Juniper horizontalus Prince of Wales

The historical homeland of a coniferous undersized shrub, juniper Prince of Wales – Canada. The variety was created on the basis of a wild-growing culture for the design of plots and park areas. Perennial creeping plant adapted to low temperatures, tolerates drought and waterlogging of the soil.

Description juniper Prince of Wales

According to the habitus, a representative of the Cypress family, the horizontal juniper (Juniperus horizontalis Prince of Wales) is the shortest. The species does not have a central trunk; shoots of the Prince of Wales juniper grow immediately near the root system. Outwardly, each branch looks apart, not as part of the crown, but as an independent plant.

The decorative bush grows very slowly, every year it adds 1 cm in height, 6 cm in width. New shoots form vertically, when they reach 8 cm they spread along the surface of the soil. The plant does not belong to the covering type, the branches, being on the soil, do not give a root system without additional cover from above with soil. After 10 years of vegetation, the plant is considered an adult, the maximum height of an ornamental shrub is 20 cm, the width of the crown is 2,5 cm. The size of the Prince of Wales juniper depends on the place of growth;

Horizontal juniper Prince of Wales (Juniperus horizontalis Prince of Wales) is a frost-resistant plant that easily tolerates temperatures as low as -30⁰ C. Shelter is not required for an adult ornamental shrub. If the juniper is young and the temperature is below -30⁰ C, the crown is covered. The plant does not restore frozen shoots, they are cut off. Given that the shrub grows very slowly, the formation time will be extended.

Description of juniper horizontal Prince of Wales:

1. Shoots up to 1,5 m long, low to the ground, creeping type. As the juniper grows, the upper branches lie on the lower ones, forming a continuous carpet.
2. The crown of a young bush is light green, an adult – with a silvery tint.
3. The needles are in the form of scales, tightly pressed to the shoots, in autumn it has a crimson, then dark purple color. It releases insecticides and contains essential oils.
4. The fruits are spherical, medium in size, silvery with a blue tint, firm. The bush gives ovaries very rarely.
5. The root system is superficial, well branched, the root circle is 30-50 cm.

Due to the chemical composition (essential oils, trace elements, vitamin complex), juniper of the Prince of Wales variety is used in cosmetology. Added to alcoholic beverages as a flavoring agent.

Juniper horizontal Prince of Wales in landscape design

The undersized type of juniper is unpretentious in care, it grows on almost all soils. Over time, growing, it forms a dense dense carpet of branches, which are not easy to disassemble. This feature of coniferous shrubs is widely used in the design of home gardens, park areas, flower beds near administrative buildings. Juniper Prince of Wales in the photo below is presented as a variant of the design solution in the design of the site. A solid green mass is visually perceived as an element of the lawn. Juniper gives insignificant growth, does not change over the year and does not require constant pruning.

Due to the exotic, creeping crown, short stature, it is used in group and single plantings. It goes well with low coniferous or flowering shrubs, acts as a foreground. Often used to create:

• lawn imitations in rockeries near large stones;
• along the slope of the rock garden or as a central accent;
• on the bank of a small reservoir;
• in flowerbeds, juniper forms a carpet under which weeds do not grow, is a common background for flowering crops;
• curbs and slopes of rocky terrain.

A coniferous plant is grown in a flowerpot for decorating loggias, balconies, cornices and the roof of a building.

Planting and caring for juniper horizontal Prince of Wales

The dwarf variety Prince of Wales is drought-resistant, photophilous, grows well in partial shade near a pond. If the bush is located in a place open to the sun, care must be taken to maintain soil moisture. In dense shade under the dense crown of trees, the juniper horizontal Prince of Wales loses its decorative effect. The needles are rarely formed, the needles are small, the crown looks loose, elongated upwards, the color of the shoots is faded with yellow fragments.

Prince of Wales is undemanding to the composition of the soil. Can grow in poor or saline soils, but always light with satisfactory drainage. The acid balance is neutral or slightly alkaline. Acidic soils 6 months before planting are neutralized with lime or dolomite flour is added.

Seedling and planting preparation

Juniper planting material Prince of Wales can be purchased at a nursery, propagated independently, or transferred to an adult plant to another place. The main requirement for a seedling from a nursery is a well-formed root, branches without dry areas, and the presence of needles.

If, in order to reconstruct the site, the juniper is transferred from one place to another, it is necessary to correctly remove it from the ground:

1. Raise the branches to the center.
2. Carefully wrapped in cloth, fixed with a rope.
3. They dig in a circle, retreating from the central part by about 0,5 m.
4. Deepen depending on the age of the plant, approximately 40 cm.
5. The bush is removed along with the root ball.

You can plant the plant in autumn and spring, juniper takes root well in a new place.

Before planting, they dig up the site, facilitate the introduction of peat, and add sand to improve drainage. Dig a hole for a bush, it should be 20 cm wider than the root system. The depth is determined by the height of the root to the root collar, taking into account the drainage layer and the soil mixture. On average, the landing pit is 60 * 70 cm in size.

Rules of landing

Before placing the juniper of the Prince of Wales variety in the planting recess, a fertile mixture is prepared, consisting of equal parts of peat, soddy soil, and sand. Ash is added to the mixture at the rate of ¼, it can be replaced with dolomite flour. The plant responds well to alkali-containing substances. Seedling planting algorithm:

1. Drainage is poured at the bottom of the landing hole (15 cm). Expanded clay, coarse gravel, gravel are used.
2. The fertile mixture is divided into 2 parts.
3. Pour on the drainage in the pit.
4. The seedling, together with a clod of earth, is placed in the center.
5. Fall asleep with the rest of the mixture, water.

A prerequisite is that the root neck should be 2 cm above the surface. The tissue is removed from an adult plant, the branches are carefully distributed. The distance between the bushes is determined according to the design plan, but not less than 0,5 m from each other.

Watering and top dressing

An ornamental variety needs a sufficient amount of moisture to form a beautiful crown. After planting, the plant is watered every evening for 2 months. In hot summers, dry air has a negative effect on the needles, they lose their brightness, dry out. Top irrigation of the bush is recommended early in the morning or in the evening. Top dressing for juniper is not required. During the first 2 years, Kemira Universal is applied in early spring (April) once every 1 months. After 12 years of growth, Prince of Wales juniper is not fertilized.

Mulching and loosening

Mulching is a mandatory procedure immediately after planting, the root circle is covered with dry leaves, straw, ideally tree bark. Mulch is updated every fall. Loosening the soil for an adult plant is not required, the presence of mulch retains moisture and prevents the appearance of a crust on the top layer of soil. Under a dense cover of branches, weeds do not grow. Seedlings are loosened at the end of May and in autumn before laying mulch.

Trimming and shaping

Pruning juniper varieties Prince of Wales is carried out in the spring, it is of a healing nature. Remove dry and frozen areas. If the plant has overwintered without disturbing the crown, pruning is not required for the evergreen conifer.

They form a bush at will, the natural decorativeness of the culture is quite high. If the design decision is not in favor of the entire area occupied by the crown, the tops of the branches are shortened to the required length. The growth of the juniper is slow, the formed bush will retain its shape for several years.

Preparation for winter

Preparatory measures for the winter period are necessary for young seedlings, the culture is frost-resistant, an adult plant does not need shelter. Work is carried out in late autumn:

1. They fall asleep with straw, leaves, sawdust or tree bark, the root circle is a layer of 10-15 cm.
2. The branches are collected in a bundle so that they do not break under a layer of snow.
3. From above, the plant is covered with spruce branches or arcs are installed and the film is stretched.
4. Preliminary carry out moisture-charging irrigation.

Reproduction juniperus horizontalis Prince of Wales

The most common method of breeding juniper of the Prince of Wales species is by rooting cuttings. In the spring, the shoot is fixed to the soil, covered with soil from above, making sure that the amount of earth does not decrease, if necessary, it is filled up. A year later, the plant will form a root system, the cuttings are separated from the bush and planted on the site.

You can propagate juniper cuttings from shoots. The optimal age of branches for cuttings is 2 years. Planting material is harvested in spring or autumn, the cuttings are placed in fertile soil, and planted after rooting.

You can get a plant and by grafting. The method is laborious, rarely used, the juniper Prince of Wales on the bole of another species does not take root well.

It is possible to propagate the culture with seeds, but the planting material of the Prince of Wales hybrid does not retain varietal characteristics. The result is a dwarf bush that vaguely resembles the mother plant.

Diseases and pests of the horizontal juniper Prince of Wales

Prince of Wales, like any juniper, emits insecticides – substances that are toxic to most garden pests. Parasitic on juniper:

• aphid – in the fight against the pest, ant colonies are destroyed and branches are cut off, where the main amount of the parasite has accumulated;
• spider mite – eliminated with colloidal sulfur;
• scabbard – sprayed with special insecticides;
• juniper sawfly – collect larvae, process “Karbofos”.

Fungal infection is stopped with copper sulphate.

Conclusion

Juniper Prince of Wales is appreciated by designers for the decorative effect of the crown. The dwarf shrub does not shed its needles in autumn, only changing color from bright green to purplish plum. The culture is frost-resistant, does not require constant pruning and crown formation. Used as a ground cover plant for landscaping squares, parks, home gardens. Planted on several levels of rockeries or alpine slides, it forms an airy, flowing cascade.

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