is juniper an evergreen

Does juniper groundcover need full sun?

Just because creeping junipers are wizards at covering steep hills, there's no rule that says you can't grow them on flat land. All these ground covers for sun need is full sunshine and sharp drainage. People like the look of greenery cascading down a hillside and spilling over the edge of a wall, as in this picture.

Is the juniper tree deciduous or evergreen?

The Blue Point Juniper is an outstanding upright evergreen, with strongly-colored blue foliage. It grows steadily, adding at least 6 inches a year, so it will soon be a striking specimen on your lawn, or part of the varied planting around your home.

Do juniper trees have a short life span?

Time Frame Juniper trees can live up to 20 years if well cared for. Black or bluish-purple juniper berries will slowly appear over the course of the first three years. Size After the first three to four years of life, a juniper will reach maturity and it will not grow as quickly.

Will deer eat juniper evergreens?

Depending on the species and cultivar, junipers can grow as a hedging, ground cover and privacy hedge, and are seldom deer’s first choice for food. However, in certain instances, deer have been known to nibble on blue juniper plants. Thankfully, a few methods will protect the blue juniper from hungry deer. What evergreens do deer not eat?

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Do junipers stay green in winter?

Junipers (Juniperus spp.) are low-maintenance evergreens and maintain their color throughout the cold winter months in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 10.

What does a juniper evergreen look like?

Juniper tree varieties come in a variety of shades -- from deep to silvery greens and then shades of blue, bronze, and even gold. As a coniferous evergreen, juniper leaves start out rough, prickly, and needle-like, but soften as they mature into flattened, scale-like foliage.

Does juniper come back every year?

Although a juniper won't grow back from a branch that has no green growth, careful pruning can revive the shrub.

Do junipers lose their leaves?

Needles of evergreens like junipers, pines or arborvitae shed their oldest leaves or needles in late summer or early autumn.

Where do junipers grow best?

Junipers grow especially well in well drained, sunny locations. Although some selections can be grown in full shade, most junipers will become more open and leggier if they don't get enough sun. The only spot where a juniper won't be happy is in poorly drained, boggy conditions.

Is juniper a tree or shrub?

Junipers are coniferous trees or shrubs (meaning they bear seeds that are cones) belonging to the genus Juniperus and the cypress family Cupressaceae. They have needle-like or scale-like leaves and the female plants produce berry-like cones.

Do junipers need sun in winter?

No special care is required. Junipers go dormant during the winter months. If your container is a porous material such as clay or concrete, you can move it indoors to an unheated location. The juniper will still need full sun, and this is not easy to achieve indoors.

Do junipers need a lot of water?

Once established, Juniper bushes require little to no supplemental watering. They are more likely to get diseases from overwatering rather than underwatering. Newly planted bushes will need watering every week or two until the roots have developed.

What is the prettiest juniper?

4 Best Juniper Cultivars for your Winter Landscape DesignEastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana) ... Rocky Mountain Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum) ... Chinese Juniper (Juniperus chinensis) ... Nana (Juniperus procumbens)

Do junipers get winter burn?

Winter burn is often seen on plants like arborvitae, fir, hemlock, pine, spruce, false cypress, juniper, yew and some broad leaf plants like boxwood, holly and rhododendron.

Why do junipers go brown?

There are many reasons a juniper might turn brown. Fungal tip blights, cankers, mechanical damage, and salt injury are some of the most common causes. Several juniper samples with tip blight were submitted to the Plant Disease Clinic this spring. Phomopsis and Kabatina tip blights are two common diseases of juniper.

Do junipers change color in winter?

Juniper (Juniperus): Depending on the species, foliage may develop a bronze, purple, or yellow-brown cast in cold weather. Rhododendron (Rhododendron): Some evergreen species develop a purple, brown, or yellow cast in cold weather.

What does a juniper tree or bush look like?

The Rocky Mountain juniper is a small to medium-size tree that usually grows a pyramidal shape. The leaves are scale-like in the mature trees, and the cones are the familiar blue-green berries with waxy white coating found in many junipers.

What is the difference between arborvitae and juniper?

Nomenclature – Taxonomically speaking, Junipers are in the genus Juniperus while Arborvitae are in the genus Thuja. Both are Gymnosporangia or cone-bearing plants, even though Junipers produce female cones with unusually fleshy scales that are fused together to give the appearance of berries.

How quickly does juniper spread?

Most shrub and groundcover junipers grow 4 to 8 inches per year. For creeping or spreading junipers this means growth by width and for other bushes it means height. The Blue Rug can grow up to 12 inches per year. Juniper trees, like the Blue Point, grow about 1 foot per year.

How tall do juniper bushes get?

Junipergenus nameJuniperuslightPart Sun Sunplant typeShrubheight6 to 12 inches 1 to 3 feet 3 to 8 feet 8 to 20 feet 20 feet or morewidthUp to 20 feet, depending on variety6 more rows

What is the common name for Juniper?

Some junipers are given the common name "cedar ," including Juniperus virginiana, the "red cedar" that is used widely in cedar drawers and closets. The lack of space or a hyphen between the words "red" and "cedar" is sometimes used to indicate that this species is not a true cedar, Cedrus.

Where are junipers found?

Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from the Arctic, south to tropical Africa, from Ziarat, Pakistan, east to eastern Tibet in the Old World, and in the mountains of Central America.

What do people in Lahaul Valley do with juniper leaves?

It is also useful as a folk remedy for pains and aches, as well as epilepsy and asthma. They are reported to collect large amounts of juniper leaves and wood for building and religious purposes.

How many species of Juniperus chinensis are there?

The number of juniper species is in dispute, with two studies giving very different totals: Farjon (2001) accepted 52 species and Adams (2004) accepted 67 species.

What is the chemical composition of Juniper essential oil?

Some of its chemical components are terpenoids and aromatic compounds, such as cadinene, a sesquiterpene.

What is juniper spirit?

A juniper based spirit is made by fermenting juniper berries and water to create a "wine" that is then distilled. This is often sold as a juniper brandy in eastern Europe. Juniper berries are also used as the primary flavor in the liquor Jenever and sahti -style of beers.

What are the causes of the western Juniper?

Decreases in fires and a lack of livestock grazing are the two major causes of western juniper takeover. This invasion of junipers is driving changes in the environment. For instance, the ecosystem for other species previously living in the environment and farm animals has been compromised.

How tall is a juniper tree?

With shapes ranging from ground-hugging juniper bushes just 6 inches high to towering juniper trees 130 feet tall, and colors from steely blue to shimmering gold, ...

How to incorporate junipers into landscape?

Here’s how: Place a tall container by your entryway and plant a dwarf form as a year-round accent to enjoy up close. Plant a low- to medium-sized hedge along the front of your yard between the lawn and sidewalk as a living fence.

What is a juniper cone used for?

Pollination time varies, with some varieties producing pollen several times a year. Female cones are aromatic and used as a spice and for medicinal purposes, but are most often used to flavor gin. Juniper berries are also a food source for songbirds and other wildlife.

What are the problems with juniper trees?

Although virtually carefree when planted in the right conditions, they can be susceptible to a number of pests and diseases if not kept healthy. Insect problems include spider mites, juniper twig girdler, scale, juniper needle miner, bagworm, sawfly, and bark beetle. Diseases, which are primarily associated with overly wet soil, too much shade, or lack of air circulation, include twig and tip blight, phytophthora root rot, and cedar rust. Don’t plant near apple trees, as juniper are susceptible to cedar-apple rust, a fungus that can damage or destroy apple trees, as well as crabapple, hawthorn, and quince.

What is a dark green tree?

Dark green. A durable fast-growing tree that is especially valuable when planted in a row as a windbreak, privacy screen, or hedge. Also grow as a spiraled topiary, popular in Mediterranean-inspired landscapes. Photo by: Spring Meadow Nursery.

What color are Evergreen leaves?

Tiny inconspicuous yellow or green flowers appear in spring.

What is a blue star juniper?

A durable fast-growing tree that is especially valuable when planted in a row as a windbreak, privacy screen, or hedge. Also grow as a spiraled topiary, popular in Mediterranean-inspired landscapes. Photo by: Spring Meadow Nursery. ‘Blue Star,’ Singleseed Juniper.

What is a juniper tree?

This juniper species is a large shrub or tree that usually has multiple stems with a dense-rounded crown. The leaves on mature plants are flattened scales, and the cones are dark-blue berries with a waxy white coating. The bark is gray-brown, shedding in narrow vertical strips that expose reddish wood underneath. The plant gets its name because the cone/berry typically contains just one seed. (Other common names include single-seed juniper and cherrystone juniper.) This tree is now quite rare over much of its native territory in Mexico, but it is very common in New Mexico and other portions of the U.S. Southwest. This plant is rarely planted as a landscape specimen, but the wood is often used for fence posts and other purposes.

What family is Juniper?

The junipers include roughly 60 different species of trees and shrubs in the Juniperus genus, within the cypress ( Cupressaceae) family of plants. Although come junipers use the work cedar in their common names, these plants are not members of the Cedrus genus. The leaves of these evergreen conifers usually take the form ...

What is the color of juniper cones?

The leaves are scale-like in the mature trees, and the cones are the familiar blue-green berries with waxy white coating found in many junipers. 'Skyrocket' is an especially narrow variety that is bluish-green. This is one of the juniper species that is particularly susceptible to cedar-apple rust.

What is the name of the plant that makes gin?

It is generally the female plants that produce colorful berries, which are actually modified cones. The berry/cones of the common juniper ( Juniperus communis) provide the flavoring for gin.

Why is a juniper drooping?

Drooping juniper gets its name because of the way that the branchlets droop down. As juveniles, these upright trees have needle-like leaves that become flattened scales in the mature plants. This tree has a reddish-brown or gray bark that sheds in strips and the cones are greenish berries that mature into purplish-brown.

What is a red cedar tree?

Red cedar is a form of juniper that is especially fragrant, a quality that is sometimes used to repel insects (the wood is often used in cedar chests). This is an upright tree with dark blue-green scale-like foliage. The bark is gray to reddish-brown and often shreds in vertical strips; the trunk is sometimes fluted at the bottom. It is used as a specimen tree or in large screen plantings. Do not plant this tree near apple trees, as it is a host to cedar-apple rust fungus. Unlike many junipers, this tree has a fairly good tolerance for moisture, though it does not like to soak in boggy soil.

What is a Chinese Juniper?

One variety of the Chinese juniper ('Toruloso') is known as the Hollywood juniper. As it matures it creates an intriguing twisted form that works well as a specimen plant. There are many other varieties composed of different shapes and colors. The leaves on Chinese juniper are needle-like when the plants are young, but assume the shape of scales as the plant matures. This is one of the junipers with good tolerance for urban conditions, but it does not like wet soils.

What is a common juniper?

Possibly the most widely distributed tree in the world, Juniperus communis (Common Juniper) is an evergreen shrub or columnar tree. In North America, it most often grows as a low mat-forming shrub reaching up to 5 ft. in height (150 cm) and 7-13 ft. across (210-390 cm). In parts of New England, Common Juniper occasionally grows up to 25 ft. (750 cm) in height, and it is commonly a tree in Europe. The aromatic, prickly, needle-like, gray-green leaves are arranged in whorls of 3. Unlike most junipers, whose leaves turn scale-like at maturity, Common Juniper leaves remain needle-like throughout the shrub's life. Common Juniper is dioecious, with separate male plants and female plants. Small yellow spring flowers give way on female plants to small, berry-like cones, ripening to a waxy dark blue to black color in fall. Juniper berries are food for wildlife, especially many species of birds and mammals. They are used to flavor gin, a liquor developed in the 17th century in the Netherlands. Noted for its superior tolerance for cold temperatures, Common Juniper can live for more than 170 years. Highly valued as an ornamental, it was first cultivated in 1560. Today, it is widely grown and provides good ground cover even on stony or sandy sites.

What is a juniper berry?

Juniper berries are food for wildlife, especially many species of birds and mammals. They are used to flavor gin, a liquor developed in the 17th century in the Netherlands. Noted for its superior tolerance for cold temperatures, Common Juniper can live for more than 170 years.

How tall does a common juniper tree get?

In parts of New England, Common Juniper occasionally grows up to 25 ft. (750 cm) in height, and it is commonly a tree in Europe. The aromatic, prickly, needle-like, gray-green leaves are arranged in whorls of 3. Unlike most junipers, whose leaves turn scale-like at maturity, Common Juniper leaves remain needle-like throughout the shrub's life.

Do common juniper leaves turn scale-like?

Unlike most junipers, whose leaves turn scale-like at maturity, Common Juniper leaves remain needle-like throughout the shrub's life. Common Juniper is dioecious, with separate male plants and female plants. Small yellow spring flowers give way on female plants to small, berry-like cones, ripening to a waxy dark blue to black color in fall.

Juniper Trees vs. Juniper Shrubs

The only difference between juniper trees and shrubs is the plant height. Some juniper cultivars like California juniper ( Juniperus californica) are classed as shrubs because of their dwarf size and low-growing habit. Other junipers are more difficult to classify because they grow as small trees or large shrubs.

Juniper Tree Leaves

Like all conifers, junipers have identifiable evergreen needle leaves or scaly feathery leaves. Sharp, prickly needle leaves identify immature juniper trees and shrubs and typically grow in whorls of three and measure 0.2 – 1” (0.5 – 2.5 cm). In addition, mature junipers have soft scale leaves that look more like arborvitae tree leaves.

Juniper Tree Cones

Juniper cones on male trees are small yellowish or brownish-tan in color with 6 – 20 scales. They are located at the tips of the foliage and look more like swelling on the ends of the leaves.

Juniper Berries

Juniper berries are the edible green or purplish-black fleshy cones that grow on juniper trees. Green berry-like juniper cones have a piney citrus taste. Mature purple Juniper berries are used to flavor European and Scandinavian cuisine. Berries from the common juniper ( Juniperus communis) are used to flavor gin.

Juniper Tree Bark

Juniper tree bark is typically reddish-brown, and it peels off in thin, vertical strips or plates. One identifying feature of juniper trees is their highly aromatic bark that gives off a woody, cedar smell. In addition, some juniper trees have distinctive bark.

Do Juniper Trees Have Flowers?

Juniper trees don’t bloom or produce actual flowers. Instead, the juniper “flowers” are modified leaves (bracts) that appear or “bloom” from late winter until early spring. The flower bracts then fuse to develop into cones or juniper fruits. The “flowers” on female juniper trees can be particularly showy.

How to Identify Juniper Trees

The best way to identify junipers is by the prickly needle-like leaves on immature juniper trees and bushes. Junipers also have distinctive berry-like cones that help tell junipers apart from other coniferous trees. Juniper trees and shrubs have an identifiable citrus aroma when the leaves or bark are crushed.

What is a juniper tree called?

For this reason, Junipers may be called redcedars or whitecedars, the lack of space noting the inherent difference between these and true Cedars. In USDA hardiness zones 3 through 10, Juniper Trees can offer shade, privacy, and adaptability.

Where are Juniper trees native to?

With every size, from a low-shrub to a tall tree, Junipers will fit the needs for most homeowners. Juniper Trees are native to several regions throughout the world, including North America, Africa, Central America, and Asia. ...

How tall is Juniper Wichita?

Although this species can reach heights of 30 feet, the Juniper Wichita Blue is usually between 10 and 15 feet tall. The Juniper Wichita Blue is often used as a privacy screen or garden accent tree.

How tall is a Spartan Juniper?

The Spartan Juniper is considered one of the most popular upright growing Junipers in the United States. Reaching heights between 15 and 20 feet, the Spartan Juniper is a columnar-shaped evergreen, tolerant of salt, drought, heat, and cold.

What type of soil is best for Juniper trees?

Silt or sand soils are similar. The particles are larger than in clay, though equally poor for water transference. Loam soils are the best, especially for Juniper Trees. Loam soil is characterized by a variety of granular sizes.

How deep should a juniper tree be?

Too deep and necessities such as water and oxygen will have a harder time reaching the Juniper’s roots. The hole should be about two to three inches less deep than the Juniper’s root ball. This is because the tree will settle over time.

Can Juniper trees be used as screens?

Although Juniper Trees can make excellent privacy screens, they are also used for their ornamental qualities. Some species are cultivated as bonsai, and other species, such as the Juniper Wichita Blue, are planted for their unique blue hue. Juniper Trees usually grow at a moderate rate of at least a foot per year.

Western Juniper Trees: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

I love and appreciate evergreens in the garden, which require almost no care and look nice all year. Without them, things look pretty bleak between November and March.

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What is a pro nana juniper?

Also known as Procumbens Nana, or "Pro nana" Juniper. -------------------------------------------------------------. Andorra Compacta is a very dense, hardy juniper that is commonly used as low growing foundations, accents, as well as a groundcover. Foliage is bright green with purplish bronze winter coloration.

What is a blue pfitzer juniper?

Blue Pfitzer Juniper has good blue color, especially in older plants, turning a shade of bluish/purple in the winter. Develops ascending, arching branches with maturity. A mid-range juniper - great for hedge & border plantings. ------------------------------------------------------------.

Is blue chip juniper good for slopes?

Blue Chip Juniper makes a good groundcover or mass planting for slopes & banks. Foliage is a silver/blue color during spring & summer, with purplish colored tips during the winter. Nice color in any season. -------------------------------------------------------------. Very popular, low maintenance groundcover juniper.

Where do Junipers grow?

Junipers are members of the Cypress family and are native to Europe, Asia, Africa and North America. Their 'berries', which are actually seed cones with very fleshy, ...

What is the best climate for Juniper?

Canary Islands juniper is a big tree. Native to the Canary Islands, and hence a subtropical selection, Juniperus cedrus does best in Mediterranean climates in zones 9 and 10. It is a large, upright tree whose upward facing branches drip with long, graceful branchlets.

What color is Juniperus horizontalis?

Like many other junipers, its colors changes seasonally (see, we told you that they weren't boring!) so that it is a deeper blue in colder temperatures and greens up a bit in summer. Here is a shot of the same group in warm weather: Juniperus horizontalis 'Blue Chip' in summer. Photo by Janice LeCocq. 3.

What color do conifers turn in winter?

Note: when conifers turn color in winter like this, it is only the needles on the tops of the branches that turn. Underneath they remain brilliant green . The same group of plants in wintertime.

What is limey yellow?

The limey-yellow is a bright spot in spring and summer gardens, contrasting beautifully with green and blue foliage. It is especially effective when used below or around the base of large trees or shrubs of deep green.

Is a common juniper a common juniper?

Oblonga Pendula common juniper is anything but common-looking. Now we're in the realm of the really unusual junipers, with 'Oblonga Pendula' providing not just color and texture to the garden, but superb, interesting form as well. The rich, green needles are a bit prickly but appear soft and pet-able.

Can a squid grow in the US?

While it will not grow in most of the U.S. keep an eye out for it if you are in West Coast botanical gardens or arboreta. Should you visit the Canary Islands, note that there are various forms of this species, depending on which island it grows. Some are more weeping, some greener or bluer.

Overview

Description

Classification

Ecology

Cultivation

Toxicity

Uses

Further reading