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Among dwarf shrubs there are representatives of conifers that take root in almost any climate. Juniper Blue Star is an unpretentious plant with a spherical crown. The culture got its name for the unusual color of the needles – pale green with a smoky blue tint. This shrub with high decorative qualities can grow both in city parks and outside the city.
Description juniper Blue Star
It is a low-growing shrub that grows several centimeters per year. Its numerous shoots are densely dotted with short prickly needles. Young seedlings up to a year have the shape of a ball, an adult plant takes the form of a hemisphere or dome. It does not need additional shaping pruning. In spring and summer, the spines of juniper are smoky gray, blue, in autumn and winter they become purple.
The grown shrub with scaly, colored needles will be a wonderful decoration of the landscape. Possessing excellent decorative qualities, blue star scaly juniper exudes a strong coniferous aroma. It is believed that its essential oil has volatile and disinfectant properties.
Dimensions juniper BlueStar
The plant is compact: the height of juniper blue star is no more than 70 cm, the diameter of the crown does not exceed 1 m. This species is classified as dwarf. The small size of the shrub is compensated by the density of the needles and the close arrangement of the branches, they form a lush crown.
Juniper scaly Blue Star winter hardiness zone
The plant is considered winter hardy. Recommended for cultivation in central Our Country. In the northern regions, it requires shelter for the winter. It tolerates frost well under snow. Shrubs of the first year shelter for the winter even in the southern regions.
Annual growth of juniper Blue Star
This variety is slowly growing, after planting, after 10 years, its height will be only 50-70 cm, crown circumference – no more than 1,5 m. The juniper grows up to 5 cm per year in height, shoots add 10 cm in 12 months.
Juniper Blue Star poisonous or not
The plant is classified as a poisonous crop. When carrying out garden work: pruning, top dressing, watering, gloves must be worn. It is important to protect children and pets from contact with juniper squamata blue star.
Juniper Blue Star in landscape design
The lush branches of the shrub allow you to create original compositions with its use. The gray-blue shade of the needles looks advantageous against the background of other evergreen conifers and deciduous crops.
This plant will fit well into the design of rockeries, rock gardens, backyard lawns. Due to its compact size, Blue Star can be grown in pots and flowerpots, which will be a wonderful decoration for outdoor window sills, balconies, awnings.
In open areas and hillocks, low-growing varieties of juniper are used in combination with other creeping, rocky plants.
In the photo you can see how well several types of juniper look, including scaly Blue Sky, framing stone and brick buildings, stairs.
If desired, you can grow or purchase bluestar juniper bonsai. This is a miniature, exotic, ornamental plant that can decorate any design, not just outdoors. Bonsai is indispensable for landscaping loggias, roofs, terraces, balconies. It can be used to create miniature landscape compositions in winter gardens and domestic premises.
Such a shrub is grown from seeds or cuttings. Seeds are obtained from dried and crushed juniper berries. Cuttings are taken from a young plant, the bark of which has not yet become stiff and brown. It is important to consider that the germination of juniper seeds is weak, so they need to be prepared a lot.
Planting and caring for Blue Star juniper
For rooting culture choose open areas, well lit by sunlight. In the shade of buildings and tall plants, the juniper becomes faded, loses its needles. In the absence of ultraviolet light, the Blue Star becomes like an ordinary wild juniper with pale green needles. For this ornamental culture, it is also important that the site is well ventilated.
Seedling and planting preparation
Juniper Blue Star grows well and takes root on soils with any composition, except for salty and excessively moistened. If the site is dominated by clay soils, the plant must be provided with high-quality drainage. You can also mix the soil with sand and peat in equal parts. Humus and clay are introduced into sandy and rocky soils.
Seedlings before rooting in the planting pit should be in special pots or containers, the root is protected and moistened. Before planting, the plant must be carefully removed from such a container.
Rules for planting juniper Blue Star
Blue star juniper seedlings are planted in the spring. In order for them to grow well, it is necessary to maintain a distance between several plants of at least half a meter. Ideally, so that the shoots can stretch freely, with a group planting, the distance between the planting holes is 2,5 m.
Landing algorithm:
- First of all, they dig a landing hole the size of a palatine larger than the rhizome.
- A layer of about 10-15 cm of pebbles or expanded clay is laid out at the bottom. This material will serve as drainage.
- The next layer, at least 10 cm, is fertile, loose soil with the addition of peat and sand.
- The seedling is removed from the container along with a clod of earth, while the roots should not be damaged.
- After Blue Star is lowered into the planting hole, the roots are straightened. It is important to monitor the root neck: it should be above the ground or be flush with it.
- Sprinkle juniper roots with a mixture of earth, sand and peat, they are taken equally.
After planting, the plant is watered abundantly, the soil is mulched. A week after rooting, watering is stopped and another small layer of soil is added under the soil.
Watering and top dressing
Juniperus squamata blue star needs watering only in summer, when there is no precipitation. Enough 3 watering per season. About a bucket of water is allocated per bush. If the high temperature lasts for more than a month, the juniper needs to be sprayed. The procedure is carried out in the evening, after sunset, once a week. If there is enough rainfall in the climate zone where Blue Star grows in the summer, additional watering is not needed. Excess moisture is detrimental to the Blue Star.
Top dressing is applied to the soil, in early spring, during the swelling of the kidneys. The soil is dug up with nitroammophos, stepping back from the trunk about 15 cm, after Blue Star they are watered. In October, you can also dig up the soil with potash fertilizers.
Juniper older than 2 years does not need top dressing. Growing on fertile soils saturated with trace elements, the Blue Star loses its rounded crown shape, the shoots grow and lengthen. An adult Blue Star plant needs only watering, weed removal and soil loosening.
Mulching and loosening
Juniper grows actively if there is air access to its roots. To do this, 2-3 times during the summer, it is necessary to carefully dig the soil around the trunk of the shrub.
It is important to regularly remove all weeds, pests can start in their leaves. After the soil can be sprinkled with complex fertilizer for coniferous crops, watered. Then the soil is mulched with wood chips, sawdust, peat.
Blue Star juniper haircut
In autumn, sanitary pruning of shrubs is carried out. Remove dead, dry, damaged branches. During the procedure, pay attention to parasites and diseases that can affect the plant. If there are signs of the appearance of larvae or spotting, the damaged branches are removed and burned, the bush is treated with special chemicals.
The juniper scaly blue star does not need forming pruning. It acquires a rounded shape of the crown in the process of growth.
Preparation for winter
In late autumn, when the garden is being dug up, the soil around the juniper is also loosened. After it is covered with a 10-centimeter layer of peat to insulate the roots. The shoots are tied with a loose rope or tape so that they can withstand the weight of the snow. After that, spruce branches are thrown onto the shrub to protect against frost.
Reproduction of juniper Blue Star
This culture can be propagated by layering, seeds and cuttings. From the seeds, non-viable seedlings with weak decorative features are obtained.
Cuttings can be obtained from an adult plant that is at least 5 years old. In late April or early May, strong branches with buds are selected. They are cut and divided into small segments of about 15 cm. Then they are placed in a growth stimulator for a day. After the branch is rooted in a mixture of peat and sand. As soon as the roots appear, the seedlings are transferred to the garden plot.
The shrub is often propagated by layering. They are stapled to the ground in several places. As soon as the roots appear, young blue star juniper plants are transplanted.
Pests and diseases of juniper scaly Blue Star
All varieties of junipers suffer from rust. It affects the branches, red spots appear, the bark in this place dries and cracks. Damaged shoots are cut and destroyed, the bush is treated with special preparations.
In spring, fungal infections can be found on juniper needles. In this case, the needles turn yellow, crumble. The shrub is sprayed with fungicides once every 1 days, until the signs of the disease disappear completely.
Juniper Blue Star can infect scale insects, aphids, mites, moths. As soon as their larvae appear on the shoots, the shrubs are treated with insecticides until the pests are completely destroyed.
The appearance of pests and diseases of juniper Blue Star is not associated with care. Infection can occur from nearby horticultural crops.
Conclusion
Blue Star juniper is a beautiful ornamental plant that adapts to any climatic conditions. It can be grown in temperate climates and even in northern regions. With minimal labor and money, you can get a long-term landscaping of a site even with heavy soils, on which it is difficult to grow other crops.
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