Contents
Juniper Ice Blue is a highly ornamental shrub with evergreen needles of a bluish tint, the result of selection by scientists from the USA since 1967. The variety tolerates winters well in the middle lane, drought-resistant, sun-loving. Fans grow juniper creeping not only in horizontal, but also in vertical form.
Description juniper horizontal ice blue
A dwarf slow-growing plant from the Cypress family is also found under the names Icy Blue, Monber. Creeping juniper bushes of the Ice Blue ground cover variety spread in diameter up to 2 m, rise slightly in height, only from 5 to 10-20 cm. Long shoots of juniper are covered with brown bark of a warm shade. Flexible, soft branches of the variety, spreading gradually over the soil, create a thick green-bluish carpet. Shoots grow very slowly, up to 15 cm per year, rising slightly upward along an oblique line. By 10 years of development, the bush of the Icee Blue juniper variety reaches a height of 10 cm, spreads up to 1 m wide. Seedlings of dwarf juniper at the age of 6-7 years are usually offered for sale.
The scaly cylindrical needles of the Ice Blue juniper variety change color slightly with the seasons: in summer with a green-blue overflow, in winter it approaches a steel shade with purple nuances. On old juniper plants, fruits are formed, small blue cone berries of a rounded shape, up to 5-7 mm in diameter, with a thick white bloom. The Ice Blue variety shrub adapts to climate conditions of the 4th cold resistance zone, tolerates short-term temperature drops to -29-34 ° C. Juniper develops well in the Moscow region and other areas of the middle climatic zone. The variety perfectly takes root in urban conditions, therefore it is widely used in the design of megacities and industrial zones. Ice Blue juniper needles do not tolerate prolonged drought, but in the middle lane you need to plant in a place where the sun is present almost all day.
The natural habitat of the plant is the mountainous areas of North America, areas of the sandy coast. As a garden decor, the Icee Blue juniper variety is used in conditions close to natural:
- in rockeries;
- on alpine slides;
- in compositions with low coniferous crops;
- as a ground cover crop of a uniform color.
Planting and caring for juniper Ice Blue
A shrub of the Ice Blue variety will delight with its decorative appearance for a long time and be a picturesque element of garden compositions, if the plant is correctly placed and planted according to the requirements of agricultural technology.
Seedling and planting preparation
Juniper Ice Blue is not particularly demanding on the composition of the soil, but loves moisture-permeable, well-drained areas. The variety shows the best development on moderately moist, loose sandy loams and loams, neutral or slightly acidic. For planting juniper choose a well-lit sunny place, you can light and short penumbra. Under trees or in the shade of buildings, the needles of this variety lose their picturesqueness and become dull. Low-lying wet places, like heavy soils, are unfavorable for Ice Blue shrubs. Undersized shrubs can suffer from snow drifts, so such places are also best avoided.
Usually a plant of this variety of juniper is purchased in nurseries where seedlings are in containers. Such bushes are moved at any time during the warm season, but preferably in early spring, as soon as the soil allows work to be carried out. Ice Blue juniper is planted with an open root system and later, although there is a danger that the needles will burn if not covered with a net for shading. In those areas where the frosts are early, during the autumn planting, the variety may not have time to take root. Open roots are strengthened with a growth stimulator according to the instructions, kept in water for 6-10 hours. The plant in the container is watered abundantly so that the earth ball can easily come out of the container without damage.
Rules of landing
According to the description, the Icee Blue juniper takes up a lot of space over time, so the holes are dug at a large interval, up to 1,5-2 m. Ice Blue planting algorithm:
- the dimensions of the planting pit are twice or three times the volume of the seedling’s capacity;
- depth – 0,7 m;
- drainage is placed at the bottom with a layer of 20-22 cm;
- a seedling is placed on a substrate of peat, sand and garden soil in a ratio of 2: 1: 1 and sprinkled with earth so that the root neck remains above the surface of the hole;
- water and mulch;
- within a week, the seedling is watered every 1-2 days with 5-7 liters of water.
Watering and top dressing
Icee Blue creeping juniper is watered in the trunk circle, 10-30 liters 1-2 times a month. In a hot summer without precipitation, watering is increased and sprinkling is carried out in the evening every week. In the near-stem circle in late autumn and early spring, top dressing is placed from humus, compost or peat. To acidify the soil, pine bark and sawdust, citric acid, and garden sulfur are used. In the middle of spring, the variety is supported with complex fertilizers:
- “Kemira”;
- nitroammophoska and others.
Mulching and loosening
The area near the trunk circle after watering is regularly loosened. Weeds 1,5-2 m around the juniper bush are removed, because pathogens and pests can multiply on them. For mulch, waste from the processing of coniferous trees is used, and in the fall, compost, humus, peat.
Trimming and shaping
Densely creeping juniper Ice Blue, as in the photo, does not require pruning. To create a more lush crown in the form of a carpet, pinch the tops of the shoots in spring or early summer. In March, April, after the snow melts, they look at how the bush overwintered, remove damaged, broken shoots. The juniper Ice Blue has an interesting shape on a trunk. The tree is created by special methods in nurseries. The care of such a tree includes a shaping haircut, which is carried out by specialists.
Sometimes the branches of an adult plant of the Icee Blue variety are given a spectacular waterfall look.
Preparation for winter
With the first frosts, young bushes are covered with spruce branches or the remains of withered plants and sprinkled with peat, with a layer up to 12 cm high. You can also cover the top with agrofiber instead of spruce branches. The shelter protects from frost and bright sunlight at the end of winter, beginning of spring, from which the needles can burn out. So that the needles do not warm up during winter thaws, in the fall, under the paws of a creeping variety, mulch from large fragments of the bark is kept. In early spring, with the melting of snow, its mass is removed from the juniper bush.
Reproduction
The creeping variety Icee Blue is easy to propagate by layering: the shoot is placed in a groove, pinned to the soil, removing the mulch from the ground, covered with earth. During the season, several sprouts take root, which are planted in a year. When propagated by cuttings, last year’s shoot is chosen, extending from a long-standing branch, which is located in the middle of the bush:
- the lignified heel of a 12-16 cm cutting is kept in a growth stimulator according to the instructions;
- placed in a moistened substrate of peat and sand;
- a mini-greenhouse made of film is installed on top;
- the substrate is regularly slightly moistened, and the cuttings are sprayed;
- after 40-47 days, rooting occurs, the greenhouse is removed.
Sprouts are planted in a school, which is carefully covered for the winter.
Diseases and pests of the horizontal juniper Icee Blue
The variety may suffer from fungal diseases of the needles or bark cancer. For prevention, injuries of branches are not allowed, patients are removed. Having found signs of fungi, the bush is treated with fungicides:
- Ridomil Gold;
- Quadris;
- Horus;
- Ordan or others.
Against pests – scale insects, aphids, moths, insecticides are used:
- Match;
- Aktellik;
- Engio;
- Aktara.
Conclusion
Juniper Ice Blue, undemanding to the soil, frost-resistant and drought-resistant, is covered for the winter only in the first years, care is minimal. If all transplant requirements are met, a creeping bush with bluish-green needles will develop well. The plant will decorate any garden plot with its original look.
