Rocky juniper is one of the representatives of the cypress family. Distributed on the continent of North America, mainly grows on mountainous rocky soil. This species does not belong to the most cultivated of the juniper genus.
Juniper Rocky Description
Under natural conditions, the shrub can grow up to 18 m in height, while the trunk reaches 2 m in girth. A decoratively growing specimen is slightly more modest, and its crown originates much lower. In a young plant, the branches form a cone shape, over time it will become round. Shoots are painted in flowers of blue shades. Scaly-shaped leaves have the shape of a rhombus, reach 2 mm in length and 1 mm in width, and needles grow to 12 mm. Rounded cones of blue color will ripen at the end of 2 years. As a fruit, seeds are reddish in color, up to 5 mm in diameter.
Popular varieties of juniper rocky: Fisht and others
The culture, discovered back in the first half of the 19th century, now has an impressive abundance of species (about 70), but only 20 are actively cultivated, which include plants of various sizes, color palettes, and the diverse structure of the needles themselves.
Most junipers are fully suitable for cultivation in any of the climatic zones of Russia.
| Grade | Description |
| Fisht | Pyramidal with a green-blue dense crown. It sometimes grows above 10 m. It is frost-resistant, not picky about the soil, but prone to rust, so it is not recommended to plant next to fruit trees. |
| Skyroket | Sky rocket - this is how the plant is translated from a foreign language, it is notable for its growth, heat lovingness and dense arrangement of shoots. The evergreen conifer is widespread in the south of the country, as severe environmental conditions significantly affect its external parameters. An unpretentious skyrocket is capable of growing at a normal pace on sandy or rocky ground. He will be pleased with his annual owner growth. |
| Blue Angel | Colon-shaped, similar to Skyrocket, but the color of the needles is more saturated, silver with a blue tint. |
| Blue Arrow (Blue Arrow) | The color feature has contributed to the wide distribution and popularization of this variety, especially in the middle band. Due to the dense arrangement of branches, conical shape and color - the juniper acquired the talking name Blue Arrow, which fully reflects its advantages. It is noteworthy that the plant does not require artificial maintenance of its appearance. |
| Blue Heaven (Blue Haven) | The persistent blue color of the plant persists throughout the year. In a high-rise, the juniper of the correct cone shape grows up to 5 m, and the diameter - 1.5-2 m. It is used mainly in group planting. Juniper quickly adapts, frost and wind resistant. |
| Blue Saber (Blue Saber) | It is a narrow column, at the age of ten it grows 2.5 m high and 80 cm wide. The color is green, but with a blue-steel tint. Frost resistant up to -35 ° C. |
| Blue Trail (Blue Trail) | A high pyramidal variety, reaches 8 m, spreading almost 2 m in diameter. The color of the needles is green-blue with a steel tint. |
| Wichita Blue (Wichita Blue) | Keeps a bluish-green color throughout the year. In external parameters, it resembles the Fisht variety, however, it propagates only in a vegetative way. Juniper grows to 6.5 m in height and 2.7 m in diameter. Thin stems are directed upward, in the cross section form a tetrahedron. |
| Cologreen (Kologrin) | Green pyramidal shape reaching 6 m in height and 2 m in diameter. |
| Dew Drop | Gray-green conical. Dimensions 2.5x1 m. |
| Medora | With bluish needles of narrow columnar shape, but very slowly growing variety. |
| Moffat Blue (Moffat Blue) | Blue-green color, wide pyramidal shape. Maximum height 6 m, width 1.5 m. |
| Monam | Light blue open grade 0.6x2.5 m. |
| Moonglow (Munglow) | It is considered pyramidal in shape. His needles of blue color are very soft, in winter they acquire a bright blue tint. Of the main advantages, unpretentiousness in leaving, type of soil and persistent transfer of lack of moisture and strong gusts of wind can be distinguished. |
| Silver King (Silver King) | Outstretched form with scaly bluish needles (0.6x2 m). |
| Silver Star (Silver Star) | It resembles the Skyrocket variety, but less dense and growing more slowly. There is white-cream needles, as it is devoid of chlorophyll. |
| Table Top Blue | Dense oval shape. The needles are silver-blue. 2x2.5 m. |
| Welchii (Welkshi) | Frost-resistant grade. Pyramidal, the needles have a variety of shades of green, blue and silver. It grows to 3 m, with a diameter of 1 m. |
| Wishita Blue (Vishita Blue) | Fast growing. At 3 years - 1.5 m, at 0 years - 2x0.8 m, then grows up to 7x3 m. He loves the sun. Bluish colors in winter and summer. |
| Winter Blue (Winter Blue) | Silver-blue needles, spread over 1.5 m, do not exceed 40 cm in height. |
Juniper Planting
Plants with an open root system are recommended to be planted with the onset of spring, as they require already thawed soil. And for representatives with a closed - any time of the year is suitable.
When planting, it is worth giving preference to an open, well-lit place, while at the same time distant from groundwater (at least 10 m). For dwarf varieties, poor soil will be most suitable, otherwise they will lose their feature. In order to ensure favorable growth for other species, it is necessary to select a rich soil saturated with nutrients.
Dimensions of the root should occupy half of the volume of the dug hole. A distance of 0.5 m must be observed between the planting of dwarf varieties, for larger specimens a gap should be made even larger, and the size of the growing branches should also be taken into account.
Initially, it is worth filling the hole with drainage material, the thickness of which should be about 0.2 m. For these purposes, expanded clay, crushed stone or broken brick are suitable. Then, a plant should be installed in the planting hole and empty areas filled with peat, turf soil and sand in a ratio of 2: 1: 1. After which, the young bush is plentifully moistened.
Cover 8 cm with a layer of mulch, which includes peat and sawdust. The level of the root neck during planting should not fall or be higher than ground level. In order to exclude damage to the root when removing the seedling from the container, it is necessary to place the pot with the plant in water the day before.
Juniper Care Guidelines
The shrub does not require reverent care, as it adapts remarkably to the conditions of the middle lane. The first 10 years, the colony-shaped juniper grows rather passively, but then enters the stage of active development.
Watering
The juniper is moistened three times per season, however, during the drought period, the plant needs additional watering. For young bushes there is an alternative method - spraying.
Top dressing
Fertilizer is produced once, mainly in late spring. Mature samples do not need to be fed, and for the rest, a solution of Kemira-universal or Nitroammofoski is suitable.
Pruning
This procedure is required by juniper only for decorative purposes, namely to give the plant the desired shape. Dry branches at the beginning of spring are subject to removal, it is better to do this before the sap flow begins.
Wintering
Most juniper species calmly endure winter cold, however, to avoid all sorts of damage, you should tightly attach the branches to the trunk, and cover the newly planted ones with non-woven material.
Transfer
The process of transplantation is much better tolerated by young specimens, while mature change of place is difficult. In order not to harm the juniper, you should carefully treat the earthen coma, who keeps the root in himself.
Based on this, the most favorable time for transplantation will be the period of updating the root system, which falls in April. If you perform the procedure at another time, the juniper will spend much more time on adaptation and restoration of energy.
In order for the transplantation to proceed favorably, it is necessary to perform a number of simple steps step by step:
- Dig a hole of the appropriate size
- Equip the bottom with a drainage layer;
- Prepare the mass necessary for falling asleep (the composition is identical to the landing);
- Dig juniper around 0.5 m;
- Extract the plant;
- Carefully transfer to a new place (it is recommended to use a film);
- Plant according to already known instructions.
Juniper propagation
It can be carried out in several ways:
- Cuttings;
- Layering;
- Vaccinated.
The first method is based on the harvesting of cuttings, which is carried out in the spring. The already hardened upper shoots are perfect, which should be separated together with a small piece of wood of that part from which the stem is taken. After the procedure is carried out by placing the cuttings in a greenhouse. Planting and care of seedlings should be carried out with utmost care and in accordance with the instructions.
Rooting favorably proceeds only in a loose and permeable substrate made of coarse river sand and peat, taken in equal proportions. It is worth paying attention to the fact that for juniper acidic soil is more favorable than neutral or alkaline, so it is not advisable to add ash or eggshells to the mass. The most suitable container is wooden crates equipped with drainage. Do not immerse the cuttings deeper than 3 cm into the soil, while maintaining an angle of 60 º. They should be stored in a warm, dry greenhouse, with high humidity and diffuse lighting. Avoid direct sunlight on the shoots, so it is worth shading the greenhouse as necessary. Young plants need regular watering and spraying.
The time spent on this varies greatly from grade to grade and can last for 1.5 months or six months.
Then the stalk grows for several years in the school. The roots of the seedlings are thin and very fragile, so do not rush to transplant and it is better to give the plant extra time to root, or put the juniper in a new place with extreme care.
Creeping juniper can be propagated by layering. The shoot is cleaned of needles and placed on the surface of the soil on the eve of the prepared near-stem circle. After 1 year, the rooting procedure will be completed, after which it will be necessary to cut off the connection with the parent juniper and transplant for growing. The latter method is complex and is suitable only for experienced gardeners with professional skills. The essence of the method lies in the fact that the selected valuable variety is grafted to ordinary juniper by cutting the shoot and pressing it to the stock. Then you need to tie the connecting place with a transparent tape. This method is not in great demand among gardeners, this is due to the low percentage of survival of the scion.
Diseases and pests, methods of treatment
The most common ailment of juniper is fungal infections.
| Problem | Manifestation | Remedial measures |
| Rust | Bright orange growths on the surface |
For preventive purposes, you can use Tilt, Ridomil, Skor in April and in the middle of autumn. |
| Branch drying | Withering needles, yellowing of the stem, the growth of mushrooms on the surface of the trunk | |
| Tracheomycosis | Withering of the shrub due to decay of the root system. |
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| Moth, aphid, spider mites | Withering of a plant, spider web on leaves. | Treat the bush and the soil beneath and around it with one of the following preparations:
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Mr. Dachnik recommends: the use of juniper in landscape design
Ornamental plant is widely used to decorate and ennoble garden plots. It is used both as a stand alone and as part of a large composition (often together with a decorative stone). It is installed along the curbs along the alleys, introducing diversity in the installation of flowers. The correct proportions of the rocky juniper give a spectacular appearance.
It can be the central figure of the whole garden or the background plant. It is most revealed in areas executed in the Scandinavian style. It is used to decorate alpine and Japanese gardens.
