Juniper scaly: Blue Sweed, Golden Flame, Little Joanna

Scaly juniper is a plant whose life expectancy can be several hundred years. Since the coniferous shrub has an attractive appearance and a lot of useful qualities, it is often grown in summer cottages.

Description of juniper scaly

The Eastern Himalayas, the mountainous regions of China and Taiwan are considered to be the birthplace of the scaly juniper, but the coniferous plant is artificially cultivated all over the world. The scaly juniper belongs to the Cypress family and may have a tree-like or prostrate form. The height of the scaly juniper rarely exceeds 1,5 m, dense shoots are covered with stiff long needles with a shade from grayish-blue to bright green, depending on the variety.

Scaly juniper is a photophilous plant that prefers a fairly warm climate. However, a shrub is grown, including, in the conditions of the middle lane, it tolerates frosts below -20 ° C, although it can freeze slightly without high-quality shelter.

The shrub grows very slowly, but already in the second year after planting in the ground it begins to bear fruit, in May black oval cones up to 7 cm in length appear on its shoots.

Juniper scaly in landscape design

Due to its attractive appearance and pleasant aroma, this type of juniper is actively used in decorative gardening. Coniferous shrubs are planted in gardens, summer cottages and parks both in solo form and as part of plant compositions.

As a rule, creeping plant varieties are used to decorate the foreground of decorative groups. The scaly juniper is often used to highlight borders and borders when dividing the landscape into separate zones. High varieties of plants often form hedges, dense dense needles are ideal for creating a natural fence, as they are completely impenetrable to views.

The coniferous shrub is evergreen, so even in autumn it retains its bright color and visual appeal. The shrub looks especially advantageous in autumn gardens next to other coniferous or late-flowering plants, this is easy to see if you look at the photo of the scaly juniper.

Varieties of juniper scaly

There are many types of scaly juniper – both horizontal and high-growing varieties are bred by breeding. Especially popular in landscape design are several types that combine visual appeal with increased endurance.

Juniper scaly Blue Svid

The Blue Svid variety is distinguished by its compact size, drooping branchy shoots and an unusual shade of needles – silver or greenish-blue. The maximum height for this variety is 1,5 m, and the width of an individual shrub does not exceed 2,5 m. The variety grows very slowly, in order to reach 0,5 m in height, the plant takes about ten years.

Among the advantages of the variety, one can name its unpretentiousness – Blue Swede scaly juniper grows well on poor soils and calmly tolerates medium frosts.

Juniper scaly Floreant

The Floreant shrub belongs to the squat varieties of the scaly juniper, it rarely grows above 1 m, and the width of the bush is no more than 2 m.

Unusual juniper scaly Floreant gives the color of the needles – green with a yellowish tint. In the landscape, Floreant looks colorful and cheerful, thanks to which it noticeably enlivens plant compositions.

Juniper scaly Dream Joy

An ornamental plant belongs to the category of stunted ones – a shrub of this variety rises to a height of only 80 cm, and grows up to 1,2 m in width. Dream Joy has an unusual color – the needles of young shoots are light green or yellow at the tips, and as they grow older the bush darkens and becomes bluish-green.

In the landscape, Dream Joy scaly juniper prefers well-lit areas and light, oxygenated soils.

Juniper scaly Loderi

The Loderi variety belongs to the vertical varieties of a coniferous plant, has an elongated-pointed shape and slightly resembles a small spruce. The shoots of Loderi are raised up, the needles are small and needle-shaped, greenish-blue in color.

Scaly juniper Loderi rarely grows above 1,5 m and wider than 90 cm. At the same time, the growth of the shrub is very slow, so it reaches 80 cm in height only 10 years after planting. It is recommended to plant this variety in a well-lit place in warm regions. Coniferous shrubs are calm about small frosts, but at the same time they are very sensitive to the amount of moisture – Loderi does not tolerate drought well.

Juniper scaly Hannethorp

A low shrub of the Hannethorp variety has a spreading dense crown that can reach 2,5 m in width. Plant height usually does not exceed 1,5 m, and the shrub grows very slowly and reaches its maximum size only 8-10 years after planting.

The young needles of the plant have a blue-bluish tint, and as they grow older, they change color to bluish-green. The beautiful and winter-hardy Hunnetorp scaly juniper is very popular in Our Country, Central Europe and the Scandinavian countries, as it tolerates winter cold well.

Juniper scaly Golden Flame

The Golden Flame variety belongs to vertical scaly junipers and can reach a height of 1,8 m and a width of up to 2,5 m. The main part of the needles of the shrub is green with a bluish tint, but creamy yellow blotches are unevenly scattered along the shoots. Due to this, the juniper scaly Golden Flame looks very unusual and can serve as a bright accent in a decorative landscape. The shape of the crown of the shrub is spreading, while the main branches are directed upwards, and the side shoots tend to the ground.

The variety has an average winter hardiness and is suitable for breeding in the middle lane. It is best to plant a shrub in lighted places and light soils, this will provide it with a brighter color.

Juniper scaly Little Joanna

The variety belongs to the category of dwarf, by the age of 10 it reaches only 40 cm in height and grows up to 50 cm in width. The shrub has a spreading and very dense crown with dense shoots, the color of the needles is light green with a blue tint, the shade is especially noticeable in the sun.

Little Joanna loves well-lit places and loose soils without stagnant moisture. The plant tolerates frost and drought well, therefore it is often found in landscape design in countries with a temperate climate.

Juniper scaly Gold Type

Another dwarf ornamental variety of the plant is the Gold Type juniper, 10 years after planting, reaching only 40 cm in height and 1,2 m in width. The crown of a coniferous shrub is dense and spreading, young shoots have a yellow-green color, but then change their shade to silver-green. In a year, juniper adds about 10 cm in height.

Best of all, Gold Type feels on light soils with moderate moisture and in sunny areas. It has good winter hardiness, but it can break under the weight of snow cover, therefore it needs special shelter.

Juniper scaly Tropical Blue

A very beautiful miniature juniper is the Asian variety Tropical Blue with an unusual pillow-shaped crown. In 10 years, the shrub grows up to only 30 cm, and the maximum height for it is a little more than 50 cm. Horizontal scaly juniper spreads up to about 1 m wide. The needles of this variety are prickly and short, dense, in sunny areas it has a bluish-gray tint , and in the shade becomes bluish-green.

The Tropical Blue variety tolerates moderate frosts and drought well. But an excess of moisture is detrimental to it, the root system of the plant rots, so soil moisture must be carefully monitored.

Juniper scaly Blue Spider

The sprawling squat variety Blue Spider rarely exceeds 1,5 m in height, and can spread up to 2,5 m wide. However, the growth of the shrub is very slow, so in the first 10 years it manages to grow no more than 50 cm. varieties are bluish-blue, with a gray bloom in winter, with a flattened shape.

The variety tolerates frosts well, it is undemanding to the soil. But you need to plant Blue Spider scaly juniper only in sunny areas – even in light shading, the shrub begins to feel worse.

Juniper scaly Blue Star

The Blue Star variety belongs to miniature varieties, the maximum height for it does not exceed 1 m. The crown of the shrub is spherical with a bright bluish-silver tint, the variety tolerates frost and lack of light quite well.

Juniper scaly Blue Carpet

The variety belongs to a few varieties that are characterized by rapid growth – 10 years after planting, it reaches 60 cm in height. The crown of the shrub is creeping and drooping, the color of the needles is grayish-blue.

Juniperus scaly Meyeri

A low variety with a creeping crown reaches 30-100 cm in height and has a blue tint of needles with a white coating. It is characterized by low winter hardiness, in order for the scaly blue juniper to endure the cold, it must be carefully insulated.

Juniper scaly Holger

An ornamental variety with a maximum height of 0,8-1 m, has an interesting bright green shade of needles with bright yellowish patches at the ends of the shoots. The variety tolerates winter calmly, but does not perceive excess moisture in the soil and lack of light.

Planting and caring for scaly juniper

Most varieties of coniferous shrubs are well suited for growing in the middle lane. But in order to properly plant and care for Blue Sweet juniper and other varieties, you need to know the basic rules for growing.

Seedling and planting preparation

Most varieties of scaly juniper prefer well-lit areas – accordingly, a landing site must be selected on the sunny side. It is allowed to plant shrubs in places with light shading, as long as it is not significant. If you plan to plant several coniferous shrubs at once, you need to mark the site so that the distance between individual plants is at least 1-1,5 m.

In order for the seedling of the plant to take root faster, it is recommended to transplant it into the ground along with a clod of earth, the roots of the juniper are fragile and easily damaged. A few hours before planting, the earthen lump must be properly soaked with water.

Rules of landing

Coniferous shrubs are quite tolerant of the composition of the soil and its fertility. But at the same time, an important condition is good aeration of the soil and high-quality drainage.

A pit for a juniper seedling needs to be prepared spacious – about three times more than an earthen clod with a root system. With a layer of approximately 20 cm, drainage is poured into the bottom of the pit, then half of the hole is covered with earth and the seedling is carefully lowered inside. After that, the hole can be filled with soil to the end.

Immediately after planting, juniper must be watered. At the same time, the soil should not be trampled down around the seedling; the soil should settle naturally. It is best to land in the spring – in April or May. Autumn planting of shrubs is also acceptable, it must be done in October.

Watering and top dressing

An unpretentious coniferous shrub takes root well in almost any conditions, but the lack of moisture affects its beauty. Therefore, in hot weather, scaly juniper is recommended to be watered regularly, as well as carefully spraying the crown.

As for top dressing, juniper needs little fertilizer. For good growth, it is recommended to apply nitrogenous top dressing to the soil three times a season, from spring to autumn. But it is better not to use bird or cow manure and other organic fertilizers, coniferous shrubs do not tolerate them well, juniper roots may suffer.

Mulching and loosening

Mulching the ground around the juniper bush is recommended immediately after planting. A layer of mulch will prevent rapid evaporation of moisture. It is recommended to use hay, dry needles or peat as a material for mulching, juniper reacts especially well to them.

But you need to loosen the earth around the bush with great care, affecting only the top layer of soil. The roots of the plant are located close to the surface of the earth, and therefore careless weeding can damage them and lead to the death of the plant. Loosening should be carried out as little as possible – quality mulching will help achieve this goal, as it will prevent the growth of weeds.

Pruning juniper scaly

Coniferous shrubs are valued not only for the beautiful shade of needles, but also for their attractive shapes. The plant tolerates pruning well, so it can be carried out both for sanitary and decorative purposes.

Cut the scaly juniper in early spring, before the start of the growing season – at a time when the juice is not moving along the branches of the plant. In the process of pruning, it is important not only to correct the outlines of the crown, but also to remove all dried, broken and diseased shoots.

Preparation for winter

Juniper tolerates cold well, but needs special shelter for the winter. For shrubs of creeping varieties, snow can be used directly as a covering material, it will protect the plant from wind, frost and solar exposure. Since juniper branches can break off under the weight of snow, it is recommended to form a snow “cushion” on a special protective frame.

It is also necessary to protect the roots of the plant from freezing. To do this, shortly before the onset of winter, the soil in the trunk circle is mulched with a dense layer of peat about 10 cm, and spruce branches are thrown on top.

The last watering of the shrub should take place no later than October, before the first frosts come. 2-3 buckets of water are poured under the trunk of the bush, the earth must not be frozen yet, otherwise watering will not bring any benefit, or even cause harm.

Reproduction of scaly juniper

Having planted a couple of juniper bushes at their summer cottage, over time, many gardeners realize that they would like to increase the population. This can be done without buying new seedlings – decorative juniper successfully propagates by cuttings.

• For cuttings, it is necessary to take annual shoots from young shrubs no older than 8-10 years. The shoot is cut to 10-12 cm in length, and then placed in a solution with a growth stimulator for a day.
• Then the cutting is planted in a special substrate – soil mixed with sand and peat. It is necessary to deepen the cutting by a maximum of 3 cm, columnar varieties are planted in a vertical plane, for creeping varieties a slope of about 60 ° is left.
• The container with the handle is sprayed with water, covered with plastic wrap and placed in a warm and shaded place for 2 months. Spraying is repeated daily or every other day, it is important to ensure that the soil does not dry out.
• After a couple of months, the cuttings should take root properly. After that, they can be transplanted into larger boxes, along with an earthy clod, without damaging the root system. In new containers, young seedlings are left for the next 2 years, this time is enough for the plant to get stronger.

After 2 years, juniper, propagated by cuttings, can be planted in open ground, best of all in spring. It is also customary to cut shoots for cuttings in the spring, immediately after the cold weather and before the start of active sap flow.

Seed propagation is only suitable for wild varieties of shrubs – it is customary to use cuttings for ornamental juniper.

Pests and diseases of juniper scaly

The scaly juniper is quite resistant to diseases, but it is also susceptible to some ailments. Of particular danger to the plant is rust, a fungal disease in which the needles of the shrub turn brown and fall off, and growths appear on the bark, which soon turn into wounds.

At the first sign of rust, all damaged parts of the plant must be removed, and the cuts and wounds on the shoots and trunk should be treated with a 1% solution of copper sulfate and lubricated with garden pitch. Also in the spring, juniper is recommended to be sprayed prophylactically with Bordeaux mixture. All these measures will help not only from rust, but also from brown shute, fusarium, alternariosis and other ailments that also affect the plant.

In addition to ailments, insect pests pose a threat to juniper – spider mites, aphids, mining moths and scale insects. To prevent their appearance or eliminate noticed pests, the shrub should be regularly sprayed with insecticidal agents. A solution of Karbofos, diluted according to the instructions in a bucket of water, helps well from a scale insect, and a Fitoverm solution from aphids.

The use of juniper scaly

An ornamental shrub is valued not only for its beautiful appearance, but also for its many useful properties. The needles, bark and cone berries of the plant are used:

• for the treatment of ailments – traditional medicine offers dozens of recipes that help with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and joints, with colds and skin inflammations, with chronic runny nose and cough;
• for aromatization of rooms – juniper emits a very pleasant smell and also disinfects the air, eliminating pathogenic bacteria;
• to add to baths – in combination with hot water, juniper has a powerful healing effect, especially for respiratory and skin ailments.

Fragrant bath brooms are made from coniferous branches of juniper, the use of which improves blood circulation and skin condition.

Conclusion

Scaly juniper is a surprisingly beautiful and unpretentious shrub that can be widely used in landscape design. Caring for juniper is easy, and the abundance of ornamental varieties makes it easy to find a plant that will successfully emphasize all the advantages of the garden.