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For several millennia, people have used juniper to decorate gardens and spaces around the house. This is an evergreen, picky coniferous plant. Juniper virginian (Virginian) – one of these varieties, a representative of the genus Cypress. Designers use the plant for landscape decoration due to the wide variety of colors, shapes and sizes of this crop. The article presents a photo and description of the virgin juniper, as well as the basic rules for growing a plant.
Description of juniper virginsky
Juniperus virginiana (lat. Juniperus virginiana) is an evergreen, usually monoecious shrub of the genus Juniper. The habitat of the plant is North America, from Canada to Florida. The tree can be found on rocky shores and a little less often in swampy areas.
Over time, fruits appear on the juniper – cone-shaped berries of a dark blue color, which remain on the branches until the onset of severe frosts.
The plant has a developed root system with lateral processes, which helps it to easily endure gusts of wind.
The tree is characterized by small needle-shaped or scaly needles (1 – 2 mm in length). The color of the needles fluctuates between dark green and bluish-green hues, and in winter the cover of the plant acquires a brown color.
Virginia juniper has a resinous coniferous aroma that can purify the air of various bacteria. It is believed that the smell of juniper helps restore peace of mind, find peace, as well as get rid of headaches and improve sleep.
For the first time specimens of juniper virginiana were presented in the XNUMXth century in America, and in the first quarter of the XNUMXth century the sprouts of the tree were brought to the territory of Our Country. The most unique plant varieties are found at the Botanical Institute and the Forest Engineering Academy. Among other varieties, this particular culture has the most pronounced decorative properties.
Sizes of juniper virginsky
Juniper virginiana is considered a fairly tall plant: the tree can reach up to 30 m in height. The trunk diameter of the virgin juniper is on average 150 cm, and the crown diameter is 2,5 – 3 m. In the early stages of growth, the crown of the plant has a narrow ovoid shape, which eventually becomes wider and more voluminous, acquiring a columnar shape. Juniper virginian can completely occupy an area of 10 m2.
Growth rates
Juniper virginiana is characterized by rapid growth – on average, 20 – 30 cm per year. Everything also depends on the type of tree: for example, the annual growth rate of the Skyrocket variety is 20 cm high and 5 cm wide, the Glauka variety is 25 cm high and 10 cm wide, and the Hetz variety is up to 30 and 15 cm, respectively.
Juniper virginian hardiness zone
Almost all varieties of virgin juniper are characterized by a high level of winter hardiness: even the most severe frosts do not affect their condition and appearance. However, columnar (Blue Arrow, Glauka, Skyrocket) and narrow pyramidal (Kanaherty, Hetz) tree forms can be negatively affected by snowfalls. To prevent this from happening, in winter, the branches of the plant must be tied up tightly.
Juniperus virginiana in landscape design
Virginia junipers are very popular in the field of landscape design due to the huge variety of shapes, sizes and colors, as well as their unique decorative properties. The growth rate of plants is average, they are unpretentious to growing conditions and easily adapt to shearing.
Landscape designers actively use Virginian junipers to decorate gardens: they go well with both coniferous plants and deciduous flowers, trees and shrubs.
Moreover, Virginian juniper has an indispensable quality for landscape decoration: it is an evergreen plant, the appearance of which remains unchanged at any time of the year.
It is best to purchase virginian juniper to decorate the territory in special nurseries, where all the detailed information about the plant and the rules for caring for it will be available.
Varieties of juniper virginsky
On average, there are more than 70 varieties of virgin juniper, most of which are actively grown in Our Country. The shape, size and color of each variety is varied and unique, which allows the shrub to be used to create decorative compositions.
Almost all plant varieties recover quickly after shearing and shaping.
Juniperus virginica Canaherti
Juniperus virginiana Canaertii (Juniperus virginiana Canaertii) is the most popular representative of a columnar or pyramidal shape with upward branches. The shoots of the tree are short, with ends hanging down. At 30 years old, it reaches more than 5 meters in height. The young shoots of the tree have green scaly needles, which acquire a needle-like shape with age. The fruits of the plant are large, with a blue-white color.
Variety Canaherti is a light-loving plant (the tree tolerates shade only at a young age), capable of growing on almost any soil.
Juniperus virginiana Glauka
Juniperus virginia Glauca (Juniperus fastigiata Glauca) is a slender tree 5 – 6 m high with a narrow-conical or columnar crown shape, the diameter of which is 2 – 2,5 m. The growth rate of the plant is fast, up to about 20 cm per year.
Juniperus virginiana Glauka is characterized by thick shoots that grow evenly. The branches of the tree are directed upwards, forming an acute angle with the trunk. Over time, the juniper crown gradually becomes loose.
The Glauka variety has small, blue-green needles, which become bronze with the onset of frost. On the branches of juniper, you can see a large number of fruits – rounded cones of whitish-gray color, the diameter of which is 0.6 cm.
So that the plant does not lose its rich color, it is recommended to grow the tree in sunlit areas without stagnant moisture in the soil. The Glauka variety also has a high level of winter hardiness, it is undemanding to the planting soil.
The main advantage of this variety is considered to be quick adaptability to cutting and shaping. Landscape designers actively use the plant as a tapeworm on the lawn, as well as for decorating walking alleys and creating hedges.
Juniperus virginiana Golden Spring
Juniper Virginian Golden Spring (Golden Spring) is an evergreen dwarf shrub with a spreading, cushion-shaped crown. The shoots of the plant are located at an angle, due to which the crown takes the form of a hemisphere. Juniper has scaly needles of a golden hue, which eventually acquires a bright green color. The Golden Spring variety is not picky about the soil; it best manifests its decorative qualities in sunny planting sites.
Before planting a shrub, it is important to lay a drainage layer of sand and broken bricks on the bottom of the planting hole.
Juniper Gold Spring needs moderate watering and sprinkling during the hot season. It is also resistant to cold and severe frost.
Juniperus virginiana Skyrocket
Juniper virginsky Skyrocket (Skyrocket) is a tall – about 8 m – plant with a dense columnar crown, 0,5 – 1 m in diameter. The shrub grows upwards, with an increase of 20 cm per year. The growth of the plant in width is insignificant: 3 – 5 cm per year.
Juniper branches, densely located to the trunk, go up. The Skyrocket variety is characterized by stiff, scaly, bluish-green needles, as well as round, bluish-colored fruits.
Juniper Skyrocket has a tap root system, which significantly increases the level of wind resistance of the plant. It does not tolerate shaded spaces, germinates well and develops only in sunny areas, is resistant to the conditions of gas pollution in large cities, and has a high level of cold and frost tolerance.
Juniperus virginiana Pendula
Juniper Pendula (Pendula) has a serpentine twisted trunk, and in some cases – 2 – 3 trunks. A tree of this variety has thin skeletal branches that grow unevenly in different directions, bend in an arc away from the trunk, and then hang down sharply. The height of an adult plant is about 2 m, and the diameter of the crown is 1,5 – 3 m. Young juniper needles have a green, slightly bluish tint, and with age it acquires a rich bright green color. The fruits of the Pendula variety are round, 5-8 mm in diameter.
Young cones can be identified by their light green color, while ripe berries acquire a blue tint with a bluish waxy coating. The most optimal place for planting a plant is sunny places with little access to shade. It grows well in breathable fertile soil without moisture stagnation. It is actively used to create single or group plantings in parks, squares and gardens. Often, the Pendula variety can be found as a hedge.
Juniperus virginiana Tripartita
Juniperus Virginian variety Tripartita (Tripartita) is a low shrub with a voluminous dense spreading crown. The height of the plant in adulthood is 3 m with a crown diameter of 1 m. This variety is characterized by a rapid growth rate in width (with an annual increase of up to 20 cm), which is why the shrub needs room for normal growth and development. The shrub is characterized by scaly and needle-shaped green needles.
The fruits of the Tripartite variety are round, fleshy gray-blue poisonous cones.
The shrub actively grows and develops in lighted spaces, tolerates partial shade well, as well as severe frosts in winter.
It is used both for decorating coniferous and mixed groups, and for a single planting on a lawn.
Juniper Virginia Gray Owl
Juniperus Virginia Gray Owl is an evergreen, low-growing shrub with a flat spreading crown.
The height of an adult plant is 2 – 3 m, with a crown diameter of 5 to 7 m. It has an average growth rate with an annual growth of ten centimeters in height and twenty centimeters in width. The branches have a horizontal arrangement, they are slightly raised. Needles are needle-shaped at the base of the branches, and scaly, gray-blue or greenish at the ends of the shoots. The length of the needles is 0,7 cm.
The shrub recovers well even after a plentiful haircut, tolerates a hot period well with regular spraying.
Juniperus Virginia Helle
Young shrubs of the Helle variety have a columnar crown shape, which becomes broadly pyramidal with age.
An adult plant reaches about 6 – 7 m in height. Juniper needles are needle-shaped, with a juicy green saturated color.
It is undemanding to the landing site, it develops well on moderately saturated soil with nutrients. Among all varieties of virgin juniper, the Hele variety is characterized by almost the highest level of frost resistance.
Juniperus virginiana Blue Cloud
Juniperus virginiana Blue Cloud (Blue Cloud) is a perennial plant, one of the most popular varieties in Our Country due to its high level of frost resistance. The needles are scaly, with a bluish-gray tint. The culture is undemanding to lighting, it develops well both in sunny and in shaded areas. The crown has a spreading shape. The annual growth of juniper virginiana Blue Cloud is 10 cm.
When transplanting shrubs, it is especially important to ensure that the soil is slightly moist, as the development of the plant on too wet soil can be significantly impaired.
Planting soil for the Blue Cloud variety should be saturated with peat.
Juniperus virginiana Spartan
Juniper virginian Spartan (Spartan) is an ornamental coniferous shrub with a columnar, candle-shaped, crown shape. An adult plant reaches a height of 3 to 5 m, and a width of up to 1,2 m. It is characterized by a slow growth rate with an annual growth of up to 17 cm high and up to 4 cm wide. The needles of the plant are soft, with a light green tint. Shoots are located vertically.
The variety is undemanding to the soil, planting can be done on any fertile soil – both acidic and alkaline. The shrub develops better in sunny places, tolerates light shading. Used in single and group plantings, hedges, as well as in combination with roses – to decorate alpine slides.
Culture prefers sunny areas, tolerates slight shading. Suitable for planting in single and group plantings, as hedges, decorates alpine slides and looks great with roses.
You can learn more information about virgin juniper varieties and the main rules of care from the video:
Planting and caring for virgin juniper
Juniperus virginiana is a rather picky plant. However, when growing even such an easy-to-maintain shrub, it is important to remember the main rules for care.
Seedling and planting preparation
It is best to purchase young seedlings in containers. Transplanting an adult shrub will require professional gardening skills.
Juniper virginiana is often grown in the ground, and digging is carried out along with an earthen clod for sale. They also sell container grown plants.
The most optimal period for planting a plant will be spring (April-May) and autumn (October). If the seedlings have a closed root system, they can be transplanted at any time of the year, it is only important to shade the area and ensure the plant is regularly watered.
For light-loving virgin juniper, the best option would be a spacious, well-lit place with loamy or sandy loamy soil rich in nutrients. If the soil is clayey and heavy, a special mixture of garden soil, sand, peat and coniferous soil is added to the pit. Before planting a shrub, it is necessary to drain the earth by covering the bottom of the planting hole with broken bricks or sand. Virginian juniper tolerates the dry period well, however, stagnant moisture in the ground can be detrimental to the plant.
You should not plant a shrub next to climbing flowers, as this can seriously affect its condition: the plant will lose its decorative qualities, gradually turn into painful and lethargic.
After planting, mulching the soil near the trunk should be carried out with the addition of wood shavings from other conifers, as well as watering the plant at the very root.
Rules of landing
The composition of the soil mixture for planting virgin juniper:
- 2 parts of sod land;
- 2 parts of humus;
- 2 parts of peat;
- 1 part of the sand.
150 – 200 g of Kemira-universal and 250 – 300 g of Nitrofoska should also be added to the soil – for the active growth of the shrub.
The size of the planting hole directly depends on the size of the seedling itself, and its depth is approximately 2-3 bayonets of a shovel. These parameters are also affected by the size of the root system: for medium species, the size of the pit can be 40 by 60 cm, and for larger ones – 60 by 80, respectively. It is necessary to plant the shrub quickly in order to prevent the roots from drying out, but very carefully so as not to harm the young roots. Having planted juniper in open soil, the plant should be watered abundantly and covered from direct sunlight. The planting density is affected by the type of landscape composition, and the plants themselves should be from 0,5 to 2 m apart.
Watering and top dressing
It is very important to provide young juniper virginian seedlings with regular, but moderate watering. Adult plants tolerate drought much better: they should be watered infrequently, depending on the heat (2-4 times a month).
In the hot season, you need to spray the plant: 2 times in 10 days, in the evening and in the morning. From April to May, a dose of Nitroammophoska should be applied under each shrub: 35 – 40 g per 1 sq. m.
After planting, the soil around the tree must be fertilized with peat, wood chips or pine bark. It is best to fertilize at the initial stage of the growing season (April-May). It is recommended to feed the soil from time to time with Kemira-universal (20 g per 10 l).
Mulching and loosening
Periodically, it is necessary to carry out shallow loosening of the earth around the juniper trunk and remove all weeds from the site.
Loosening and mulching the soil around young seedlings should be carried out immediately after watering and removing all weeds. Mulching with peat, wood chips or sawdust (layer 5 – 8 cm) is carried out immediately after planting, and for especially heat-loving varieties – in winter.
Pruning juniper virginiana
Pruning of the virgin juniper is usually carried out when creating a hedge or other landscape compositions; under natural conditions, the plant does not need pruning of branches.
Gardeners also use shrub pruning to give it a more lush crown shape, but care must be taken here: one wrong move can degrade the appearance of a plant for a long time.
Once every few months, you can carefully trim the protruding ends of the broken branches.
Preparation for winter
In winter, the juniper crown can sag under the strong pressure of snow cover. To prevent this from happening, in the fall the crown of the tree must be tightly tied. Some varieties of virgin juniper are sensitive to spring daily temperature fluctuations, so by the end of February they need protection from intense sun.
Sunburn leads to the appearance of a brown-yellow shade of needles and the loss of decorative characteristics. So that the needles of the plant do not lose their brightness in the winter, it must be properly watered, fertilized in the spring and regularly sprayed with micronutrient needles.
Among all the juniper shelter options, the following can be distinguished:
- Throwing snow over the branches of the conifer. The method is well suited for miniature and creeping forms.
- Lapnik, fixed on the branches of a plant in the form of tiers.
- Woven or non-woven materials. Gardeners wrap the plant with burlap, two layers of craft paper, light-colored cotton fabric and fasten it with a rope without covering the bottom of the crown.
- Screen. It must be installed on the most illuminated side of the bush.
Reproduction of juniper virginsky Juniperus virginiana
Sometimes it is quite problematic to obtain decorative forms of a shrub with the help of seeds. This is due to the fact that not all seeds can germinate.
Cuttings
Gardeners recommend using the option of propagating juniper virginian cuttings: in the spring they are cut 5-8 cm from the young shoots of the plant, each of them contains up to 2 internodes and a small fragment of the bark of the mother branch. Planting material must be pre-treated with a root stimulator.
Planting is carried out in soil mixed with peat, humus and sand equally. From above, the soil is sprinkled with coarse-grained sand up to 5 cm. A glass container is used as a shelter for each cutting. The stalk is planted to a depth of 1,5 – 2 cm.
The root system of the plant begins to develop in the fall, it is grown for another 1 – 1,5 years before transplanting to a permanent place.
From seed
Before germinating the seeds of juniper virginia shrubs, they must be treated with cold for a faster growth rate. Seeds are laid in boxes with soil mixture and taken out to the street for storage up to 5 months. Sow seeds in beds from May.
In some species of virgin juniper, the seeds have a fairly dense shell. Their germination can be accelerated by exposing the shell to acid or by mechanically disturbing its structure. For example, the seeds are rubbed between two boards wrapped in sandpaper, and then they are placed in the ground by 3-4 cm. The care of the crops is quite simple: it is necessary to mulch the beds, ensure regular watering and protection from the active sun in the first one and a half to two weeks. When the seedlings are 3 years old, they are allowed to be transplanted to a permanent place.
Diseases and pests
The most common disease for juniper virginiana is a fungal disease, due to which spindle-shaped thickenings appear on parts of the plant, the root neck swells, the bark dries and crumbles, forming open wounds. The branches affected by diseases die off over time, the needles turn brown and quickly crumble. In the later stages of the disease, the shrub dies.
If the juniper is affected by a fungal disease, you must immediately cut off all infected branches and disinfect open wounds with a 1% solution of ferrous sulfate and cover with garden pitch. Cut branches should be burned.
In addition to a fungal disease, virginian juniper can suffer from bark necrosis or alternariosis, but the method of treating such diseases is completely identical.
The main pests of virgin juniper are moths, aphids, spider mites and scale insects. Shrub sprays, which can be purchased at specialized stores, will help protect the plant.
Conclusion
Photos and descriptions of virginian juniper testify to the high decorativeness of the culture, thanks to which it is actively used by designers to decorate the territory and create landscape compositions. The plant is unpretentious in care, has a high level of winter hardiness and is ready to delight with its beauty for a long time. It is important to remember the main rules for keeping a shrub, to provide it with proper watering and regular prevention: then the juniper will be able to thank with its beauty and long growth.