Any corner of the garden or summer cottage can be decorated with unpretentious and beautiful junipers. In modern landscape design they have become popular and loved due to their various shapes, colors, plasticity and unpretentiousness. Any design idea can be easily realized with the help of these conifers, which cut perfectly. On your site you can plant a lush bush or a spreading tree, creeping ivy or a columnar monolith. There are more than 70 species in the juniper genus. In this article we will talk about the most popular and low-maintenance species and varieties.
Frost-resistant species of junipers
These types of junipers are most often have large habitats. These can be large shrubs growing in light coniferous forests, or small trees, found in the undergrowth of deciduous forests.
Common juniper: photos and varieties
A tree or shrub up to 12 meters high can have a variety of shapes. It is distinguished by reddish-brown shoots and flaky bark. The shiny, prickly and narrow lanceolate needles are 14-16 mm long. Blue-black cones with a bluish coating reach 5-9 mm in diameter. They ripen in the second or third year.
Common juniper, resistant to frost and urban air pollution can grow on poor sandy loams. The shrub has about a hundred varieties, which differ in height, color of needles, shape and diameter of the crown. The most popular varieties are:
Pyramid tree native to North America can reach up to 10 m in height. Due to their resistance to adverse factors, rock junipers are in great demand in areas with hot climates. With their help, tall hedges and various coniferous compositions are created. The most unpretentious and known are two varieties:
Red cedar
This coniferous plant can rightfully be considered the most unpretentious and resilient among all types of junipers. In nature he grows along river banks and on windswept mountain slopes. Virginia juniper wood is resistant to rotting. In this regard, it is used to make pencils, and the plant itself is called the “pencil tree”. It is drought-resistant, frost-resistant and tolerates partial shade.
Varieties of this type of juniper are easily propagated by grafting, cuttings and seeds. Every year a large number of cones ripen on the tree, from which seeds can be obtained. After stratification, the seeds are sown in the ground and are an excellent planting material for creating a hedge. Most often used to decorate gardens and parks. seven varieties of juniper virginiana:
- The Gray Owl variety is a shrub with silver-gray needles and gracefully drooping branches. Grows up to one and a half meters. The width of its crown reaches two meters. A large number of cones berries add additional decorativeness to the shrub. Tolerates pruning well, loves sunny areas, frost-resistant.
- The Hetz variety is a plant with bluish needles that grows up to 2 meters. It can be 2-3 meters wide. Only suitable for large gardens, because it quickly grows in width and height. Resistant to almost any weather conditions.
- The Pendula variety is a spreading tree up to 15 m high. Its “weeping” branches are covered with green needles with a bluish tint.
- The Burkii variety is a fast-growing, pyramidal shrub, the height of which reaches 5-6 m. At the age of ten years, with a crown diameter of 1.5 m, it has a height of 3 m. It is overgrown with non-thorny needles of a green-blue hue.
- The Ganaertii variety is an oval-columnar dense tree that grows up to 5-7 m. The branches are covered with dark green needles. In autumn, countless blue-gray cones are formed on the juniper.
- The Glauca variety is a columnar-shaped tree up to 5 m high. It branches densely and is distinguished by its silvery colored needles.
- The Blue Cloud variety is a dwarf form of juniper virginiana. It has a height of 0.4-0.5 m, a crown width of up to 1.5 m. Long branches are covered with small gray needles with a blue tint.
Medium junipers: varieties
Shrubs with a wide variety of colors and habit, characterized by good resistance to unfavorable growing conditions. The most popular varieties:
Chinese junipers: photos and varieties
Slow growing pyramidal trees, growing in China, Japan, Korea and the Primorsky Territory. Their height can reach up to 20 m, so bonsai are often formed from them. They like it moisturized, enough fertile soils. They tolerate drought well.
Some varieties of Chinese juniper are spreading bushes and are suitable for decorating small areas:
Cossack junipers
Most often this winter-hardy, creeping shrubs, which grow naturally in many areas of Asia and in the forests of Europe. They are often used to strengthen slopes because they are undemanding to the soil, light-loving and drought-resistant. Their varieties differ in needle color, habit and size:
Juniper horizontal
North American plant species that can be used for decoration retaining walls And as a ground cover plant. The most popular varieties:
- The Limeglow variety is a plant that grows up to only 0.4 m in height and grows up to one and a half meters wide. Its branches are strewn with beautiful, bright golden-yellow needles, which allows the shrub to be used as an accent for any composition in the garden. Does not grow well in heavy soils and prefers well-lit areas.
- The Blue Forest variety is a dwarf shrub 0.3 m high and 1.5 m wide. Young shoots grow vertically on its creeping crown, creating the impression of a blue miniature forest. The color of juniper is especially bright and original in mid-summer.
- The Blue Chip variety is one of the most beautiful creeping junipers. Bush with spreading different sides horizontal shoots with slightly raised ends look like a thick silver-blue carpet. In winter, the needles change color and become purple.
- The Andorra Variegata variety is a dwarf shrub 0.4 m high. The cushion-shaped crown grows up to one and a half meters. Juniper is distinguished by bright green needles with creamy splashes in summer time year, and the needles are purple-violet in winter.
A drought-resistant plant with low soil fertility requirements, it grows naturally in China and on the slopes of the Eastern Himalayas. In landscape design, wide-spreading varieties with silver needles are used:
Nothing will clean and freshen the air in your garden quite like planting junipers in it. They will add their shapes and color to the garden comfort, beauty and originality. You can plant a huge tree, a tiny shrub, or make a composition from them. Any of the varieties and types of juniper will easily fit into the landscape design of a small summer cottage or large garden.
Juniper and its varieties and types
Juniper plant in the photo
Decorative species of junipers, both on private plots and in Russian gardens, are still relatively rare. And not at all because they are not worthy of due attention. On the contrary, judging by the description of juniper species, among coniferous species these trees are perhaps the most beautiful. They are distinguished by their varied shapes, graceful needles and decorative fruits.
In addition, it is unlikely that there will be another such natural air ozonizer that cleans it of harmful organisms in a short time and over a significant radius. It is not for nothing that there is an aura of benevolence and peace among junipers. This plant is rightfully medicinal.
The homeland of juniper is the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere, less often - the mountains of the tropical part of Central America, the West Indies and East Africa. Juniper thickets live in the undergrowth of light-coniferous or light-leaved forests on sandy and even rocky mountain soils.
More than 20 species of juniper trees are known in Europe and Asia; no more than five or six are common in Russia. They are very different both in appearance and in biological requirements.
Juniper is an evergreen coniferous plant belonging to the Cypress family. These can be trees with a height of 12 to 30 m. There are also decorative juniper shrubs - creeping (up to 40 cm in height) and erect (up to 1-3 m). The leaves (needles) of this plant are needle-shaped or scale-like.
Look at the photo to see what different types of juniper look like:
Juniper 
Juniper
The plant is monoecious or dioecious, depending on the species, age and environmental conditions. Male spikelets are yellowish with scaly stamens, female cones are berry-shaped, with a bluish coating, bearing 1-10 seeds. Flowering - in April-May. Cones usually ripen in the second year after flowering.
What do the roots of a juniper plant look like? The root system of these trees and shrubs is taprooted, with developed lateral branching. Powerful roots are sometimes located in the upper soil horizon.
When describing the juniper tree, it is especially worth noting the strong coniferous smell emitted by these plants and due to the content of essential oils in the needles. Volatile substances have a pronounced phytoncidal effect. The pine smell kills microorganisms and repels insects, in particular mosquitoes.
The smell of juniper can improve the well-being of those suffering from angina pectoris and relieve insomnia. The beneficial role of sleeping pads with dry juniper bark and steam bath brooms, which relieve joint and neurological pain, is well known.
Twigs of all kinds coniferous trees juniper with live needles is popularly used to fumigate an infected room or simply freshen the air.
The berries of this plant are an excellent raw material for the confectionery, alcoholic beverage and perfume industries.
Common juniper in the photo
Common juniper- a plant in the form of a bush or tree (up to 12 m in height) with a cone-shaped crown.
Young shoots of this species are initially green, then reddish, bare, and round. The bark of the branches and trunks is grayish-brown, dark, scaly-flaky. The needles are in whorls of three, shiny, lanceolate-linear, 1-1.5 cm long, dark green or bluish-green with a hard, spiny tip.
The plant is dioecious. Male flowers are yellow spikelets consisting of shield-shaped scales with 4-6 anthers. Female ones - resemble green buds of three scales and three ovules. Blooms in May - June. It begins to bear fruit at the age of 5-10 years. Cone berries are single or several pieces, spherical, up to 10 mm in diameter.
As you can see in the photo of the juniper, the fruits of the tree in a mature state are dark blue with a bluish waxy coating:
Common juniper 
Common juniper
The berries have a resinous smell and a sweetish-pleasant taste. Contains up to 40% sugar. A bountiful harvest is repeated after 3-4 years. The cones are collected by shaking them onto a film or cloth spread under the plants and dried under a canopy.
This juniper is undemanding to soil, cold-resistant, and does not tolerate drought well. When transplanted without a clod of soil, it takes root with difficulty. It is propagated by seeds, which mature within 2-3 years and have an oblong shape and a brownish-brown color.
Known decorative forms of common juniper:
Juniper "Pyramidal" in the photo
"Pyramidal" with a columnar crown,
"Pressed"- low-growing shrub with dense dark green needles,
"Horizontal"- a low creeping shrub, densely covered with blue-green needles, sharp and prickly.
Look at the photo of varieties of this type of juniper:
Juniper 
Juniper
These plants are propagated by cuttings and grafting. Common juniper and its decorative forms grow very slowly. They cannot tolerate excess salt in soils and often die when transplanted, which must be taken into account when growing them.
The medicinal properties of the common juniper were known and used in Ancient Egypt, Rome, Greece and Rus'. It is a good diuretic, choleretic, expectorant and antimicrobial agent. And the North American Indians, for example, kept patients with tuberculosis in juniper thickets, not allowing them to leave until they fully recovered.
In the 17th century in Russia, oil and alcohol were made from juniper fruits. The latter was used to produce a special vodka, which was considered a reliable remedy for almost all diseases. The oil was used as an effective antiseptic in the treatment of wounds, burns, and frostbite.
The fruits of this juniper are used as a seasoning. They give a special forest aroma to dishes from poultry and game. The fruits are also used as a coffee substitute. They are still used to make jelly, marmalade, and syrup, which are added to jelly, confectionery and baked goods.
Common juniper cones contain essential oils and 20-25% glucose; they are not inferior in sugar content to grapes. They are used in medicine as a diuretic, in the liquor industry for the production of gin, and in the confectionery industry for the production of syrups. This type of juniper is widely used in homeopathy, as well as in Tibetan medicine.
Pay attention to the photo - this type of juniper in dachas and personal plots is used in single and group plantings, as well as for hedges:
Juniper in dachas and garden plots
The name of this type of juniper is more often heard than others, since it is the most studied and used as a medicinal plant.
In autumn, juniper fruits are harvested. They are aromatic, black-brown in color and have a sweet-spicy taste. Infusions and decoctions are prepared from them (1 tablespoon of crushed fruits per glass of water), which are prescribed as a diuretic and disinfectant for kidney diseases, Bladder, kidney and liver stones. Decoctions are also used for gout, rheumatism, arthritis, helping to remove mineral salts from the body.
Both berries and pine needles are used for external use - for skin diseases, gout, arthritis.
You can also be treated with fresh fruits, taking them only after consulting with your doctor, first 2-4 on an empty stomach, then increasing by 1 berry daily, up to 13-15, after which the dose is also gradually reduced to 5 pieces. Fruits are contraindicated in acute inflammatory processes in the kidneys.
Cossack juniper in the photo
Juniper Cossack- a low creeping shrub with recumbent or ascending branches covered with dense needles with a silvery tint.
Unlike the ordinary juniper, the Cossack juniper has poisonous berries. They are small, spherical, brown-black in color with a bluish coating and a very unpleasant odor.
By touching the ground, the plant's branches can take root. As it grows, juniper forms large clumps up to 3-4 m in diameter. This species is very drought-resistant, light-loving and winter-hardy, loves calcareous soil, but grows on all types of soil. Thanks to its unusual appearance, this juniper is indispensable in landscaping, for strengthening rocky slopes, and in decorative groups on lawns.
When propagating this type of juniper by green cuttings, the standard planting material It will turn out 2-3 years earlier than from seeds, and the characteristics of the mother plant will be completely preserved. Reproduction by layering is the fastest and most easy way vegetative propagation Cossack juniper, but very unproductive.
Such are known garden varieties this type of juniper, like
Juniper "columnar" 
Juniper "erect"
“columnar”, “erect”,
Juniper form "cypress-leaved" 
Juniper form “variegated”
"cypress-leaved", "variegated"
Juniper form "tamarixolia"
And "tamarixolifolia".
The most interesting is the “white-edged” one with almost white needles at the ends of the branches. Each is decorative in its own way and differs in the shade and shape of the needles.
Juniper Cossack comb-leaved- dioecious, low, almost creeping shrub with smooth, reddish-gray bark. Cones up to 7 mm in diameter, brown-black, with a bluish coating, contain 2-6 pieces. seeds Frost-resistant, drought-resistant.
Chinese juniper in the photo
Chinese juniper- trees or shrubs with a columnar or pyramidal crown. Young shoots are grayish or yellowish-green, round, later brownish. The bark of the trunks is brownish-gray. The needles are predominantly opposite or in young specimens partially whorled (crosswise opposite and needle-shaped in whorls of three), on the shoots they are scaly, rhombic, blunt, tightly pressed to the shoot up to 1.5 mm in length. Propagated by seeds and cuttings.
Cone berries are single or in groups, spherical or ovoid, 6-10 mm in size, mature blue-black.
This type of juniper prefers fertile, well-moistened soils. Does not tolerate drought well. Withstands temperatures down to -30° without visible damage.
As you can see in the photo, this decorative juniper is used for single, group and alley plantings:
Juniper on the site 
Juniper on the site
Of the numerous decorative forms in summer cottages, they grow the “variegata” form - with whitish tips of the shoots, and the “fitzeriana” - with spreading, upward-pointing branches and drooping branches. The variegated, low-growing form is interesting - with arched branches and drooping greenish and golden shoots.
This type of juniper can be grown as a bonsai.
Here you can find photos, names and descriptions of other varieties of juniper suitable for growing in the garden.
Siberian juniper in the photo
Siberian juniper- a low-growing (up to 1 m) creeping shrub with short, sharp, dark green, prickly needles. It is characterized by winter hardiness and unpretentiousness to growing conditions.
Juniperus virginiana in the photo
Red cedar- monoecious evergreen tree. This juniper looks like a real giant - its height reaches up to 20 m. Its homeland is North America. The crown is narrowly ovoid, the needles are long (up to 13 mm) and prickly. The cones ripen in the fall, already in the first year. They are dark blue, with a waxy coating, up to 5 mm in diameter, sweet in taste, and contain 1-2 seeds. Grows quickly, especially with sufficient moisture. Less frost-hardy than Siberian and ordinary. Easily propagated by seeds when sown in autumn or stratified in spring. It tolerates pruning well, but does not tolerate replanting.
Among the common garden forms juniper virginiana has plants with columnar and pyramidal crowns; with drooping and spreading branches with bluish needles, a rounded spherical crown and bright green needles.
Long-coniferous juniper- tree or shrub. Young shoots are greenish, later - brown, round, glabrous. The bark is scaly-flaky, dark gray in color. The needles are pointed, three in whorls, 15-20 mm long, dark green or bluish, hard, prickly, shiny.
This type of plant has juniper cones, single and in groups, spherical or oval, 5-10 mm in diameter, ripe ones are black, with a faint bluish bloom. Triangular shaped seeds.
This type of juniper is suitable for group and single plantings, for decorative design slopes and rocky places, because it is not picky about soil and moisture. Propagated by seeds.
Forms with a spherical crown and a compact pyramidal bush are known.
Juniper dwarf- it is mainly a shrub up to 1 m tall. Stems are recumbent, rooting. Young shoots are green and bare. The bark of the branches and trunks is brown, on older ones it is scaly and flaky. This variety of juniper has needles in whorls of three, prickly, hard, up to 1 cm long, bluish-green.
Cone berries are single or in groups, almost spherical, 5-10 mm in diameter, mature - black with a bluish coating, seeds including 2-3, wrinkled, tetrahedral.
In garden design, it is suitable for single plantings on lawns, ridges, rocky hills, and for landscaping slopes. It is undemanding to soils.
Among natural forms stunted The most popular is “Glauka” with recumbent branches and bluish-gray needles, as well as the “Renta” form with obliquely upward directed arched branches with slightly bluish-gray needles. Propagated by seeds, cuttings and layering.
Juniper reddish- tree or shrub. Young shoots and needles are green, and later acquire a yellowish color. The bark is brown-gray, flaky. There are two original white stripes on the top of the needles. The shape of the needles is grooved, prickly and shiny.
The cone berries are spherical, 10 mm in diameter, ripe - reddish-brown, shiny, without a bluish coating.
The species is decorative with yellow colored needles and reddish cone berries. It differs from other species in its lack of cold resistance. It is propagated by seeds, of which there are 2-3 per coneberry. They are brown and slightly triangular.
Juniper tall- a tree up to 15 m high. Young shoots are bluish-dark green, compressed tetrahedral, glabrous. The bark of the branches and trunks is brownish-red, peeling off with age. The needles are crosswise opposite, 2-5 mm long, pointed, ovate-lanceolate in shape, rarely needle-shaped, bluish-green.
The cone berries are single, spherical, 10-12 mm in diameter, mature - black with a bluish coating, brown seeds.
Pay attention to the photo of this variety of juniper - it is very decorative, has a beautiful, dense, wide-pyramidal or ovoid crown. Suitable for single and group plantings, grows well on dry rocky slopes.
Like most other types of juniper, it is winter-hardy, drought-resistant, undemanding to the soil, tolerates pruning well, so can be used in borders. Propagated by seeds.
Juniper squamosus- a slow-growing shrub with an oval crown. When young, the crown is rounded, the branches are raised, bluish-green. The needles are needle-shaped, prickly, gray, short, dense, collected in whorls. The fruits are red-brown cones; When ripe in the second year they become almost black.
Grow various shapes this juniper, among which there are plants with a spherical, vase-shaped, spread-out crown.
In our gardens, this type of juniper is most often found in the form:
"Blue Star" is a shrub 40-45 cm high and a crown diameter of 50 cm with silver-blue and very prickly needles. It looks good on alpine slides, as well as in containers.
It is quite frost-resistant, but often suffers from the spring sun.
Methods of juniper propagation and growing conditions (with photo)
The method of juniper propagation is chosen depending on the species - seeds, green cuttings, layering.
The seeds ripen in cones a year or two after flowering. The cones are left hanging on the tree until sowing. It is better to do sowing in the fall (November) in the sowing furrows, into which it is necessary to add soil from under an adult juniper plant, meaning the introduction into new ground mycorrhiza. If sowing is done in the spring, then preliminary stratification of the seeds is necessary in wet sand, in the first month at a temperature of +20...+30°, and then 4 months - at +14...+15°. Substrate for sowing - 1 part sifted turf soil and 1 part pine sawdust.
As shown in the photo, when propagating juniper good results planting green cuttings in greenhouses, and in summer - in greenhouses:
Juniper propagation 
Juniper propagation
Green cuttings are indispensable for propagating garden forms. Cuttings are taken with the “heel” only from young plants.
The substrate - 1 part peat, 1 part juniper needle - is placed on a layer of compost, covered with a layer of turf soil, taken from under the juniper plant. Cuttings are sprayed 4-5 times a day. The most suitable time for cutting cuttings is April. For better rooting, cuttings should be treated with a growth stimulant, immersing them for 24 hours in a solution of Epin, Zircon, Ukorenit, Kornevin, Kornerosta or another drug.
One of the main conditions for growing junipers is maintaining the temperature regime. Optimal temperature air during cuttings should be +23...+24° with a relative humidity of 80-83%.
After 1-1.5 months, a thickening appears on the juniper cuttings - callus. Immediately after this, they are transferred to the ridges, where they overwinter.
Caring for and growing junipers is not difficult, since all types of these plants are unpretentious, developing well on the most various soils up to sand and wetlands, but preference is given to light nutrient substrates.
Most species are light-loving, drought-resistant, sharp fluctuations temperature and damage from diseases and pests.
Considering the peculiarities of growing junipers, you cannot dig up the soil under these plants in the fall to avoid damaging the roots. Tree trunk circle should be covered with a layer of fallen pine needles.
When growing juniper in the garden, all types of these plants are unpretentious, that is, they are able to withstand frost and drought, and practically do not require fertilizers or pruning. However, there are certainly secrets to the agricultural technology of growing junipers in culture, as evidenced by their frequent loss of decorativeness, and sometimes sudden death.
Planting a seedling on permanent place is fraught with difficulties, since juniper does not like transplants. The tree for transplantation is dug in a circle and, together with a lump of earth, is transferred to a new place. In this case, the goal is to minimally injure the root system.
For successful care For juniper, planting dates are determined by root growth. Juniper has two growth periods: early spring (March) and mid-summer (June-July). However, according to weather conditions second, summer period Not suitable due to drought. At the same time, planting in the fall may be considered advisable. During the winter, the plant is dormant, and with the beginning of spring it begins to actively take root.
These photos show planting and caring for juniper in a personal plot:
Juniper in the garden
Junipers are worthy of widespread use in the design of summer cottages. Their decorative forms are especially picturesque. They are not only beautiful, but by releasing phytoncides, like all conifers, they improve the health of our habitat.
Each of the most common types of junipers has its own specificity and value.
Low-growing forms of junipers are successfully used as ground cover.
Juniper as a silver-blue carpet
Forms such as "Glauka", "Blue Star" And "Old Gold", are capable of creating a beautiful silver-blue carpet under trees and tall bushes.
Pyramidal juniper species are usually planted as single plants or in small groups near various architectural structures, as well as on lawns and alpine hills. They are good in a quiet corner formed by trees, herbs and perennials.
Nothing refreshes and purifies the air in the garden like junipers. And what beauty and comfort they add to a garden or dacha! What does this juniper look like? It varies depending on the type and variety. It could be a huge tree or a tiny bush. We have selected the five most common types of this conifer and added colorful photographs to the description so that you can have an idea about them.
Depending on the type, juniper can vary in height, crown shape, and needle color. There are about 70 species in total. We grow about 12, among which the most popular and beautiful is juniper
- ordinary,
- Virginia,
- horizontal
- Cossack,
- Chinese.
That's what we'll talk about. We have devoted separate articles to three popular types - Cossack, horizontal and Chinese.
Common juniper (Juniperus communis)
- This is a frost-resistant evergreen shrub 5-10 m high.
- The width of the crown depends on the variety. At the 10th year of the plant’s life, the diameter reaches about 0.5 m and the height reaches 5 m.
- The crown is dense, cone-shaped and narrower in males, and ovoid and ascending in females.
- The needles are needle-shaped and pointed, triangular in diameter, green in color with a waxy coating and with a whitish stomatal strip on the upper side.
Varieties:
"Anna Maria"- Polish slow-growing variety with a mound-shaped crown. By the age of 10, it grows only up to 30 cm in height and up to 40 cm in width.
Bruns- columnar variety, with bluish-steel prickly needles. At 10 years old it becomes 2.5 m tall.
"Depressa Aurea"- this is a low shrub by the age of 10 reaching 30 cm in height, but in diameter it reaches 2 m. The variety is interesting for its characteristic depression in the center of the coniferous “bowl” and golden yellow color. Used as a ground cover plant.
"Horstmann"– a variety with an original picturesque crown shape. The outstretched branches are directed almost horizontally, drooping. With age, the plant takes on a weeping appearance.
Chinese juniper (Juniperus chinensis)
- It is a low-growing shrub or pyramidal tree up to 20-25 m high.
- Young shoots are dark green. The foliage is scaly and needle-shaped, bluish-green.
- Unpretentious, easily tolerates city conditions, not picky about soil, required condition– drainage.
You can see a detailed description of Chinese juniper and its most popular varieties in the article dedicated to this species.
Virginia juniper (Juniperus virginiana)
- The species is also known as “Pencil tree”.
- Evergreen conifer can reach up to 30 m in height.
- The young plant has a narrow ovoid crown. With age, the crown is formed by widely spaced branches from the trunk with a diameter of 1.5 m.
- The needles are small, scaly or needle-shaped, depending on the variety.
- The foliage is dark green or bluish-green, and turns brown in winter.
- It is undemanding to soils, easy to mold, and the crown retains its given appearance for a long time.
- Frost-resistant, suitable for the European part of Russia.
Varieties:
"Skyrocket"- its narrow columnar shape with a gray-blue crown has earned great popularity in landscape design.
"Grey Owl"- spreading shrub with silver-gray needles.
"Hetz"– a fast-growing shrub variety with bluish needles.
Juniper horizontal or prostrate (Juniperus horizontalis)
- This is a creeping evergreen shrub from 30 cm to 1 m in height with long branches that are densely covered with bluish-green tetrahedral shoots.
- Crown width from 1.5 m to 2 m.
- The needles are green or gray.
- The leaves are scaly and needle-shaped.
- Undemanding to soil composition, does not tolerate dry air. It has taken root in the southern and middle zones.
If you are interested in this shrub, then look at what different varieties look like in the photo in our other article.
Cossack juniper (Juniperus sabina)
- This is one of the most spectacular types of creeping shrubs up to 1.5 m high.
- The needles of young plants are needle-shaped, bluish-green on top with a clear vein in the middle, which becomes scale-like with age.
We have dedicated a separate article to it because this species is highly toxic and there are things to be aware of. Before choosing this type of juniper, be sure to read.
Varieties:
"Variegata"- spreading crown with variegated green needles. Distinguished by creamy white areas in the greenery.
"Arcadia"– the cushion-shaped crown is formed by soft green needles. Height 50 cm, diameter 2.5 m.
"Blue Danube"– bluish-green needles.
"Glauka"- gray-blue needles take on a bronze tint in winter.
"Tamariscifolia"- short needle-shaped needles from light green to bluish-green color. It differs in that its horizontal main branches are arranged in tiers.
By the way, varieties among one type of juniper can vary greatly both in the size of an adult plant and in shape. Therefore, before you settle on a particular type of juniper, find photos to find out what a particular variety looks like. When choosing a variety, also pay attention to the growth rate, if this is important to you.
Juniper is a beautiful, drought-resistant, light-loving, long-lived plant. More than seventy species are known. Many interesting varieties have been developed - juniper is grown both in the middle zone and in cold regions.
Juniper: types and varieties
The most famous are the following species and varieties.
Common juniper - this species is highly frost-resistant. It is not picky about soil composition. The berries take 2 years to ripen.
Medium juniper stands out from other shrubs with its outstretched crown shape. The plant is relatively winter-hardy - it needs shelter only in the first years of life.
Juniperus virginiana can reach a height of 30 m. The plant prefers a dry steppe climate.
Horizontal juniper is characterized by excellent adaptability - it feels good in both hot and cold climate zones.
Daurian juniper is extremely unpretentious - it grows equally well both in the southeast of Siberia and in warm regions.
Cossack juniper is a prostrate or creeping bush. The plant is characterized by excellent winter hardiness. It is not afraid of droughts either.
Chinese juniper is interesting for its decorative properties - even in nature, plants of the same species differ from each other in external characteristics. This allowed breeders to develop many interesting varieties.
Juniper recumbent is grown as a ground cover plant - a creeping shrub reaches half a meter in height.
Siberian juniper prefers mountain landscapes. It grows slowly, but pleases with its beauty, and is not afraid of frost and drought.
Rock juniper is very decorative - even in natural conditions the plant has a beautiful crown. The color of the needles is also interesting - it has a bluish tint. The plant grows slowly, but has a long life expectancy.
Scaly juniper attracts attention with its beautiful needles - they are painted in a steel-gray color.
Rocky junipers: varieties
This type of juniper is represented by the following varieties: Blue Arrow, Globe, Repens, Pathfinder, Skyrocket, Silver King, Wichita.
Blue Haven juniper is a slow growing plant. Its maximum height is 2.5 m. The plant has a dense conical crown. The needles are colored light blue. The variety does not place high demands on the soil.
Common juniper: varieties
Common juniper is represented by the following varieties: B 2, Columnaris, Сompressa, Echiniformis, Gold beach, Gold Cone, Green Carpet, Нibernica, Нornibrookii, Меуер, Оblonga pendula, Repanda.
The Green Carpet variety is a low juniper (even at the age of ten the plant reaches only 10 cm in height). This variety is ideal for lawns - the plants do not require cutting or special care.
Varieties of Chinese juniper
This type of plant is represented by the following varieties: Blue Alps, Columnaris, Columnaris glauca, Echiniformis, Expansa, Globosa, Hetzii, Mint Julep, Old Gold, Pfitzeriana.
Kurovavo Gold is a variety famous for its beauty. The plant forms a spherical crown. Its maximum height is 2 m. The needles differ in color - young ones have an emerald tint, and old ones are dark green.
Juniper horizontal: varieties
Creeping juniper (horizontal) is represented by the following varieties: Adpressa, Alpina, Andorra compact, Argentea, Glacier, Glenmore, Petraea, Prostrata, Wiltonii.
Andorra Compact - this variety is interesting in the shape of its crown (it resembles a lush pillow). In winter, the needles change color and become purple-violet.
Tall junipers: varieties
Tall junipers are represented by different species. Accordingly, you can select quite a lot of varieties with optimal visual characteristics. The most interesting varieties: Skyrocket, Glauka, Gray Owl (Virginian juniper), Hibernica, Columnaris (common juniper).
Fast-growing junipers: varieties
Good growth rates are characteristic of the following varieties: Blue carpet ( scaly juniper), Tamariscifolia and Mas (Cossack juniper), Pfitzeriana Aurea, Mordigan Gold, Pfitzeriana compacta (medium juniper). Juniperus virginiana also grows quickly.
Mordigan Gold is an elegant, compact, frost and drought resistant variety. The needles have a golden hue. The height of the plants reaches a meter, the diameter of the crown does not exceed two meters. This juniper tolerates urban conditions well.
Edible juniper: varieties
Juniper fruits are not eaten like regular berries, but they are used in the preparation of tinctures, marmalades, kvass, jellies, jelly, and beer. The aroma of juniper makes smoked meat especially tasty. Cossack juniper is poisonous. Fruits of other types can be used. The fruits of the Caucasian juniper are most widely used.
Cossack juniper: varieties
Cossack juniper is represented by the varieties Arcaida, Blue danube, Buffalo, Supressifolia, Erecta, Fastigiata, Mas, Rockery Gem, Tamariscifolia.
Variegata is a variety with brightly variegated needles (they are colored green-white or yellowish). This juniper grows slowly and forms a creeping crown. The greatest height is 1 m. The plant is quite demanding on the composition of the soil. It does not tolerate frost and drought well.
Juniper: varieties for the Moscow region
Many types of juniper are grown in the Moscow region and central Russia. The most common junipers are common, horizontal, rocky, and Cossack.
Plants of the Skyrocket variety look very beautiful. They have a columnar shape. Scaly or needle-shaped needles are colored gray-blue color. The height of the plant reaches 6-8 m. Unlike many other types of juniper, this variety grows very quickly - the annual growth is about 20 cm.
Juniper varieties for Siberia
Many junipers are characterized by good frost resistance, which allows them to be grown in harsh climatic conditions. The most widespread junipers in Siberia and the Urals are Siberian, Cossack, hard, Chinese, Virginia, common, and scaly.
The Blue Alps variety (Chinese juniper) has excellent recommendations. The plant tolerates frost well and has a compact shape. Its average height is 2.5-4 m. The needle-shaped needles below are painted silver, and above they are light green.
There are many varieties of juniper. Plants are actively used for landscaping areas - they are very decorative, therefore they are in great demand.
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Evergreen junipers, which naturally spread from the polar regions to the subtropics, are recognized not only as one of the most ancient plants, but also as the most valuable crops for landscaping. Having studied common junipers, types and varieties with photos, descriptions and features, you can transform both your summer cottage and extensive garden and park areas.
All existing varieties these plants have:
- creeping, shrubby or tree-like form;
- scaly or needle-like leaves;
- fruits in the form of small dense cones with closed scales.
Thanks to the highest degree of adaptability, junipers were able to survive the climatic disasters of the past and settle in various natural areas. This property, as well as its exotic beauty, attracted attention to plants that have become indispensable in the design of rocky corners, rock gardens, and borders.
Common juniper (J. communis)
One of the most common types of juniper is found in Europe, northern Africa, Asia and even on the lands of the North American continent.
The common juniper shown in the photo has the form of a bush or small tree. IN favorable conditions a plant with dense, consisting of branches covered with needle-shaped leaves up to 15 mm long, reaches a height of 3–8 meters. Sometimes junipers, divided into female and male specimens, grow up to 12 meters.
The common juniper, like all its relatives, is a long-lived and slow-growing crop. It is not uncommon for specimens to live to be a hundred years old or older. Moreover, the beauty of the plant is better revealed when high humidity soil and air.
The crown, resembling a pyramid or cone, thanks to its hard, prickly needles, remains decorative throughout the year and tolerates pruning without problems, which is important when growing juniper as an ornamental crop. And the leaves themselves live for about 4 years and are gradually replaced.
The bluish-blue cones of the plant ripen only in the second year.
On the site, the common juniper, in the photo, shows an unpretentious character, high frost resistance and undemanding nutrition. The popularity of this plant is added by the presence of many varieties with traditional green, gray-silver or golden foliage, with a pyramidal, conical or squat flattened crown.
Photos of juniper varieties of this species are striking in their diversity, and their agricultural technology is accessible even to beginners.
Juniper Depressa is a cultivated variety of the plant found in Canada. According to various sources, this species is considered independent, Canadian, or is recognized as a subspecies of common juniper. It is distinguished from the usual form by a wide, drooping or prostrate crown and a height not exceeding one and a half meters.
The needle-like leaves of the plant have a brownish color, which becomes almost bronze by winter, increasing the decorative value of the evergreen plant.
Juniper Depressa Aurea is close in appearance to the variety described above, but its hedgehog foliage is more attractive. Young shoots of the plant have a bright light green, almost yellow or golden color, which gives the name to the juniper variety of the species Juniperus communis shown in the photo.
Siberian juniper (J. sibirica)
This type of juniper was named after Siberia, where plants with small needles and a squat crown can be found in mountainous areas. In addition to the Siberian region, the culture is widespread in the northern regions of Europe, the Far East, Crimea, the Caucasus and Central Asia. Everywhere, Siberian juniper plants prefer to settle in dry rocky areas
The characteristic features of the Siberian juniper include: short stature, slow pace of development and decorative, needle-like foliage thanks to light stripes, living for about 2 years. The round, bluish berries ripen in the second year after formation.
IN wildlife due to slow growth and small sizes Siberian juniper needs protection. The plant is more comfortable in the garden even with minimal care. Undemanding look:
- survives dry periods without loss;
- is content with low-nutrient soils;
- not afraid of frost;
- takes root in areas where there is a risk of increased gas and air pollution;
- loves light and does not need shading.
Over time, trailing juniper shoots can take root, causing the crowns to grow and create living borders. The Siberian variety is ideal for decorating slides.
Cossack juniper (J. sabina)
Another common type of juniper is interesting for the gardener because, in addition to endurance, it has two varieties of needles. The first, needle-shaped foliage up to 6 mm long, can be seen on young shoots, as well as on branches located in the shade. The second, scaly type of foliage is the needles on adult branches.
On average, the foliage with its rich, resinous aroma characteristic of juniper lives for three years. Round or oval dense berries ripen in the second year.
Compared to the common juniper, the Cossack juniper shown in the photo is not so tall and noticeable. The height of the creeping shrub with a dense, squat crown is about one and a half meters. But this did not stop juniper from being appreciated and used to decorate parks and formal gardens from the end of the 16th century.
Thanks to the breeding of varieties with dark green, gray and light needles, an undemanding, winter-hardy and drought-tolerant plant will be indispensable on the hills. It is used to secure slopes and create living borders that hold their shape well.
Chinese juniper (J. chinensis)
Among all the junipers, this plant from the Cypress family stands out for its impressive size. The crown of a native of China, Korea and Manchuria grows to a height of 25 meters. Chinese juniper, in the photo, has needle-like needles on young shoots, which, as the thin branches mature, are replaced by small scaly foliage. Small cones of the plant can be colored bluish, brown or black, and covered with a bluish coating.
The first specimens of Chinese juniper appeared in Europe at the beginning of the 19th century. In Russia, these plants were planted a little later on the Black Sea coast, where they are still found today. But unlike other species, the Chinese variety needs more wet ground and air, so it often suffers from drought. The frost resistance limit of the crop is −30 °C. Therefore, in the middle zone without shelter, plants can freeze out. 
It is interesting that despite the large size of adult specimens, Chinese juniper, as in the photo, is often used for.
Juniper (J. procumbens)
In Japan and other countries in the region, recumbent juniper is found with a creeping or drooping crown, covered with green or, more often, bluish-blue needles.
Plants with a height of 50 to 400 cm are adapted to a humid maritime climate, so in the Russian central zone they can suffer in dry air, as well as from frost in particularly harsh winters.
In its homeland, juniper of this species is one of the favorite plants for creating spectacular ones.
Juniperus rigida (J. rigida)
Many Far Eastern junipers are now actively used in garden and park plantings. Hard juniper - the indigenous inhabitant of this fertile region chooses coastal sandy slopes and shores as habitats. Plants settle on windy clones under the cover of larger trees. Here, junipers take on a creeping form and, at a height of up to 40 cm, thanks to two-meter shoots, form dense, difficult-to-pass groups.
In favorable conditions, hard juniper reaches a height of 8 meters. The crown, covered with yellow-green prickly needles, is dense in male specimens, while female plants are more transparent.
A very unpretentious species of juniper is not often found in cultivation. At the same time, the plant can be interesting for park landscaping and creating authentic, oriental corners in small areas.
When growing durum juniper, you need to take into account that on acidic soils the plant feels depressed and loses its decorative effect due to its already low growth rate.
Prostrate juniper (J. horizontalis)
The name of this species speaks volumes about appearance and characteristic features of the plant. The prostrate juniper has a squat, even creeping crown height from 10 to 30 cm. The plant comes from Canada, where it prefers to settle on sandy slopes, on the shores of lakes or in mountainous areas, also called. Although the species is frost-resistant, not picky when choosing soil and perfectly strengthens the slopes, when planting it you need to take into account that in drought conditions the juniper feels depressed, its needles lose their brightness and tone.
In ornamental gardening, horizontal juniper is valued for its needles with two light, almost white stripes. Based on the wild form, more than a hundred cultivated varieties have been created today, differing in foliage color and crown shape.
Juniper medium (J. x media)
During breeding work with junipers, it was found that certain species can produce stable hybrids that are interesting to gardeners. An example of such successful hybridization is the medium juniper, obtained from crossing the Cossack and spherical varieties (J. sphaerica). The first specimens of this species were grown at the end of the 19th century in Germany, and then spread throughout Europe and throughout the world.
Evergreen plants of medium juniper, as in the photo, can have a creeping, prostrate or wide spreading crown. Depending on the variety, plants of this species grow up to 3–5 meters. The needles are scaly and needle-shaped and are colored in green and bluish tones. There are varieties with a golden crown.
Although the plants are winter-hardy, there is a risk of freezing. Therefore, in the middle zone and to the north, junipers are covered for the winter months, which is not difficult given the squat, relatively small crown of the plant.
Rock juniper (J. scopulorum)
The North American continent has given the world many shrubs. In the Rocky Mountains, famous for their rugged beauty, the rock juniper shown in the photo was discovered.
This form is distinguished by its pyramidal shape and scaly needles, which, depending on the variety, can be rich green or gray, almost blue. Slender evergreen plant in the first half of the 19th century centuries grown in parks and greenhouses. During this time, more than 20 cultivated varieties were obtained. With minimal care and protection in severe frosts, adult plants easily maintain a pyramidal shape and slowly develop, reaching a height of 12 meters.
Virginia juniper (J. virginiana)
Red cedar or Virginian juniper is an indigenous inhabitant of the north of the American continent. The plant owes its unusual nickname to its record growth for junipers. Adult specimens of this species are powerful trees up to 30 meters high with trunks whose diameter reaches one and a half meters.
The large tree-like form is not the only difference between the species. Juniperus virginiana, in the photo, has fairly rapid growth. This circumstance was immediately appreciated by the Americans, who began cultivating the crop in the middle of the 17th century.
The plant has small needles of a mixed type and the same medium-sized cones, which ripen the same year after formation. In Russia, this species is suitable for cultivation in the southern regions; in its homeland, the wood is used to make stationery pencils and obtain essential oil. For ornamental gardening, many compact varieties and interspecific hybrids with silver, bluish and light needles have been bred.
Scaly juniper (J. squamata)
China, Taiwan and the Himalayas are the habitat of another species of juniper with dense, decorative crown up to one and a half meters high.
This is the scaly juniper shown in the photo, which easily tolerates dry air and poor soil, but is not winter-hardy enough for central Russia.
Dahurian juniper (J. davurica)
The Russian Far East, the northern regions of China and Mongolia are the birthplace of another decorative look juniper, characterized not only by its creeping shape and slow growth rate, but also by its long life.
Dahurian juniper plants can grow and develop for more than a hundred years, while their shoots in diameter do not exceed five centimeters.
The species, described at the end of the 18th century, is called stone heather by indigenous people due to its hard wood, ability to settle on poor soils, including rocky heaps, and compact size.
The above-ground part of the juniper does not exceed 50 cm in height; the trunk is often hidden in the ground, which helps the shoots take root and makes the plant very valuable for strengthening steep slopes, hills and embankments. Light green needles take on a brownish-brown hue by winter. Ripe spherical cones have the same color. Daurian juniper is decorative, unpretentious and extremely winter-hardy.
Video about the types and varieties of juniper in the country
