Dwarf juniper. Juniper - undersized varieties (horizontal, creeping). Description and photo. Juniper berry infusion

"Juniper, juniper,
Blue in autumn yellowness.
Give me berries, juniper
Give me a thorn!"
/eng. folk song/

plant description

Juniper (cypress family) is a coniferous plant widely demanded in landscape design. Due to the presence of a variety of shapes and sizes (from narrow and pyramidal giants to creeping dwarfs), it is suitable for the realization of any gardener's idea. Columnar junipers are used as an accent in landscape composition, and are also suitable for laying hedges. Creeping varieties look great in rock gardens and rockeries next to various ground covers and hosts. With the help of shearing and shaping, which the shrub tolerates well, it can be given almost any shape.

The air of the area where the juniper grows is saturated with a unique aroma: the plant emits a large number of phytoncides.

The noble colors of evergreen needles range from bright green to bluish-steel, with some varieties adding shades of yellow and gold.

The remarkable advantages of juniper are:

• undemanding to soil fertility
• shade tolerance
• drought tolerance
• frost resistance (-40gr)
• longevity
• high decorativeness regardless of the season

Species and varieties

The following types of juniper have the largest distribution area in natural conditions in our country: common, Siberian and Cossack.

Common juniper- has creeping (up to 50 cm), shrub (1-3 meters) and tree-like (up to 12 meters) forms. Bark of various shades gray color. It is distributed not only in Russia, but also everywhere in our latitudes, from Canada to Japan.

For planting, choose open, well-lit places. It is undemanding to soil fertility, but does not develop well on clayey dense soils.

Common juniper does not tolerate transplantation, so specimens taken from the forest rarely take root.

It has high frost resistance.

Common juniper cones are widely used as a spice, for making wine, smoking various products, as a medicinal raw material.

Siberian juniper differs from ordinary juniper in smaller needles and a low height of a creeping bush. Grows in mountainous areas. More decorative than common juniper, thanks to two-color needles - green with white shades.

Juniper Cossack- a widespread shrub of the European part of Russia, the South Urals, Altai, mountains Central Asia. Creeping forms predominate. Very unpretentious and drought-resistant, grows in a dense cover due to the easy rooting of branches. As it grows, it can occupy a large area, so perennial flowers and shrubs next to it should be planted with caution. Good for cutting and shaping. It has good endurance - it tolerates both drought and frost. Favorably looks on the background of the lawn, in the rock garden. It differs from the common juniper in the poisonousness of cones and a specific smell. When in contact with the ground, the branches take root on their own. In addition to decorative functions, it can also perform practical ones: its roots strengthen the slopes well.

juniper scaly- shrub with dense branches and dark brown bark. Growth area - China, Taiwan, Himalayas. It differs from other species in less frost resistance. It has a dense, decorative crown. The needles are sharp-needled, very hard.

(prostrate) in nature lives mainly in the USA and Canada. A creeping shrub with long branches. Does not tolerate low humidity. Characterized by slow growth.

juniper chinensis naturally grows in China and other Asian countries. It has tree-like and creeping forms. Quite hardy, but in dry climates it can suffer from a lack of air humidity. Slow-growing, at a young age does not tolerate frost.

The most common are tall columnar forms. Can be used for hedges. In nature, it grows in Canada and the USA, and in Russia it is widely represented in parks, due to its stability and high decorativeness. Shade-tolerant, winter-hardy, drought-resistant. Does not tolerate transplant well. In places of natural growth, its wood is used to make pencils. In plantings it goes well with deciduous trees and shrubs. Not capricious in relation to the soil, grows well on loam and clay soils.

Juniper rocky. Naturally grows in the USA. There are both tree and shrub forms. Close to virgin juniper. It does not tolerate shading well, spreading branches suffer from snowfall, they need to be tied up.

Landing

Plants with a closed root system purchased from a nursery can be planted at any time of the year. It is enough to provide the first time to the seedling good watering. Planting rooted cuttings and seedlings on permanent place held in spring or autumn.

The landing site is chosen sunny. In the shade, plants with variegated needles will inevitably lose their decorative effect.

Although the plant is undemanding to the soil, when planting it is necessary to proceed from the area of ​​\u200b\u200bits growth in its natural environment. The soil for the Cossack and common juniper is slightly alkaline (in autumn, lime or dolmite flour is applied to the planting site). Some species feel good on rocky soils. Juniper virginian prefers loams and black soil. It is necessary to choose a place and neighbors taking into account the growth of the plant.

How to plant a juniper:

1. Preparing landing pit size 1 by 1 m.
2. For plants that do not like stagnant moisture, we arrange drainage: we pour crushed stone, broken bricks at the bottom of the pit.
3. Carefully remove the seedling from the container and lower it into the hole (without deepening).
4. We fall asleep with earth and water abundantly.

Planted plants need more accurate regular watering than any kind of top dressing. In winter, their needles can suffer from heavy snowfall, therefore, in tall and medium-sized shrubs, branches must be tied up. To prevent burning, creeping forms are covered with spunbond, but usually only young plants in the 1st and 2nd years after planting need this.

Important! Juniper transplantation is undesirable: it is very difficult to dig up a plant without damaging the taproot.

When choosing a type of shrub, be guided by the place of its growth in nature. For regions with a hot climate, the most suitable juniper will be Cossack, virgin. For the middle latitudes of Russia - Chinese, horizontal, scaly, ordinary.

The plant propagates by seeds, rooted layering and cuttings. Before planting, the seeds must be stratified (keep in the refrigerator for about a month), and before planting, scarify - file a hard shell. For better germination, soil from under adult bushes is added to the sowing site. Shoots appear in 1-3 years.

The easiest way to propagate is by rooted cuttings. In creeping forms, branches often take root on their own when in contact with the ground. Such a branch can be carefully cut and transplanted to a new place with a clod of earth.

Green cuttings for propagation are taken only from young plants, cut them “with a heel” and soaked in a solution of a root formation stimulator. Cuttings of columnar varieties are planted straight, creeping - obliquely. The appearance of new buds indicates that the cutting has taken root.

Juniper diseases

1. Physiological drying of needles.

Occurs in winter, especially on the sunny side. In the needles, under the influence of the sun, active photosynthesis begins to occur, for which the roots do not provide nutrition, since the earth is frozen. Columnar crowns are especially affected. Prevention - winding with a covering material, spilling the roots with warm water.

2. Rust.

A fungal disease that looks like orange growths on branches. Sick branches must be cut and burned. Prevention - treatment fungicidal preparations("Tilt", "Skor", "Byleton", "Vectra"), separation of landings with fruit trees(apple, pear), since it is from them that the infection of junipers occurs.

A fungal disease that manifests itself in early summer: last year's needles turn yellow, then black dots appear on it. Dried branches must be cut and burned. Prevention: treatment with fungicidal preparations ("Skor", "Ridomil Gold", "Strobi", "Kvadris").

4. Drying of branches.

Can affect junipers of all types. It manifests itself in the spring: first, small twigs turn yellow, then the disease covers an increasing area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe bush. On the needles and bark appear dark spots. Caused by several types of fungi. The reason for the appearance is improper planting of the plant: thickening, heavy soils, stagnant water. Sick shrunken branches must be cut and burned, fallen needles must be collected. With a large area of ​​\u200b\u200bdamage, the bush is uprooted. For prevention, it is necessary to follow the rules of planting and treat juniper in spring and autumn with fungicidal preparations.

Junipers in landscape design

Junipers are widely used in landscape design. The evergreen conifers are especially beautiful in the winter landscape, and in the summer they favorably set off flowering plants. Shrubs of dwarf creeping forms are indispensable for rockeries and alpine slides. Tall specimens will create a beautiful accent in compositions with a circular view, and a row of columnar junipers will close the fence in the background. Juniper pruning and shaping allow you to give it almost any shape.

Examples of finished compositions using junipers:

1. For lighted places.

The composition is based on decorative coniferous plants. In the spring, primroses will begin flowering, in the summer it will continue with spirea and daylilies. This composition will look beautiful on the background lawn grass, it includes:

1. Day-lily
2. Primrose
3. Spiraea japonica Little Princess
4. Thuja western Smaragd
5. Thuja western Danica
6. Juniper Andorra

2. In lilac tones for illuminated places and partial shade.

The purple leaves of the vesicle, barberry and geyhera are set off by white clusters of spirea and a scattering of cinquefoil flowers. blue needles juniper gives the composition nobility and depth. The composition of the composition:

1. Heuchera Palace Purple
2. Barberry Atropurpurea Nana
3. Potentilla Royal Flush
4. Rock Juniper Blue Arrow
5. Juniper scaly Blue Carpet
6. Spirea Grefsheim
7. Vesicle Diabolo

If your children often get colds, have them regularly play near the juniper tree.

This is the most famous form of horizontal juniper among our summer residents. Its height is only 10 cm. And no one can say for sure about the diameter of the crown, since this variety grows very slowly! For this reason, it is recommended to plant large groups or singly in rock gardens, among large stones.

Another very low of those presented, its height is also only 10 cm, growth diameter is up to 1.5 m. The needles are light green in color, soft, non-thorny. It grows well on any soil, both in the sun and in light partial shade. Does without watering. Easily withstands frosts down to -40°C. Note that this is one of the most common varieties, you can find it in almost any garden center.



This "carpet" will be a little higher (15 cm), but with a pleasant golden hue. You need to plant in a sunny place, otherwise the needles will turn green.



Variety of juniper scaly, originally from mountainous China. It grows in the form of a flat bush about 30 cm high and 1.2-1.5 m in diameter. It is considered one of the best blue junipers! But it is very prickly, so it is better to plant it away from garden paths. By the way, they look great against it. pale pink flowers, including roses.


This variety with bluish needles grows slowly. In the garden, it can survive in almost any soil. Equally well exists in the sun and in partial shade. Suitable for growing on rooftops. IN middle lane winters well, but in the northern regions (St. Petersburg and to the north) it occasionally freezes.

Dwarf creeping form of juniper, no more than 30 cm high, up to 1.5 m wide. The crown is flat. The needles are soft, not prickly at all. Very unpretentious and hardy. Does not require watering, does not freeze in winter. It is often used for green roofs, and the conditions there are more severe than on the ground.



The original creeping juniper up to 20 cm high and 2 m in diameter. The variety is very winter-hardy and photophilous. The needles are soft, green. The tips of the shoots are light cream, but turn green in shading. Any soil is suitable. The plant, as they say, is an amateur. Someone will get this juniper for a collection or just for beauty, but some do not like its variegation.


Its height is no more than 15 cm, a real dwarf! The branches are very long. In the warm season, they form a beautiful dense bluish-green carpet with a diameter of up to 2.5 m! And in winter, the needles acquire a purple-plum hue.



Dwarf form up to 30 cm high and up to 1.2 m in diameter. It grows slowly. The needles are blue and very prickly. The variety is quite photophilous. To the soil, like other junipers, undemanding. It tolerates severe frosts well. But it does not tolerate stagnant moisture (during planting, you need to make good drainage). Will not grow in saline soil.


Shrub 30 cm high and 2.5 m in diameter. The needles are blue in summer, becoming reddish in winter. One of the most common varieties. It is even used to strengthen slopes!



The height of this juniper is no more than 30 cm, but the length of the shoots is impressive - they stretch along the ground up to 4 m! So from one bush you get a whole clearing. Or a coniferous waterfall, if planted at the edge of a retaining wall, so that the shoots hang down effectively.



The bushes of this juniper are squat, about 30 cm high and 1.8 m in diameter. The needles are soft, light green. Grows pretty fast. And he also does not have powerful branches, so he looks more like a grassy lawn than others.

And finally. If the shoots of ground cover undersized junipers are spread over a path or platform, they are cut with secateurs so as not to interfere.
Of the longest can be connected Banya broom, but keep in mind that only the most persistent lovers of extreme bathing will like this one.

E-Catalogue of ornamental plants for garden "Landscape" - ornamental coniferous and deciduous trees and shrubs, creepers, herbaceous perennials

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Climate influence and frost resistance

A hardiness zone is a region in which a certain plant species usually still tolerates winters well, in other words, the region where its cultural range begins. It is important to understand that the frost resistance of plants depends on many factors, all data on winter hardiness climatic zones are only approximate. Within the aisles of one zone, the microclimate of some regions may differ significantly from the given data. So, for example, urban areas are usually half a step warmer than the surrounding landscape. Large bodies of water, areas, as well as slopes and hilltops, have a positive effect on the climate, while unfavorable conditions prevail in depressions and valleys.

The number of the climatic zone is indicated under each description of the plant in the catalog, shows the degree of its resistance to low temperatures - the smaller the number of the zone, the more frost-resistant the plant. Plants can often grow in regions of five or more climate zones. A plant from zone 2 can usually grow without problems in zones 3,4,5,6,7 and possibly also in zones 8 and 9. These zone recommendations are based on availability. optimal conditions for each individual plant and excluding snow cover protection. Information about climatic zones frost resistance is also a hint for sheltering plants for the winter.

Map of winter hardiness zones of Ukraine

Winter hardiness zones and their ranges of average annual minimum temperatures

Abbreviations:

1. general description
2. Common types
3. common juniper
4. Virginia
5. Cossack
6. Chinese
7. coastal
8. rocky
9. Scaly
10. Application
11. Landing
12. plant care

The genus of junipers belongs to the cypress family and includes more than 60 species of evergreen shrubs and trees. The name comes from the Celtic word Jeneprus, which means "thorny". These plants are distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere from the subpolar zones to the subtropics. These rocks have existed on the planet for 50 million years. Their peculiarity is the attachment of varieties to certain ecosystems in a rather limited space. The habitats of junipers are discontinuous.

general description

In height, even tree forms rarely reach 12 m, and the diameter of the trunks is about 20 cm. The roots are taproot, they penetrate the soil to a great depth. Shrub forms are from 1 to 10 m in length. There are also dwarf creeping species that do not exceed 40–70 cm. The bark of young plants is reddish in color, becoming dark brown with age. Shoots branched and flexible. The crowns are spreading, dense, ovoid, pyramidal or irregular shape. Leaves up to 2 cm long, bluish-green, needle-shaped or scaly, collected in whorls. The kidneys are naked. Most junipers are dioecious, but there are also monoecious species. Male specimens have spikelets consisting of paired stamens. The carpels of female spikelets have 1–2 ovules each, and they themselves are collected in whorls in pairs. Juniper fruits are round cones of a bluish, gray or black hue. Their shell consists of densely closed thin scales. Inside the berries are several seeds separated by partitions.

Junipers are long-lived plants. Many of them reach 400-600 years of age. Almost all breeds prefer sandy, moderately nutritious, slightly alkaline soils, but can exist on poor podzolic, stony soils and limestones. Most species are photophilous. These evergreens, like all conifers, emit phytoncides that are detrimental to various pathogenic microflora. When rubbed in the hands, the needles emit a sharp resinous odor. In places where juniper grows, the air is cleaner and healthier.

In the natural environment, the plant reproduces by seeds. In culture, cuttings or grafting are often used.

Common types

In their natural environment, junipers grow in mixed forests. In North America, Asia, as well as the Mediterranean, tall shrubs make up small, rare pure forests. Creeping species are located in foothill areas, on rocky slopes.

common juniper

It has the widest distribution area. It is found throughout Europe, in Siberia, North America. Other names of the plant: juniper, veres. It is a dioecious shrub about 4–7 m in height, can rise up to 10–12 m. The trunks are thin, about 10–20 cm in diameter, the bark is fibrous, reddish-brown. The crown is dense, cone-shaped or rounded.

The needles are trihedral, about 1.5–2 cm long, dark green in color, covered with a translucent wax coating. Common juniper cones are dark blue, 0.6–0.9 mm in size, with a characteristic resinous aroma.

Veres grows very slowly: it stretches 15–20 cm per year. The life span of a shrub is more than 200 years.

Virginia

This is a monoecious tree species, whose homeland is North America. Individual specimens reach 1.5 m in diameter, rising up to 30 m. In young plants, the bark has a gray-green color, darkening with time. The branches form a narrow ovoid crown. It expands with age. The leaves of the Verginsky juniper resemble cypress in structure: short, scaly, silver-green in color, with the lower part tightly adjacent to the branches. The berries are the same as those of the common species: bluish-blue and fragrant.

Based on this species, decorative varieties were bred for landscaping streets and parks. In the temperate climate of the northern latitudes, virginian juniper is planted instead of cypresses.

Cossack

Miniature undersized shrub, with a crown height of not more than 1.5 m. The shoots are flexible, covered with small-needle light green needles. Cossack juniper is best suited for landscape design. Its advantages include unpretentiousness to care, natural conditions. Withstands sudden changes in temperature, strong winds and drought. The deep root system allows it long time do without watering, extracting moisture from distant soil layers. The growth of a shrub of the Cossack species is no more than 3–4 cm per year, which allows you not to worry about cutting for a long time. Many creeping varieties have been bred from it.

A significant drawback of this juniper is poisonousness: needles, berries and bark contain potent alkaloids, so it must be handled with care.

Chinese

Tall dense shrubs up to 20 m in length, found on Far East. Some varieties are monoecious. The crown is wide, sprawling, irregularly shaped. The needles are short, soft, in the form of dense scales about 3 mm in length. The reddish bark of the Chinese juniper tends to flake off and fall off in thin strips.

coastal

Dwarf shrub no higher than 40–70 cm with needle needles about 1 cm long. Reddish bark. Shoots are long and creeping. Coastal species refers to slow-growing breeds. In a year, the growth of bushes increases by only 2–3 cm. The fruits are blue cone berries with a pale bluish bloom. This juniper is valued for its decorative qualities. Light green needles have grayish-blue stripes, giving the crown a beautiful sheen.

rocky

Plants with an original narrow diamond-shaped crown resembling tall columns. The growth of this juniper can be up to 12 m. The trunks are straight and thin. side shoots directed almost vertically upwards. Needles in the form of thin short scales of bluish-gray, dark green and olive color. Individual needles are needle-shaped and long. This species is popular with landscape designers.

Scaly

Low shrub up to 1.5 m tall. The bark is grey-brown. The crown is dark green, dense. Needles in the form of wide lanceolate scales, very dense and hard, about 1 cm in length. The obsolete leaves do not leave the branches for a long time, giving them a withered appearance. The berries are shiny, almost black.

Application

Due to its decorative qualities, it is actively used for landscaping urban landscapes, gardens, and parks. Extensive plantings are especially suitable for areas with polluted and dusty air. The needles of plants clean the city atmosphere well.

A powerful branched root system makes these rocks useful for strengthening the slopes of ravines. The richness of varieties allows in the embodiment of exquisite design solutions. Juniper bushes create a magnificent ensemble with other garden plants, are used as hedges. Bonsai varieties grow well indoors.

Almost all parts of the plant are useful.

Juniper wood has a high density: about 640 kg/cu.m. dried. The sapwood of the logs is narrow, yellowish in color. The core occupies most massif, grayish or light brown shade, more solid. Annual rings are expressed in a greenish or reddish-brown dark pattern. Resin passages are not visible, core rays are invisible. The texture of the wood is very beautiful, the layers of fibers have a striped or wavy structure with contrasting lines. This timber lends itself well to manual and mechanical processing, it is distinguished by high operational properties, does not crack for a long time, does not swell from moisture, is resistant to fungal infection .

Juniper wood is used to make barrels for canned fruit, kvass mugs and kitchen utensils. Brackets, pencils, hooks for hanging meat hams are machined from it. Butter, milk and other perishable products are kept fresh for a long time in juniper containers.

Wood resin is used in industry to make paints, varnishes and turpentine. needles gives essential oil used in aromatherapy and as an antiseptic for colds.

Juniper berries in most species, with rare exceptions, are edible. They contain many vitamins, anthocyanins, antioxidants, sugars, beneficial bitterness. They are used as a spice for meat, vegetable dishes, marinades, giving the products an unusual flavor. Juniper fruit jam is not only a dessert, but also a remedy. Syrup, tea and decoction are used to get rid of lung diseases, genitourinary infections. The active substances of the berries relieve the symptoms of fever, rheumatism and arthritis, have an anti-inflammatory effect, remove toxins from the body, and support the functioning of the cardiovascular system. There is a lot of inulin in the juice of berries, which is necessary for patients with diabetes mellitus.

Landing

Germination of juniper from seeds requires 1 to 3 years, for planting on adjoining territories and in gardens this method is of little use. If desired, you can sow seedlings in containers with soil, set them in a lit place and water the substrate regularly. Planting of shoots in open ground is carried out in the fourth year. This should be done in the spring, in April or May. In autumn, seedlings can suffer from wind and frost. Fruiting of independently germinated shrubs is possible in 7-10 years.

Buying seedlings in nurseries or cuttings allows you to quickly acquire beautiful useful plants.

It is advisable to choose a sunny place for juniper, especially decorative varieties. The lack of light is well tolerated only by an ordinary view. Any soil will do. When planting, you need to calculate the distance between seedlings in advance: for large wide species, it should be at least 1.5 m, compact ones can be placed every 50–70 cm.

The size of the pits for juniper is twice the volume of the roots. The bottom is ¼ filled with drainage: small stones or crushed bricks, a layer of a mixture of peat, soil and nitroammophosphorus fertilizer is laid on top. Within 2 weeks, you need to give the holes rest. After placing the seedlings, the pits are covered with soil. The neck of the root should be at the level of the surface. Each tree is watered and then the adjacent soil is mulched with sawdust.

Juniper cuttings are harvested in the spring, cutting off annual shoots 15–20 cm long. They are added dropwise in a peat-sand mixture and left in a dark place until rooting, moisturizing regularly. From the container, after 1-2 years, the cuttings are transplanted into open ground.

Creeping varieties are propagated by layering. To do this, a small incision is made on the selected shoot and pinned to the ground, lightly sprinkling it. The following year, the shoot takes root, it is separated and planted in the chosen place.

plant care

These plants are easy to care for. In the early years and during the dry period, it is recommended to pour 10 liters of water under the roots every 3 weeks. Before this, you need to loosen the soil around. Fertilizers must be applied to poor soil before each watering; additional feeding is required once a season. In the hot time in the evenings, it is useful to spray the needles.

Large varieties can be pruned regularly, giving the branches the desired shape. But there are no fast-growing species among junipers, so you should not cut off large volumes of the crown. Usually, shearing is resorted to when creating hedges, and single shrubs are left with their natural look.

Prevention of juniper diseases is carried out in spring and autumn, spraying the shoots with a solution of Bordeaux mixture.