Juniper Virginia Hetz

Landscape designers around the world appreciate the ability of evergreen coniferous shrubs to decorate garden plots at any time of the year. Unpretentious junipers take the place of favorites among them. At the moment, breeders have bred a large number of hybrid juniper varieties that combine the best qualities of wild varieties. Virginian hybrid Juniper Hetz is one of them. As can be understood from the specific name, the homeland of his ancestors is the North American state of Virginia, where junipers prefer to grow in the foothills and on the forest outskirts.

These coniferous shrubs are also found along the river banks. The product of crossing the Virginian and Chinese varieties of juniper was the new juniper variety Hetz (Juniperus virginiana Hetz). This article will discuss how to grow juniper bushes of the Virginian juniper Hetz in a garden plot and how to properly care for them so that they can fully show their decorative qualities.

Virginia juniper Hetz: photo

Virginia juniper Hetz: variety description

The hybrid variety of juniper Hetz has average indicators for its species and in adulthood, which comes at 15 years old, can grow up to 250 cm.The diameter of its crown can be from 250 to 300 cm.First time it develops rapidly, and the annual growth is 23 cm in height and width. At the age of 9 years, juniper bushes of the "Hetz" variety, as a rule, grow up to 180 cm, then the growth of shoots slows down. In subsequent years, they lengthen, on average, by 10 cm per year.

Thanks, on the one hand, to the spreading crown, on the other, to the pronounced stem part, the juniper of this variety is distinguished by its versatility in design. It takes the standard form with equal success, or acts as a horizontal shrub with extensively overgrown crown shoots.

The resistance of the Virginia Khetz juniper to severe frosts and droughts makes it suitable for growing in most of the Russian territory - from the North Caucasus to the northern regions of the domestic middle zone. Drought does not affect the quality of the needles of the Hetz juniper, which successfully takes root in open sunny areas. In partial shade, this variety will also do well. However, it is sensitive to stagnation of moisture in the soil and through winds.

Virginia juniper Hetz: photo

The attractive appearance of the Virginian juniper Hetz - a long-lived plant can persist for 40 years, after which its decorative value decreases due to shedding of needles, drying of the lower tier of branches, yellowing of the crown. It can be kept well-groomed by regular formative pruning, which the Hetz variety tolerates well due to its high annual growth rates.

With regard to external characteristics, juniper Virginia "Hetz" cannot boast of a dense crown, gray-brown shoots of which grow widely, slightly rising up. Lush soft needles consist of three-sided thornless needles and have a beautiful dark blue color with a steel sheen.In the autumn, its color changes to a thick burgundy.

Juniper variety Hetz refers to monoecious junipers, forming female flowers. Unlike other representatives of the Cypress family, it bears fruit annually, forming a large number of fruits. Small buds are painted in a light gray color, which eventually acquires a bluish tint. When placing juniper Virginia Hetz on your site, it should be borne in mind that its fruits are poisonous and pose a danger to people and animals.

Virginia juniper Hetz: photo

Juniper Hetz in landscape design

Due to its frost resistance and ability to withstand severe drought, the Hetz juniper is widely used in landscape design. For the most part, its seedlings successfully take root after transplanting into open ground and form a powerful root system. Since this variety of juniper feels good even in unfavorable conditions, it is used not only for decorating garden plots, but also for landscaping the urban environment, industrial facilities, and planted along highways. Insensitivity to dust and gases is combined in it with the ability, typical of these coniferous shrubs, to deodorize and purify the air, including having an antibacterial effect.

The versatility of the appearance of the Hetz juniper allows it to be used in landscape design for a variety of purposes. The standard forms of this variety look great in the role of soloists, creating vertical dominants of the composition. Planted in rows, juniper bushes form hedges and can create the effect of a coniferous forest in the garden area. Even in a small area, they can be used to create an alley by planting cone-shaped hetz juniper bushes in two rows along the path. Regardless of the shape of the crown, the juniper of this variety serves as an excellent decoration for the banks of artificial or natural reservoirs, for dividing the functional zones of the garden area, for creating a background or accents in the composition of flower beds, ridges, rocky gardens. Juniper of this variety can be used for landscaping a recreation area or a terrace, they can surround a gazebo or decorate an entrance to a veranda or a house. Juniper variety Hetz successfully coexists with other conifers, flowering and herbaceous plants.

Recommendations for the cultivation of juniper virginiana "Hetz"

Caring for juniper Virginia Hetz does not require much effort, if from the very beginning you correctly approach the issue of choosing a place for its placement. The best option for growing this juniper variety is light sandy loam soils of neutral or slightly alkaline composition. In conditions of increased acidity of the soil, or on salty soils, the chances of success of the entire activity for growing juniper are significantly reduced. An important point is also the drainage of the site, since the root system of juniper bushes is extremely poorly tolerated by an excess of moisture in the soil. For the same reason, you should avoid areas where groundwater is close
come to the surface of the earth.

Preparatory work for planting seedlings

The primary task of the gardener, who has decided to plant the Hetz juniper on his plot, is to choose high-quality planting material. For planting in open ground, only strong and healthy seedlings are suitable, which do not have traces of infections and mechanical damage. The optimal age of the seedling is 2 years or a little older, adult plants are not suitable, since they do not adapt well in a new place. A seedling suitable for planting should have smooth, intact olive bark and already formed needles on the shoots. Its root system must also be sufficiently strong and healthy. It is best to purchase seedlings from large nurseries, or from trusted sellers.Preference should be given to seedlings with a closed root system, located in a container with a nutrient substrate.

If a seedling with an open root system is purchased, it is recommended to pre-treat it with a solution of potassium permanganate, and then place it in a liquid that stimulates root growth ("Kornevin") for several hours.

Site preparation begins a week before the planned planting and consists in deep loosening of the soil, as well as, if necessary, neutralizing its composition. Then, planting holes are dug up to a depth of about 0.6 m, whose diameter should be almost twice the size of the earthen lump that protects the roots. To prevent moisture stagnation, it is necessary to drain the planting depressions by pouring a layer of broken brick, expanded clay and pebbles about 0.2 m thick on the bottom. On the eve of planting, it is recommended to spill the planting holes abundantly with water, filling them to the brim. If you plan to plant several juniper bushes, you need to leave a gap of about 120 cm between the planting pits.

You can make your own pit filling formula. To do this, mix humus, peat, sand and soil in equal proportions.

Instructions for planting juniper seedlings in open ground

The step-by-step landing algorithm includes the following steps:

• The planting hole is half filled with the nutrient soil mixture so that it takes the shape of a mound.
• A juniper seedling is placed on its top so that its root collar is flush with the edges of the planting fossa.
• The remaining space is filled with soil mixture layer by layer and compacted tightly.
• The last 10 cm are filled with moistened sawdust.
• The earth is compacted and moistened abundantly.

Fertilization and irrigation regime

During the first 3 months after planting, young juniper bushes need moderate daily watering. The best time for this procedure is evening. For the speedy rooting of seedlings in the water for irrigation, you can mix "Kornevin", especially if there was no preliminary soaking of the roots in its solution. Sprinkling with warm water is shown in the morning. In the early years, the "Hetz" juniper does not need fertilizers, since the substrate that fills the planting pit provides the necessary amount of nutrients. Adult juniper bushes have a powerful root system, which, without the help of a gardener, is able to receive nutrition from the soil.

Rules for the care of the soil in the area with juniper

Mulching the soil around the trunk of a juniper will keep moisture in it and protect the roots of a young plant from overheating in summer and freezing in winter. In addition, the layer of mulch prevents weeds from germinating and taking away nutrition from the seedling. It is necessary to mulch the soil immediately after planting the seedling, using peat, sawdust, dry foliage for this purpose. Before winter, it is recommended to increase the mulch layer, and in the spring it is imperative to replace it with a fresh one, since spores of pathogenic fungi and pest larvae can hibernate in it.

Loosening and weeding is necessary only for young juniper bushes, and these procedures should be carried out very carefully so as not to damage their root system. When the plant grows up, its dense crown and the shadow it creates will protect it from weeds that simply cannot germinate in the near-stem circle.

Sanitary and formative crown pruning

There are two types of juniper pruning: sanitary and formative. Young bushes under the age of 2 years need only sanitary pruning, when all dry and damaged shoots are removed in the spring. Plant residues after this procedure should be burned. At 4 years after the transplant, you can start formative pruning.

It is necessary to form the crown in the spring before the movement of plant juices begins in the tissues of juniper bushes.

Shelter for the winter

Juniper Virginia "Hetz" is quite resistant to severe frosts and is able to withstand temperatures as low as -28 degrees without shelter. It is enough to insulate adult bushes by increasing the thickness of the mulching layer by one and a half times and spilling the soil with water before the arrival of frost. Juniper saplings and young bushes can suffer from frost or strong wind blows, as well as break under the weight of snow, so it is recommended to build a shelter for them. To do this, you need to do the following:

• The seedlings are huddled up, and the near-stem circle is covered with a layer of mulch or straw.
• The branches are tied, bent and fixed at the ground.
• From above, they can be covered with spruce branches, or a protective structure made of polyethylene stretched over arc supports can be built.
• In winter, it will not hurt to create an additional protective layer of snow.
• Breeding methods of juniper Virginia "Hetz"

There are three ways of reproduction of the "Hetz" juniper: seed, cuttings and the method of layering. The first method is too laborious, therefore it is not popular with amateur gardeners. It is much easier to propagate juniper bushes by cutting 12 cm long cuttings from them and planting them at an angle in a container with a substrate. During the year, they are kept in greenhouse conditions, watering and irrigating abundantly until they form an independent root system and acquire shoots with needles. When the resulting seedlings are strong enough, they can be transplanted into open ground.
The layering method is also simple and requires little effort. It is enough in the spring to choose one of the lower shoots, clean it of needles and twigs, place it in a hole or trench and cover it with soil. The next year, the cuttings will take root, and after 2 years they will be ready for transplantation to a new place.
It is impractical to propagate the juniper Virginia "Khetz" by grafting, since its tall bushes easily acquire a standard form without this procedure.

Preventive measures against diseases and pests

Like other hybrids, the Hetz Virginia Juniper variety is much more resistant to fungal infections than its parents. To prevent infection with fungal spores, you should avoid juniper bushes with apple trees, which can cause rust.

Among harmful insects, juniper aphids and sawflies, as well as scale insects, are dangerous for the Hetz juniper. To protect against them, it is enough to process juniper plantings with a solution of copper sulfate in spring and autumn.

Finally

Virginian hybrid juniper Hitz combines a number of qualities that make it one of the most popular evergreen coniferous shrubs. Its bushes are distinguished by their ability not only to withstand severe frosts and drought, but also successfully resist infection with fungal infections. The Hetz variety is unpretentious in care and happily neighbors with other crops, which makes it suitable for decorating a variety of garden plots. Insensitivity to the shortcomings of the urban environment and the ability to disinfect and purify the air makes it possible to use the Virginian juniper Hetz for landscaping city parks, squares, industrial zones. Due to its universal external characteristics, the juniper of this variety successfully takes on a variety of forms, depending on the wishes of its owner. In a word, even novice gardeners can grow it - it is enough to follow simple agrotechnical recommendations.

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