicides.
Landscape
Juniper Moonglow
Weakly spread culture gradually gained popularity. Today, rocky juniper is actively used to create design compositions on private estates and public areas. Such bushes help to create recreation areas as close as possible to natural conditions. Various varieties look great without additional elements landscape design and can be combined with other plants.
The most popular Juniper Moonglow in landscape design, due to its compact size and interesting color. The plant looks especially impressive in winter, when its color on a snowy background becomes even brighter. The popularity of rock climbing in the landscape is due not only to ease of care and maintenance, but also to unusual geometric shapes. Often, juniper becomes a favorable background for other plantations, complementing various design compositions. Culture is great in cases where a garden landscape is created based on Japan and for decorating large alpine slides.
The rocky juniper crown is quite spectacular due to the fact that it is geometrically correct and clear. It is often used as a background for other plants or as a central link in a garden composition. This plant is perfect for those areas that are decorated in English or scandinavian style, juniper will also look great in alpine or Japanese gardens.
Junipers, in the name of which occurs English word"blue" (translated blue), have needles of a beautiful blue hue. In the garden, such plants are most often used as ground cover, thanks to the creeping crown. With its noble beauty, blue juniper sets off green coniferous plants and deciduous shrubs. Solemnity and splendor of the composition will be added by white flowers of lilac, hydrangea, cinquefoil, mock orange. For vertical accents, medium-sized plants of a columnar or pyramidal shape are selected. Below you will find a description of the varieties and characteristics and brief information about how planting and care are performed - for each variety.
Species and varieties
Juniper horizontal, or prostrate- refers to the best ground cover species. Slow growing, does not tolerate low humidity.
Bluechip. small shrub, the size of which does not exceed 30 cm in adulthood. The crown is low, creeping, star-shaped. The edges of the shoots are feather-like directed to the sides and up. The needles are very prickly, with a blue tint. Maintains a decorative effect in well-lit areas. Blue Chip Juniper should be planted in a hole with good drainage, as this variety does not tolerate waterlogging of the soil. Fairly cold hardy.
Juniperus horizontalis - bluechip(Blue Chip)
Blue Forest. It can reach a height of 40 cm, grows mainly in breadth: the crown spreads 1.5 meters. Shoots stick up. The needles are small, dense, short, silver-blue in color, in winter it changes shade to purple. The bush can tolerate light shading. It develops well on sandy and loamy soils of medium humidity.
Bluemoon. Creeping bush up to 30 cm high in adulthood. The needles are bluish-gray. An excellent ground cover - forms dense cushion-shaped clumps. The branches are whip-like lying on the ground and can take root on their own. The shoots are very thin, tender, bluish in summer, brown in winter.
Ice Blue. Dwarf shrub only 0.15 m high, with a good growth rate. The crown in adulthood grows to 2.5 meters. The shoots are flexible, long, form a green-blue solid carpet. When planting in heavy clay soil, the device is a must. Sand must be added to the landing pit. This variety has good adaptability, is easy to transplant, resistant to low humidity and drought, frost-resistant.
Winter Blue. Valuable ground cover variety. Undemanding to the soil. Keeps decorative on sunny, well-lit landing sites. The needles have a silvery tint, becoming intensely blue in winter.
juniper chinensis- takes root well and shows its decorative effect in regions with a temperate climate.
Blue Alps. A very common variety, popular with gardeners. The medium-sized shrub Blue Alps has a height of 2.5-4 meters. The needles are hard and prickly, light green in color with a silvery tint. The crown is funnel-shaped, the shoots hang down slightly, in diameter it can reach two meters. Frost-resistant, photophilous.
Blue cloud. A low shrub 0.5-1.2 m high. The branches are thin, they smell unpleasant when cut. The needles are bluish-steel in color. The crown is flat, wide.
Blue point. Medium height beautiful shrub. The crown is very dense, teardrop-shaped. Dense branches evenly raised. The color of the needles is gray-blue.
Juniper rocky
It is necessary to plant only in bright places protected from the wind. In the shade, the crown becomes loose, the trunk becomes bare. It suffers from heavy snowfalls - the branches must be tied up, the snow must be shaken off.
Blue Arrow. High (3.5-4 meters) grade. The crown is columnar with densely pressed branches. It lends itself well to cutting, suitable for creating spiral shapes.
In a sunny, well-lit place, the color of Blue Arrow juniper needles is bluish-blue, and turns green in the shade.
Juniperus scopulorum - Blue Arrow (Juniper Blue Arrow)
Blue sky. The shape of the crown is narrow-pyramidal, pin-shaped, with a pointed top. IN good conditions can grow up to 5 meters. Differs in bright blue coloring of needles.
Steel blue. Variety with a flat-lying crown, needles of a bluish tint.
Wichita blue. A popular variety with a straight, wide-shaped crown. The branches fit tightly, directed upwards. The color of the needles is bright, green-blue. Shrub height - up to 4 m.
juniper scaly
Blue carpet. A very well-known and widespread variety with good vigor. Valued as excellent groundcover. With a bush height of only 30-50 cm, the crown diameter can reach 2.5 meters. The crown is wide and flat, branched. Shoots are long, spread. The color of the needles is gray-blue. Tolerates partial shade.
Blue star. A small shrub with a semicircular, dense, wide crown. It can grow up to 1 meter in height. Slow growing. Mandatory drainage - does not tolerate stagnant water. In cold winters, Blue Star juniper can be damaged by frost.
Juniperus Squamata Blue Star - juniper scaly Blue Star
Blue Sweden. The height of the bush reaches 60-70 cm, the diameter of the crown is up to 2 meters in good conditions. Branches solitary, well-pronounced, raised up. The needles are very hard, intensely blue, in winter it acquires a light purple hue.
Juniper Health Secrets: How to Plant and Care
1. Do not plant junipers directly into the turf. On uncultivated land, the seedling grows poorly.
2. The landing hole should not be very deep, but wide, since the young juniper has a superficial root system.
3. If the soil in the pit is clayey, sticks to the shovel, then it is necessary to perform drainage: pour crushed stone or broken brick on the bottom.
4. Junipers love light ground. When planting in a hole, you need to add a bag of biohumus (such as "Live Earth"), mixed with vermiculite, coconut substrate, coniferous litter from the forest. Manure must not be added to the soil, mineral fertilizers or ash.
5. You can not deepen the root collar of the seedling.
4. The earth around the bush needs a layer of about 3 cm: coniferous litter, mowed grass, rotted sawdust, wood chips are suitable.
5. The first two years, the seedling is covered for the winter nonwoven fabric, and with the beginning of spring they put a plastic fruit box or a paper basket with holes on it. These measures will protect the young plant from spring burning of needles and frost.
If you need a transplant
Young seedlings can be transplanted by carefully digging them up with big ball earth. Adult plants do not tolerate transplanting very well, but if such a need arises, do this:
- Schedule a transplant for the fall.
- In summer, start digging in an adult plant: around an adult juniper, cut the sod with a shovel to the height of a bayonet in a circle. Thus, small roots will be cut, but the juniper will not die, it will use deeper roots for nutrition.
- Over the summer, the replacement root system will grow and take the form of a cropped circle, the plant will tolerate the transplant well.
Junipers taken from the forest almost never take root!
Landscape compositions with blue junipers
Garden composition from coniferous shrubs looks harmonious if it has at least three plants various shapes and heights. Until the bushes have grown, the distance between them can be filled with flowering annuals.
Song examples:
Composition 1.
- Juniper rock "Blue Arrow"
- Thuja "Golden glob"
Composition 2.
- Thuja western "Smaragd"
- Spiraea Boumalda "Froebelli"
- Juniper scaly "Blue Carpet"
- Juniper virginiana "Grey Owl"
- Prickly spruce
- Hydrangea arborescens "Annabel"
- tenacious creeping
Arrangement with thuja and spruce
Composition 3.
- Prickly spruce "Glauca Globosa"
- Juniper scaly "Blue Carpet"
- carnation greyish blue
- Hosta blue varieties
Track composition
Juniper rocky is a plant belonging to the genus Juniperus, the Cypress family. It occurs naturally in North America, Canada, the United States, and northern Mexico. The plant prefers rocky cliffs and mountain slopes. Compared to other types of junipers, rocky juniper is quite rare in the natural environment, but is actively cultivated by people.
Rocky juniper is not a large plant, it rarely exceeds 13 m in height. The crown begins to form almost from the very base of a shrub or tree, the crown shape of young junipers is conical. As the plant matures, the crown becomes rounded. The bark is dark brown, the shoots are greenish-blue.
The needles of the plant are represented by a wide colors. There are junipers rocky bluish-blue, blue-gray, dark green. The leaves are needle-shaped and can be up to 12 mm long. Cone berries are rounded, dark blue in color, covered with a bluish bloom on top. Seeds are formed at the end of the second year of the plant's life. Each cone usually contains two seeds.
In total, there are about 20 varieties of rocky juniper, the most common of which are: Skyrocket, Blue Arrow, Blue Hafen, Mondlow, Wichita Blue, Silver Star.
The use of rocky juniper in landscape design
Rocky juniper has an attractive shape, therefore it is actively used in landscaping city parks and squares, it can often be seen near administrative buildings, as well as on private estates.
This variety of juniper is planted to create a hedge, used in heather gardens, included in various compositions. Due to the fact that the color of the needles of the plant varies widely, it is used to create landscapes in all sorts of styles. Columnar and pyramidal shrubs with blue needles are especially popular.
Features of the care and planting of rocky juniper
Rocky juniper does not impose special requirements on the soil. The plant feels good in urban conditions, is not susceptible to gas pollution and smoke. Also, the shrub is not afraid of heat and requires a lot of sunlight.
Those plants that have a vertical crown must be protected from strong winds. Therefore, for planting a tree, preference should be given to quiet and sunny areas.
Perhaps a slight shading of the plant, but if you place it in a deep shade, this will negatively affect the condition of the needles. The crown of the tree will become bare, as a result, the decorative qualities of the juniper will be lost. The plant itself will weaken and may even die.
It is good to plant juniper on stony soils with the inclusion of sand and gravel. The plant needs high-quality drainage, since even a slight stagnation of moisture will adversely affect the state of the root system, and hence the tree itself. It is important that the salt content in the soil is kept to a minimum.
If you plan to plant a plant from a container, then it must first be moistened. To do this, an earthen lump is placed in water for 2 hours. The pit for planting such a plant should be at least 2 times the size of an earthen coma.
Juniper rocky does not impose special requirements for care. Periodically, loosen the soil under the tree a little. This must be done after watering the plant. In parallel, you need to weed the ground and remove all weeds. The juniper is mulched immediately after transplantation, using peat or pine bark for this purpose. The soil for planting should consist of 2 parts of peat, 1 part of sand and 1 part of sod land.
different breeds rocky juniper is frost-resistant, therefore, when choosing a plant for a particular site, it is necessary to take into account climatic conditions. As for top dressing, it should be carried out during the active stage of the plant's vegetation, which occurs in April and May. You can use the Kemira-universal fertilizer. For 10 liters of water, 20 g of the product will be required.
For the period of wintering, rocky juniper must be pulled together with fishing line, which will avoid a crown fracture after a snowfall. In addition, you need to make sure that a lot of snow does not accumulate on the branches in winter.
As for pests, the sawfly, scale insect, worm and aphid represent the greatest danger to rocky juniper. In addition, the shrub is prone to rust. To get rid of this fungal disease fungicides are used.
Useful properties of rocky juniper
Rocky juniper, like other species of coniferous shrubs, has pronounced phytoncidal properties. It is able to disinfect the air around it, so such a plant will serve not only as a decor, but also as a natural deodorant.
The wood of the plant is used to make pencils. However, the main purpose of rocky juniper is the decoration of landscapes.
Expert editor: Sokolova Nina Vladimirovna| Phytotherapeutist
Education: A diploma in the specialty "Medicine" and "Therapy" received at the University named after N. I. Pirogov (2005 and 2006). Advanced training at the Department of Phytotherapy at the Moscow University of Peoples' Friendship (2008).
Each owner of the land allotment tries to ennoble the territory as much as possible. Most people have problems not with a specific design decision, and with the definition of the most suitable plants. The soil does not suit one, others are too “capricious” in their care - there are quite a few nuances, and this makes it difficult to choose.
- Slow growth. mature plant can stretch up to 3 m, forming a cone-shaped crown with a diameter of about 0.7 m.
- The shoots are rigid, vertically oriented (they adjoin the trunk quite tightly). This allows you to effectively use this variety of juniper as a "living" hedge for suburban areas, in the arrangement of alleys, landscaping terraces, shores of artificial reservoirs and for the implementation of other design solutions.
- The needles are soft, with a shade from dark green to gray and bright blue.
- The trunk is practically not "bare", since the branches of the lower row grow directly at the base.
- This variety of juniper goes well with a wide variety of plants (deciduous, coniferous), so it can be used as component in any design composition.
juniper planting
"Blue Arrow" is completely undemanding to chemical composition soil, so it can be planted in almost any soil. The only condition is more light. If the site has shading, then the development of the plant will slow down, therefore, such plantings are made only in cases of lack of space or in connection with the specifics of the territory (its layout, the height of buildings, and so on).
The latter applies to adult specimens. If "young growth" is planted, then one should be guided by a clod of earth around the rhizome. The hole should be about 2.5 times its size in depth.
To prevent water from stagnating in it, drainage should be provided. For this purpose, a layer of brick battle is poured to the bottom interspersed with river sand (about 15 - 20 cm). After installing the seedling (the root collar must remain above ground level), it is advisable to fill the hole with a nutrient composition, which is prepared from peat (2 hours) + a mixture of turf and sand (1 hour each).
The first week the plant requires abundant watering, and daily. This is necessary for its speedy adaptation to a new place.
Care
It doesn't present much of a problem. The only thing to consider is that Blue Arrow juniper does not tolerate excessively dry air. If possible, in the area where the plant is planted, devices should be installed for automatic, but not drip, but with the help of "sprinklers". In this case, the air is effectively saturated with water vapor, which has a beneficial effect on the development of the Blue Arrow.
- It is advisable to periodically loosen the soil around the juniper (the top layer, by about 5 - 8 cm).
- Fertilization - no more than 1 time per year (usually in spring).
- Watering - in the first year, it is desirable more often (about every other day), in the next, 1 time in 3-4 days is enough. To increase this interval, it is advisable to mulch (cover the soil around the plant with a layer of sawdust, needles, wood chips, etc.). This will reduce the intensity of evaporation of moisture after watering the plant.
The preparation of juniper for winter requires special attention:
- Given the peculiarity of the crown and some "tenderness" of the branches, the shrub must be protected from snow load. If the area is characterized by heavy snowfalls, then the crown is attracted to the trunk (ribbon, rope). The young are covered completely (with linen, spruce branches or something similar). The main thing is to avoid the occurrence of the "greenhouse effect".
- A layer of peat is poured around the trunk (by 8 - 10 cm).
pruning
Produced as for most plants - in spring period, before the start of the so-called "sap flow", that is, until buds have formed on deciduous trees. A branch (shoot) can be shortened by no more than a third.
This tree is quite tall. The growth of rocky juniper reaches 10 meters, often grows even higher. The bark consists of several layers, the color is brown, with a red tint. The crown is original in that it grows almost from the ground itself, not sprawling, and not wide. Shoots of young juniper 1.5 mm thick.
The needles resemble scales, closely pressed, have a bluish tint, its thickness is a maximum of 2 mm. Juniper fruits are berries in the form of cones, their diameter is about 4 mm. The color of the cones is blue, they have a slight bloom, inside there are two seeds, they begin to ripen by the second year of the tree's life.
This culture grows in the mountains where there are rocks. It is most commonly found in western North America. In 1839 it became known about this culture. Now this plant is quite common in Russia.
There are many varieties and types of rocky juniper, today there are about 20 items.
The most popular varieties of juniper
blue sky- one of the most well-known representatives of this culture. Known since 1955. This species has a dense dense crown. It has a narrow pyramidal shape, the top is narrowed. Grows up to 2 meters. The color of the needles is green with a bluish tint.
moonglow- Another variety of the juniper family. Became popular since 1971. This tree has an oval crown. The maximum height of this type is 6 meters, the width can be 2.5 meters. blue needles with a silvery tint, quite light. Moonglow Variegated - differs in the cream color of the shoots.
Silver Star- at the age of 10, the plant reaches 10 meters. The color of the needles is bluish, less often with a gray tint, the shoots are separate, light cream in color.
Wichita Blue- Another fairly well-known variety of juniper. Known in 1976, the United States is considered its homeland. The crown of this tree is slightly loose, in the shape of a pyramid. The growth of this variety reaches an average of 6 meters, the width of the tree is 2.5 meters. Both in winter and in summer, the color of this type of juniper is very gray-blue, very bright, ashen.
Skyrocket- this type of juniper has been known since 1949. A fairly original crown, reminiscent of the shape of a column, a narrow pointed top. The height of a 10-year-old tree is about 2.5 meters, the width does not even reach 1 meter. The needles of this variety of juniper are in the form of scales, its color is gray-blue.
blue arrow- this variety of juniper became known in 1980. Two meters in height, the tree grows by 10 years. This species is called compact, as the shape of the crown is narrower than that of other varieties. Its color is gray-blue, and in the fall a steel shade is added.
