Juniper Prince of Wales.

Juniper variety Prince of Wales is considered to be truly royal. It was bred in faraway Canada. This shrub is considered to be undersized, so it is perfectly located in personal plots. It is often used to decorate streets, as well as garden plots. This plant is perennial, it spreads along the surface of the earth, therefore it perfectly tolerates low temperatures, as well as drought and waterlogging of the soil. In today's article, we will introduce you to this noble prince, and perhaps you will definitely plant this evergreen shrub in your country house.

Horizontal Juniper Prince of Wales: variety description

Juniper horizontal Prince of Wales is considered an excellent variety. And he belongs to the Cypress family, his bushes are undersized, horizontal. The juniper does not have a central stem, but the lateral shoots are numerous. The twigs come straight out from the center, with each shoot looking apart, almost like a separate plant. The juniper does not have a decorated crown. The bushes do not grow so quickly, the plants add about 1 cm in height every year, but up to 6 cm in length.When new branches form vertically and reach the 8 centimeter mark, they begin to creep along the surface of the earth. Its branches actively spread throughout the surrounding space, so the root system usually does not freeze out in severe winters. They do not need to be additionally covered with soil.

Plants are considered adults after 10 years, while the maximum height of this bush is usually no more than 20 cm. In the shade near the water, the juniper grows more intensively than in open sunny areas. Therefore, the height and width of the shoots, first of all, depends on the growing conditions of the plant. As you remember, the horizontal shrub is very frost-resistant, therefore, it is not afraid of -30 in winter. It is not necessary to cover adult bushes, but young plants should still be sprinkled with soil on top. Usually, frozen branches are not restored, so they should be mercilessly pruned in the future. Consider this, as the shrub grows slowly, and new branches will not form soon.

In length, the shoots reach one and a half meters, they seem to spread along the surface of the earth, therefore, over time, the juniper forms a kind of carpet in the surrounding space. In young plants, the leaves are medium, and in adults they are larger with a silvery tint. The needles are scaly, quite tightly pressed against the branches. In autumn, it turns crimson, and in winter it turns dark purple. Juniper perfectly purifies the air, due to the fact that these plants actively emit insecticides, which contain aromatic essential oils. Juniper berries are small, round, blue in color with a silvery tinge. Moreover, they are usually quite hard. But bushes rarely form ovaries. The root system covers the entire surrounding space, as it is usually well-branched. It occupies a circle of about 30-50 cm around the central stem.

The berries of this plant are often eaten, they perfectly reduce blood pressure, and have a beneficial effect on the work of the gastrointestinal tract. And in general, the juniper strengthens the human immune system. This seasoning is often added to meat dishes. Juniper berries contain essential oil, vitamins and trace elements, so they are often also used in cosmetology.Sometimes juniper is added to alcoholic drinks for a pleasant aroma.

Juniper Prince of Wales in landscape design

This juniper is quite unpretentious, so the plants can be planted in different types of soil. Gradually, the bushes grow, forming a continuous carpet of twigs, which are very difficult to weave. It is thanks to this feature that coniferous shrubs are often used to design the design of personal plots, flower beds and recreation areas.

Sometimes the juniper even replaces the lawn, as its branches are so tightly intertwined that it looks like ordinary grass. It is also not necessary to constantly prune the bushes, since the growth of the juniper is quite insignificant. During the year, it practically does not change its appearance, so it will not be necessary to carry out garden work so often. Juniper is used both in group and single plantings.

Due to its beautiful appearance and exotic shape, it looks great next to conifers, as well as flowering bushes, so landscape designers are especially fond of it. Junipers are planted near huge stones, boulders, they transfer the central accent to it, this plant looks great on the banks of various reservoirs and on flower beds, it loves this plant and rocky terrain. Therefore, this shrub is even suitable for decorating the roofs of buildings, balconies, and it looks very expressive there.

Juniper Prince of Wales in landscape design: photo

Horizontal juniper Prince of Wales: planting and care

Planting junipers is not that difficult. This variety is considered drought-resistant, light-loving, but it also feels great in the shade near water bodies. You can place the juniper in a well-lit area or in the back of the garden. But remember that the soil must be moist, so the plant will develop more intensively. If you plant a juniper under the canopy of fruit trees, it can get lost in absolute shade. The needles will be small, and the needles will form too rarely. Shoots will also be faded, yellowish, noticeably elongated upward. Consequently, there can be no talk of any decorative effect. As we noted earlier, this culture is not demanding on the composition of the soil. If we talk about the acidity of the soil, then it is best to choose neutral or slightly alkaline soil. Of course, juniper does not need a lot of nutrients, but it still needs to be well drained. If your soil is too acidic on your site, then about six months before planting plants in open ground, you should add lime there.

It is also not recommended to plant junipers near fruit bushes, as they can get rusty, so do not experiment. You can buy seedlings in the market, in a specialized store, in a nursery. In addition, the juniper multiplies well, usually gardeners get new plants through cuttings, cuttings, and also plant juniper seeds. If you buy seedlings in a nursery, then pay attention to the root system of plants, shoots. The needles should also be free of defects and dry areas. If you decide to transplant the juniper from one place to another, then you will need to properly remove the plant from the soil. To do this, it is advisable to lift the branches up, wrap them with a cloth and fix them with a rope. The juniper is dug in, retreating from the center by 50 cm. A hole should be dug at least 40 cm deep. It is best to remove the bush together with a lump of earth, so it will take root better in a new place. It is recommended to plant the plants either in the fall or in the spring.

Peat, as well as sand, should be added to the planting hole in order for the earth to become looser. Remember that the new hole should be wider than the root system of the seedling or mature plant.Do not forget about the drainage mixture, it is necessary in order to ensure normal circulation of air and moisture in the soil. It is also recommended to add humus, wood ash or dolomite flour to the planting pit. These plants love alkali. Drainage is placed at the bottom of the planting pit, while gardeners often use gravel or expanded clay. The seedling is placed in the center of the hole, and the remaining space is filled with a fertile mixture. The pit is then watered abundantly.

Remember that the root collar of the plant should rise above the surface by at least 2 cm. The twigs should be well straightened after planting. Keep a distance between bushes, do not plant plants close to each other. However, some designers neglect this rule to complete certain tasks. In order for the juniper to form a beautiful crown, the plant will need to be well watered. Moreover, before transplanting, you need to water the juniper every evening for 2 months.

If the summer turns out to be hot and dry, then so that the needles do not lose their brightness and do not dry out, the soil should be moistened often enough. Moreover, it is better to do this early in the morning or late in the evening. There is no need to feed the juniper, however, in the first years you can apply universal complex fertilizing to the soil in early spring, adult juniper bushes do not fertilize at all. Usually they have enough of those nutrients that are contained in the existing soil.

After planting, be sure to loosen the soil, and also mulch. To do this, use dry leaves, straw, sawdust. It is advisable to mulch the trunk circle every autumn. But adult plants don't need this, so don't make it hard for yourself. Ripe juniper grows well even without mulch. But many gardeners note that only mulching material helps to avoid the appearance of weeds on the site, so summer residents are supportive of this event.

Loosening of the soil should be carried out in late spring and early autumn. As you remember, you do not need to prune the juniper, but you still need to sanitize it. All dry and diseased branches are recommended to be removed. If the plant overwintered normally, then sanitary pruning is not necessary. Do not forget that the green mass builds up slowly in the Prince of Wales juniper.

To form the bushes or not is entirely up to you. But remember, crown growth is slow, so don't get carried away. Young seedlings must be prepared for wintering. Adult plants do not need to be covered. The work is recommended to be carried out in late autumn. Young seedlings are usually covered with dry leaves, straw, and the thickness of such a blanket should be at least 15 centimeters. Before winter, moisture-charging watering should be done, this helps the bushes to withstand low temperatures.

Reproduction

Juniper can multiply in several ways. The easiest way to do this is by layering. Since this variety of culture is creeping, the shoots can be easily fixed at the soil surface, covered with soil, and then wait for the appearance of new shoots. If necessary, the earth can be filled up. After about 1 year, a new root system will form in the plant, after which the layers can be removed from the mother bush and planted in a new place. Easy to propagate by juniper and cuttings. To do this, it is best to choose two-year branches, the stalk should be about 15-20 cm in length. The planting material is recommended to be harvested either in autumn or spring, the shoots themselves are then placed in fertile soil, and when the roots appear, they are planted in new habitats. Some gardeners recommend planting junipers. However, this is a laborious and time-consuming process, moreover, this juniper variety does not take root well on boles of other species.And it is even more difficult to propagate a juniper by seeds, however, it should be noted that the juniper will not lose its varietal characteristics, so it will be as similar as possible to the mother plant.

About diseases and pests of horizontal juniper Prince of Wales

Juniper Prince of Wales has a fairly high immunity, as it releases insecticides that repel many garden pests. But aphids, a spider mite, a juniper sawfly can parasitize on a juniper. In order to overcome these insects, pests are removed manually, plants are treated with special agents, insecticides. If we talk about diseases, then it should be noted: most often, the Prince of Wales suffers from rust, and only if the soil is waterlogged, and the juniper grows next to fruit trees. Copper sulfate saves juniper from fungal infections.

Conclusion

The Prince of Wales is a fine juniper. He has a very beautiful decorative crown, even in autumn this shrub does not shed its needles, but only changes its color. Plants are frost-hardy, have high immunity, besides, the crown will not need to be cut and shaped. Very often this culture is used to decorate landscapes of personal plots. And if you plant these plants on several levels, then you get a real alpine slide. The appearance of the juniper is simply beautiful. But there is practically no need to take care of him. Try to plant this prince on your summer cottage and the interior of your site will become truly royal.