Juniper Blue Star: description, cultivation

The article presents the Blue Star juniper: description, characteristics, benefits, rules for planting, care, reproduction, protection.

Blue Star juniper refers to shrubs that are dwarf in size. A culture like juniper can take root in a wide variety of climatic zones. The Blue Star juniper variety is not too whimsical or capricious plant. In this variety, the crown has the shape of a ball. The name of the variety was given to this variety in honor of the extraordinary coloring of the needles. They have a pale green color with a bluish tone. This plant has a decorative appearance and for this reason it is very popular among designers of parks, gardens and summer cottages.

Juniper Blue Star: description, full characteristics

Juniper Blue Star: photo of the variety

Blue Star scaly juniper does not grow very high, does not grow too quickly, only six to seven centimeters per year. There are a lot of shoots, all of them are covered with thorny needles. The needles are short in length. Young plants, up to one year old, have a spherical shape. As for the older junipers, their appearance may resemble a dome or hemisphere. Forming bushes is, in principle, not a requirement. In summer and spring, the needles of plants are painted in a smoky grayish tint, a little with a bluish tint, and in autumn and winter the needles acquire a lilac color.

Juniper Blue Star, which has already grown up quite well, has very beautiful needles, it looks like multi-colored scales. In addition to its beautiful appearance, this juniper has a very bright pleasant aroma of needles, since it contains a huge amount of essential oils that enrich the air with useful phytoncides that can purify it.

The dimensions of the Blue Star scaly juniper are not too prominent, rather, on the contrary, compact. In its height, the Blue Star variety usually reaches no more than seventy centimeters; the diameter of the crown of the shrub is about one and a half meters. It is a dwarf juniper species. Although this plant is not too large, the needles are very dense, and the branches are located very close to each other, thus, the crown looks very elegant and magnificent.
The Blue Star juniper variety has good resistance to low temperatures. Such a plant feels good in the middle zone of our country. Regions with colder winters usually require additional shelter. However, it should be noted that covered with a snow layer, the bushes overwinter quite well. It should be remembered that additional shelter is required even in the south of the country, if the plants are only one year old.

As for the annual growth, then gardeners here mark this process as rather slow. After the Blue Star scaly juniper was planted on the site and after ten years, the plant reaches about fifty to seventy centimeters in height. The crown in diameter reaches about one and a half meters. Every year, this plant adds in growth by five to six centimeters, while the shoots grow by ten centimeters per year.
It is worth knowing about the Blue Star juniper variety, the fact that it is poisonous.Wear rubber gloves while doing various maintenance activities, be it fertilizing, watering, or pruning. Make sure that small children and pets do not come into contact with this plant too closely. The cones of this plant, which look like berries, also have many toxic elements in the seed and are dangerous to humans and animals.

Juniper Blue Star in landscape design

Scaly juniper Blue Star: photo of the variety

The shoots of this juniper grow very luxuriantly, thanks to this, the scope of application of the Blue Star juniper in the design is quite extensive. A beautiful coniferous color with a grayish and bluish tint goes well with other crops, be it deciduous plants or conifers.

Such a juniper will be a good addition to various compositions, rock gardens, rockeries. The small size of the plant allows you to plant it in pots or pots, which can be a good decoration for a loggia, balcony or window.

If you decide to plant Blue Star scaly juniper in an open area or high ground, then it is best to combine it with crops that have a creeping or rocky shape.

Also, the scaly juniper Blue Star is well formed into the shape of a bonsai, this neat plant will complement not only a summer cottage or parks, but also decorate various premises, such as a terrace, loggia or balcony. In addition, such a juniper can be planted in compositions for a winter garden.

This plant is grown by seed or cuttings. Seeds can be taken from juniper fruits, which must first be dried and poured. As for the cuttings, they are taken from young bushes. The bark of such shoots should not be lignified. The color should not yet be brown. Keep in mind when using the seed method that juniper seeds are not very good. For this reason, you need to stock up on plenty of seeds and patience.

Juniper Blue Star: planting and care

Scaly juniper Blue Star: photo of the variety

In order for the Blue Star juniper to feel good, when choosing a site for planting, it is best to give preference to an open land with a lot of sunlight. If you plant a juniper in a shaded area, then the color of the needles will become inexpressive, and subsequently, due to a lack of light, it will begin to fall off altogether. In such conditions, the needles acquire the usual color of the wild variety of the given culture.

In addition to good illumination of the site, normal air circulation must be present.

Groundwater should not be located too close to the surface where you plan to plant junipers, as stagnant water can destroy the plants. In addition, soil with a too high salt content must be excluded. If there are no other options for planting, then it is necessary to lay a drainage layer.

The Blue Star juniper variety is not too whimsical to the composition of the soil, the exception is land with a high salt content, as well as too wet soils. If you plant juniper where there is a lot of clay, then you need to take care of a good drainage layer. In addition, it is recommended to thin the heavy soil with peat and sand. The proportions must be equal. If the juniper is planned to be grown on stony or sandy soil, then it is necessary to additionally add clay with humus.

Before plants can take root, they must grow in moist soil in a container or pot. Before planting in a permanent habitat, the seedlings must be very carefully removed from the containers.

This juniper variety is planted in the spring. When planting, it is imperative to observe a certain distance, there should be about fifty centimeters between the bushes.The stems should grow normally in the allotted free space. If the juniper is planned to be grown in compositions, then there should be at least two and a half meters between the plants.

In order for the planting of Blue Star juniper to be successful, a certain order of actions must be followed:

• First you need to dig a hole for planting. Its size should be slightly larger than the root system of the plant.
• At the bottom of such a pit, a drainage layer must be laid. Its thickness should be about ten to fifteen centimeters. For these purposes, expanded clay or pebbles are most often used.
• After the drainage layer, there should be a layer of fertile soil. It must also be at least ten centimeters long. This should be a fairly loose earth that will be mixed with sand and peat.
• Young plants must be taken out of containers very carefully, while capturing an earthen lump. The root system cannot be injured.
• After that, the seedling must be immersed in the root system for planting, the roots must be straightened. The root collar should be at ground level or above it.
• Then the roots of the plant are sprinkled with earth, peat and sand. These components must be in equal proportions.

After the plants have been planted, they need to be well watered, and then a mulch layer should be laid. About seven days after the plants have taken root, reduce watering and add some more soil.

As for the irrigation and top dressing regime, there are also certain features here. Watering the plants is necessary in the summer, when there is not too much rain. During the season, you need to water the junipers about three times. As a rule, one plant has about one bucket of water. If it is very hot in summer, then the plants need to be sprayed with water from time to time. This should be done in the evening hours after the sun goes down, about once every seven days. If you grow such a juniper in areas where there are no problems with rains in summer, then there is no need to additionally water the plants, since too much water can harm your plantings.

As for fertilization, this is done at the beginning of spring, when the buds swell. To do this, it is necessary to dig up the soil and bring the nitroammophoska into an area about fifteen centimeters from the plant trunks. After that, the juniper needs to be watered. In the fall, in October, the soil is dug up, but already with the introduction of dressings, which are based on potassium.

Plants that are more than two years old do not need additional feeding, since if the earth is too nutritious, then the beautiful spherical shape of the crown will be lost, and the stems will begin to grow too actively and stretch upward. The "aged" plant only needs to be watered from time to time. Do not forget to periodically remove weeds, as well as loosen the soil. Loosening the soil is a fairly important stage in plant care. For normal growth and development of juniper, the root system requires air. In order for it to act, you need to thoroughly loosen the soil around the plants two or three times during the summer period.

It is imperative to weed the area where you have a juniper, since harmful insects sometimes live in the foliage of the weeds. After that, you can add top dressing containing a set of necessary elements. Then you need to water the plants and lay a mulch layer. For these purposes, sawdust, peat or wood chips are most often used. Such a measure will help prevent the appearance of weeds, and will also allow you to retain moisture in the soil for longer. In this case, you can still add top dressing to the mulch layer, and then there will be no need to separately fertilize.

Pruning is an important step in the care of Blue Star junipers. This procedure is done, as a rule, in the autumn.It is necessary to remove branches that are dead, withered or broken. Examine the plant carefully for damage from various diseases and harmful insects. If any were found, then the affected branches must be cut and burned as soon as possible, and then the appropriate treatment of the bush must be carried out. Pruning to form a shrub is not required for this juniper variety. Such a bush has its natural ball shape by nature.

In late autumn, it is necessary to dig up the site, and at the same time it is possible to loosen the soil around the circumference of the junipers. After that, to strengthen the root system, you can pour ten centimeters of peat. The stems of the plant need to be tied together with a rope so that the plant does not break from the heavy snow cover. You do not need to tie tightly. After that, you can additionally lay spruce branches on top.

Spruce insulation should be removed not earlier than the beginning of May, as there is a risk that the spring sun will leave burns on the delicate needles of plants.

How to properly propagate the described variety

Blue Star Juniper can be propagated in a variety of ways. For this, the seed method is suitable, as well as reproduction using layering and cuttings. Seed propagation is not the best option, since at the same time the plants grow weak, and the characteristics of the variety do not appear very well.

As for cuttings, they are taken from a plant that has already reached a certain age, it must be at least five years old. From the end of April to the beginning of May, it is necessary to choose the most powerful branches on which there will be buds. They need to be cut and divided into pieces, about fifteen centimeters each. After that, the cuttings are soaked in special preparations that stimulate growth for about twenty-four hours. Then the cuttings need to be rooted in a mixture made from sand and peat. Once the roots have formed, the plants can be transplanted to a permanent location.

Sometimes gardeners prefer to propagate junipers using layering. For this, the branches must be bent to the ground and secured with wire brackets. After some time, rhizomes are formed, and then the plants can be transplanted.

About pests and diseases

Most of the varieties of junipers are often attacked by such ailments as rust... This disease manifests itself on the shoots of plants, spots of a red color are formed on them. The branches begin to dry out and crack. If you find such signs, then immediately cut out such stems and burn them. And treat the plant itself with the appropriate chemical composition.

In springtime, carefully examine the plants; they may have traces of a fungal disease. The needles acquire a yellow color, and over time, the needles begin to crumble. For treatment, as a rule, fungicidal agents are used, about once a week and until the problem disappears.

As for harmful insects, the juniper can be affected moth, scale insect, aphid, tick... If you find larvae on the stems of plants, then treat the plants with insecticidal agents.

It is important to detect certain problems in time, because if the disease is not neglected, and there are not too many pests, then there is a chance that the juniper simply will not have time to suffer.

It should be noted that caring for the Blue Star scaly juniper is certainly very important, however, the presence of harmful insects or diseases can be provoked from other plants located in the vicinity.

The Blue Star scaly juniper variety feels very good in different climates, it is well able to adapt. It is suitable for temperate climates, as well as for the northern regions of our country. Such a juniper does not require much attention to itself, but the decorative design of a site or even a closed room will delight your eye for many years.

Juniper Blue Star: video about the variety