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Hibernica juniper is a varietal crop whose historical homeland is Ireland. Since the middle of the XVIII century, a variety of the Cypress family has spread in Europe, thanks to frost resistance, the shrub has been grown for a long time and successfully in Our Country. The main application of the variety is the landscaping of recreation areas and landscape design.
Description of juniper Hibernica
A perennial culture is a variety of common juniper, which is represented by tall and ground cover varieties with a varied crown shape. The height of an adult Khibernik juniper reaches 4 m; among representatives of the species, the shrub is considered to be high-growing. The crown of the plant is of the correct columnar shape. The branches are pressed against the trunk, so the volume of the shrub is only 1,2 m. Juniper forms a broom, thanks to this property, you can give the plant all kinds of shapes and heights.
Over the long years of cultivation in cold climates, the Hibernica juniper has fully adapted to the weather conditions of the Central, European part of Our Country. A plant of this variety can be found in city squares and more northern regions.
Drought resistance in Hibernik is average, in conditions of low humidity it loses its decorative effect of the lower part, the needles change color to brown, dry. When grown outdoors, periodic watering is required. Feels comfortable on wet soils with periodic shading.
The Hibernika variety belongs to frost-resistant varieties. It tolerates temperatures as low as -30 0C. After freezing of annual shoots, it completely restores the crown during the season, which is also a feature of the species. Most varieties and hybrids do not recover after winter.
A perennial plant retains its beauty for a long time. In one place, juniper can grow for more than 100 years. The plant is unpretentious in care, due to a slight annual increase does not require constant crown formation.
External description of the Hibernik juniper shown in the photo:
- The shape of the bush is narrow-pyramidal, regular, compact. The branches are medium in size, dark gray with a brown tint, tightly pressed against the main trunk. Formed low from the ground, at an acute angle. The bark is uneven, scaly. The growth of young shoots starts from the middle of the bush, annual olive-colored branches are thin, growing straight up.
- The needles are trihedral, short, soft, light green with an ashen shade, the plant is evergreen, not deciduous, by autumn the needles turn into a rich dark green color. The ends of the needles are pointed, not prickly. Grows densely, without gaps.
- The root system is powerful, deepened up to 5 m into the ground.
- The berries of the common Khibernik juniper are medium in size, light green at the initial stage of ripening, then dark brown (closer to black).
Juniper Hibernika in landscape design
The main peak of Hibernik juniper distribution in Our Country occurred in the middle of the last century. Culture was planted everywhere in recreation areas, they made out the foreground of the administrative territory. Sanatoriums and rest houses without juniper alleys lost their flavor.
Regularly shaped standard shrubs are now used for urban landscaping, Hibernica juniper, designed as a hedge, is planted in the sanitary zone of parks, in public places. An ornamental columnar shrub is grown as a single element, planted in a row to create an alley. The design uses:
- in composition with undersized conifers;
- as a tapeworm in the center of a flower bed;
- along the main entrance and on the sides of the building;
- to designate the rear perimeter of the rockery;
- on the sides of the alpine hill.
Juniper ordinary Hibernika goes well with Nana Aurea – an unusual yellow conifer.
In landscape design, a combination of different forms looks interesting – a vertically growing juniper of the common Hibernik and a horizontally creeping Variegata.
The crown of the plant is thick, lends itself well to pruning, so the Hibernica juniper is planted in the center of the lawn and given all sorts of shapes. On a personal plot, a formation from planting a hedge is used, thus dividing the zones of the territory. In the photo, the common juniper Hibernika, as an element of the design solution.
Planting and caring for Hibernica juniper
Juniper ordinary Hibernica grows on any soil. The root is deep, so the composition of the soil does not play a role for it. Before growing up, the tree grows 10 years. Young juniper needs a fertile composition with good drainage, non-acidic, slightly alkaline, the plant is indifferent to salt licks.
Drought resistance in juniper is average, if located in an area open to ultraviolet radiation, periodic sprinkling will be required. With dry air, the lower part of the bush dries, the culture loses its decorative effect. Partial shade behind the wall of the building and the crowns of tall trees, ideal for planting juniper. In absolute shade and on waterlogged soil, the culture will not grow.
Seedling and planting preparation
The requirements for a purchased or self-grown seedling are as follows:
- the seedling must be two years old;
- with a strong healthy root system, without dry fragments;
- the bark is light green without mechanical damage;
- obligatory presence of needles.
Before planting, the root system is disinfected in a solution of manganese, then placed for 25 minutes in a growth stimulator, Etamon will do.
The site and the planting hole are prepared 2 weeks before the placement of the seedling. The site is dug up, for better drainage, coarse river sand is added. If the soil is acidic, it is neutralized with alkali-containing products. Lighten the soil with peat, humus or compost. The planting hole is dug in accordance with the size of the root, at least 15 cm should remain to the edge of the recess. The depth is calculated according to the scheme: the length of the root to the neck plus 20 cm per drainage layer, an average of 65–70 cm is obtained.
Rules of landing
Work begins with the preparation of the soil, it consists of peat, humus, leaves, sand and soil from the planting site (in equal proportions). If the soil is acidic, 10 g of dolomite flour is added per 150 kg of the mixture. With a normal acid-base index, the mixture is left without additives. Landing algorithm:
- Gravel (20 cm) is poured at the bottom.
- The prepared mixture is divided into two parts.
- Part is poured into a pit, a small cylindrical hill is made in the center.
- The seedling is placed on a hill in the center vertically.
- Distribute the roots, disassemble the weave.
- The rest of the soil is poured out gradually, each time gently compacted so as not to damage the root and leave no voids.
After planting is completed, the plant is watered, the root circle is mulched.
If the Hibernica juniper is distributed in one line, as a mass planting, the distance between the bushes is 1–1,2 m.
Watering and top dressing
Watering is required, but for a young plant, moist soil can be fatal. Juniper responds much better to everyday sprinkling. Irrigation is carried out before sunrise. Young seedlings are watered under the root for two months with a small amount of water. There is no need to feed the plant; up to 2 years of growth, the seedling has enough nutrient mixture applied during planting. After this growing season, the root system deepens, there is no point in feeding.
Mulching and loosening
Immediately after planting Hibernica Juniper, the soil near the root is mulched with straw, sawdust, or shredded bark. The composition of the mulch for the culture is unprincipled, its main function is to maintain soil moisture. In autumn, the layer is increased.
Loosening is shown to young seedlings, it enriches the root with oxygen and removes weeds. The frequency of weeding depends on the growth of weeds. For an adult tree, the soil is not loosened, but mulched, the layer retains moisture well, weeds do not grow under a dense crown. For an adult juniper, the development of weed grass at the root is not scary, weeding is purely cosmetic.
Trimming and shaping
In the spring, the Hibernik juniper is sanitized, dry and frozen shoots are cut off. If the plant overwintered safely, there is no damage to the crown, pruning is not carried out.
Form a shrub in accordance with the design decision. A standard plant can be grown to any height and give a dense crown the desired shape. Shearing is carried out in early spring or late autumn, when the culture slows down sap flow.
Preparation for winter
Preparatory work:
- An adult plant is irrigated with moisture.
- Increase the layer of mulch.
- Juniper branches are fragile, can break under the weight of snow, they are wound to the trunk in a spiral.
Young seedlings, in addition to mulch, press the branches to the trunk and wrap them with insulation. Top covered with spruce branches and covered with snow in winter. These procedures are carried out on juniper until the age of four.
How Fast Does Hibernica Juniper Grow?
The growth rate of Hibernica juniper is negligible. A plant up to 10 years old gives an increase of no more than 25 cm per year. When the end point in height is reached by the culture, growth continues in volume – 5–10 cm. The crown does not increase more than 1,5 m.
Reproduction of common juniper Hibernica
Common juniper Hibernica is propagated generatively and vegetatively.
Juniper seeds are rarely bred, the culture grows slowly, and cultivation in a generative way is unprofitable. For the Hibernika variety, the cutting method is more suitable. The material is taken from annual shoots in the spring. It is possible to propagate the shrub by layering, if it is possible to bend and fix the lower branch to the ground, it must be taken into account that the juniper has a fragile wood structure.
Diseases and pests
According to gardeners, the Hibernica juniper practically does not get sick. If fruit trees do not grow nearby, there is no threat of bacterial and fungal infection. With garden pests, the situation is more complicated. They parasitize Hibernica juniper:
- juniper sawfly – Eliminate “Karbofos”.
- Shield – treated with appropriate insecticides.
- aphid – branches with the main accumulation of pests are cut and removed from the site, the plant is treated with contact biological agents.
They make sure that there are no anthills on the site, this is the main reason for the appearance of aphids on the Hibernik juniper.
Conclusion
Hibernica juniper is a perennial, columnar-shaped shrub, a variety of the common juniper. The variety is frost-resistant, does not require constant care, grows slowly, so there is no need for constant crown formation. It is used for the design of private territories and landscaping of urban recreation areas.
