Juniper Goldkissen: description, photo

Juniper average Goldkissen or – “golden pillow” is suitable for landscaping small garden plots. The original feathery form of the Goldkissen variety, medium size, juniper color scheme helps to create a variety of landscape compositions.

Description juniper middle Goldkissen

Juniper Goldkissen medium is relatively unpretentious in care, and this advantage allows even novice gardeners to cope with its cultivation. The cold hardiness of the Pfitzerian juniper medium Goldkissen has also made the variety popular with landscaping designers in temperate cities where harsh winters are not uncommon.

Juniper Goldkissen is an evergreen medium shrub of the cypress family, coniferous class. Other names of the middle juniper Goldkissen – veres, juniper, yalovets – testify to the distribution and diversity of species of the prickly sprawling conifer throughout the Northern Hemisphere, up to the subtropical zone.

Variety Goldkissen (Goldkissen) medium (media) – hybrid, obtained by crossing Chinese and Cossack juniper, followed by intraspecific selection. An evergreen juniper of medium height was bred at the end of the XNUMXth century by an employee of one of the German nurseries, Wilhelm Pfitzer. Therefore, it is called Pfitzerian juniper. Medium (media) – an intra-varietal name denoting the size, which Pfitzer worked on for many years.

The average size of Pfitzerian Goldkissen juniper, as well as its frost resistance, are the main varietal characteristics that attract landscape designers and amateur gardeners.

Brief description of the variety Goldkissen medium:

• Height – 0,9-1,0 m;
• Average annual growth – 10 cm;
• Diameter – 2-2,2 m;
• Height at the age of ten – 0,5 m; bush diameter – 1,0 m;
• The form is sprawling, pinnate, asymmetric, without pronounced points of growth, medium in size;
• The branches fit snugly to each other in the rosette, straight, grow at an angle of 35-55⁰; young growth slightly curved down; lower branches – creeping;
• Frost resistance – up to -25⁰С
• Landing place – sun, partial shade; easily tolerates open windy areas;
• The root system is pivotal, with numerous lateral shoots;
• Soil – drained, light, slightly acidic; not picky about fertility in adulthood, but needs constant loosening;
• Care – increased requirements for two years after landing on the site.

The needles at the base of the Goldkissen medium variety are light green, needle-shaped. Young shoots of the middle (media) Goldkissen are covered with golden yellow scales. With strong pruning, the needles coarsen and darken. In the shade, it also loses its yellow color.

Juniper Goldkissen medium acquires the most decorative appearance in spring and early summer: growing young scaly shoots adorn the plant with yellow colors. Goldkissen rarely bears fruit, but the smoky blue berries that appear on the branches in late August – mid-September complement the decorative palette of an evergreen perennial shrub. The berries of the medium Goldkissen variety appear in the second year after planting in open ground, in a permanent place.

Juniper average Goldkissen in landscaping

The average size of the Goldkissen variety is suitable for creating landscape compositions in small gardens, in single and group compositions. The variety is used to decorate and at the same time strengthen the slopes, planted as a hedge. Goldkissen, with erect asymmetrical branches, is ideal for creating multi-tiered compositions, single plantings, in combination with shade-tolerant and unpretentious herbaceous perennials.

Before landing in a permanent place, you need to carefully consider the landing pattern, taking into account:

• illumination;
• Proximity of groundwater, acidity and aeration of the soil;
• Areas of growth of roots and crown;
• Care requirements of neighboring crops, common pests and diseases.

Such scrupulousness in planning is due to the fact that the Goldkissen variety has a powerful rod-type root system with horizontal lateral layers that occupy the entire area in the crown projection. It takes him a long time to settle down in his new place. Therefore, it is not advisable to injure the grown roots with a forced transplant, if it turns out that:

• overgrown trees shade it;
• landing pattern is too tight;
• juniper does not fit the neighborhood;
• redevelopment of a flower bed or recreation area is necessary.

Pfitzeriana juniper medium Goldkissen is a frost-resistant variety, but does not tolerate drought well. Good companions for him will be ground cover herbaceous perennials that bloom all summer, which will protect the soil from drying out, complement the green color of the juniper of medium height with a bright creeping carpet. The shrub will successfully complement the composition of coniferous and boxwood species against the background of stones. Its medium size is successfully combined with the high pyramidal forms of other varieties and types of juniper.

Comfort will create an average height in combination with wooden arbors, hedges. It beautifully complements multi-tiered compositions, alpine slides, heather gardens.

Planting and caring for juniper Chinese Goldkissen

For beginner gardeners, it is better to purchase a stronger seedling in a nursery, in a container with a ready-made mixture. The choice of this breeding option will help to quickly consolidate success. The best age for transplanting to a permanent place is 3-4 years. At this time, the root system of the seedling is sufficiently developed for rooting. Further, everything depends on compliance with the rules of agricultural technology.

Seedling and planting preparation

All shrub forms of the middle juniper feel great in the sun or in light partial shade. Direct sunlight is detrimental to this type of conifer, especially in dry areas. Goldkissen can grow in the shade, but at the same time it loses its golden color, the bushes become very thin and dark over time. Goldkissen is distinguished by powerful taproot and fibrous roots, but they rot from waterlogging. Therefore, the plant needs to choose a site with good lighting and light soil. When growing in heavier soil, it is necessary to arrange drainage in the planting hole.

It is also important to take into account the diameter of the bush in adulthood in order to correctly calculate the planting pattern. Densely planted junipers are more difficult to handle if they are intended to be used as a “hedge”. The proximity of neighboring trees and shrubs should also be taken into account – they should not interfere with each other, especially if the companions of the Goldkissen juniper belong to other families, and their care requirements differ significantly.

Rules of landing

Goldkissen medium is planted in open ground, starting from the second half of April – until the beginning of May, or in autumn, in the first decade of September. The best time to land is in the evening.

The depth of the pit is determined by the size of the earthen coma, the height – so that the drainage layer fits on the bottom – 20 cm, and the root neck is flush with the surface of the site. For light soil, there is no need for a drainage layer: it is enough to fill the bottom of the pit with sand and spill it with a nutrient mixture. The width of the hole is 50-70 cm. That is, the volume of the planting hole is 2-3 times larger than the earthen clod with which the juniper is transplanted into the ground. The distance between seedlings is 1,5 – 2 m, for hedges. The projection of the shadow of tall bushes and trees, neighboring buildings is determined.

The pit is prepared 2 weeks before planting the juniper. In advance, make a nutrient mixture:

• Peat 2 parts;
• Sod 1 part;
• Shell rock (river sand) 1 part.

Lime is included in the composition if the level of soil acidity exceeds 5pH. Juniper is suitable for sandy soil or loam. In nature, it grows even on rocky terrain, but decorative varieties, nevertheless, prefer light nutrient soil.

Immediately before planting the juniper, the bush in the container should be watered abundantly. At the same time, you can use preparations such as “Kornevin” to help the seedling get stronger faster in a new place. The pit should be filled with water the night before. When planting, the bush is placed without disturbing the orientation relative to the cardinal points, in relation to the direction in which it was before transplantation. A lump with rhizomes is covered with a loose mixture of sand, peat and soil, in 2-3 doses, slightly compacting. The surface around the bush can be sprinkled with sawdust, wood chips to protect the root zone from drying out.

Watering and top dressing

The arid climate of the southern zones with hot steppe winds and scorching midday sun rays are the worst conditions for the middle Goldkissen juniper, as well as for other types of evergreen shrubs. In such cases, only regular irrigation, in the morning and evening hours, will help save the young plantings of Goldkissen average. In addition to sprinkling, seedlings especially need watering in the first two years, after transplanting into open ground.

The root system of juniper seedlings at the age of 1-4 years is poorly developed. The frequency of watering and the rate of water consumption are directly related to the size of the plant. It is necessary to carefully monitor the soil moisture within a year after planting the juniper on the site. Further watering is required depending on weather conditions, soil characteristics and region of growth.

Optimal irrigation rates for juniper middle Goldkissen in the steppe and forest-steppe zone:

The volume of water and the frequency of irrigation for juniper varieties Goldkissen can be reduced by 2 times, in a subtropical climate, as well as in the Moscow region, the Western European part of the Plain, where normal humidity is maintained during the warm season due to natural climatic conditions. Excessive waterlogging of juniper Goldkissen is harmful, as it increases the risk of fungal diseases.

As already mentioned, the middle Goldkissen juniper is unpretentious to soil fertility, but, like any plant, responds well to top dressing. For decorative, artificially created forms of all conifers, the best top dressing is compost. This fertilizer consists of rotted leaves, and best mimics the natural growing conditions of Goldkissen juniper. Top dressing is necessary only for young fragile bushes. Juniper Goldkissen medium, which has a well-formed crown and root system, does not particularly need additional nutrition.

About how to properly feed Goldkissen juniper and other medium-sized varieties, in detail – in this video:

Mulching and loosening

Of all the agrotechnical measures, juniper most of all needs loosening the soil. This is due to the peculiarities of the development of its root system, around which, like all coniferous plants, a habitat zone for microorganisms is created. Thanks to natural symbiosis, this species successfully survives on the planet for many millennia. It is the fact of the existence of a natural community that explains the reason for the non-survivability of junipers and firs brought from the forest in garden plots.

For soil mulching in the trunk circle, it is advisable to use rotted sawdust of coniferous trees or their bark. Fresh sawdust is not suitable for this purpose because it retains biological activity. The use of mulch regulates the water balance, eliminates weeds, improves soil structure, and loosens it.

Trimming and shaping

Juniper Goldkissen easily lends itself to pruning, which is necessarily carried out for sanitary purposes, in spring and autumn, as well as for crown formation, if the plant on the site is used as a “hedge”.

The formation of the juniper crown is carried out as for all types of coniferous plants. Details in this video:

Preparation for winter

The frost resistance of Goldkissen juniper significantly reduces the worries associated with preparing the shrub for winter. Only young seedlings, within 2-3 years, from the moment of transplanting into the ground, need shelter.

Ways to prepare a strong juniper for winter depend on the climatic conditions of the region. In the Moscow region, where the thickness of the snow cover is significant, the branches of the bush are tied with twine, giving the shape of a pyramid so that they do not break under the weight of snow. The shrub is covered with burlap to protect it from sunburn: from the second half of February to mid-March – the peak of solar activity.

In warmer and less snowy regions, it is enough to cover adult juniper bushes with spruce branches, mulch the root circle with a layer of peat or rotted sawdust, 10-15 cm thick.

Reproduction of juniper pfitzeriana Goldkissen

The easiest way to propagate the middle juniper Goldkissen is vegetatively. The cuttings are cut in May-June, during the period when young shoots appear, rooted in a soil mixture consisting of peat, sand, rotted juniper needles. Then the box with the cuttings is covered with an opaque film, the moisture content of the soil mixture is monitored. Rooted shoots are freed from the film. Further, medium Goldkissen seedlings are grown in containers for 4-5 years, at room conditions or in a greenhouse, at medium temperature and moderate humidity.

More experienced gardeners get medium Goldkissen seedlings from seeds found in cone berries. This method of propagation of the Goldkissen variety is medium – longer and more troublesome.

Harvested mature juniper Goldkissen berries are kept for a month in wet sand, at room temperature. Then the box is transferred for 4 months to a cooler room: the temperature drops to 15⁰C. It is advisable to mix the sand for seed germination with the soil taken under the juniper bush, as it contains mycorrhiza, which is necessary for the development of crops. From above, the seeds are sprinkled with a layer of sawdust, and their moisture content is monitored. With this method of stratification, seedlings of the middle Goldkissen appear next spring.

Diseases and pests

When choosing a landing site for juniper, it is important to consider that the proximity to most fruit and berry trees is extremely unfavorable for both species.

The pests of the juniper of the middle Goldkissen are aphids, moths and sawflies. To combat aphids, juniper is treated with Istra. The moth is destroyed with a solution of karbofos – 8%. An effective remedy in the fight against the sawfly is fufanon. If insects are found on the shoots of Goldkissen, you should immediately start processing the juniper, and do not forget about re-spraying at different stages of insect development.

Fruit trees, often suffering from fungal diseases, can kill junipers, and conifers are affected by rust, becoming a source of infection for fruit species. In the fight against fungal diseases and juniper rust, sanitary pruning is used, spraying with a solution of Bordeaux mixture (10%). If mucus and swelling of the bark is found on the shoots of the juniper, the bush must be urgently prepared for transplanting to another place in order to save.

A decorative border of herbaceous perennials in the trunk zone of the juniper Goldkissen medium is an effective prophylactic in pest control. Many insects are repelled by the smell of night violet, nasturtium, pyrethrum (Dalmatian chamomile). Unpretentious, shade-tolerant perennials – echinacea, rudbeckia – will not only emphasize the beauty of the juniper bush, medium grade (media) Goldkissen, but will serve as a reliable protection against fungal diseases. Viburnum, elderberry, jasmine will be good companions for Goldkissen juniper with feathery branches, not only from an aesthetic point of view, but also as a useful community against garden diseases.

Conclusion

Juniper middle Goldkissen has long been popular in Europe. On the territory of Our Country and the CIS countries, gardeners are just beginning to use the Goldkissen variety in landscape gardening. Decorative properties, frost resistance, medium, compact size, which allows it to be successfully placed in a small area, and undemanding care are a sign that the average Goldkissen will take its place among the garden’s favorite plants.