Juniper creeping: photos, types, cultivation

The article presents a creeping juniper: photos, types, rules of cultivation, care, protection.

What can perfectly decorate the site and fit into any landscape design is the creeping Juniper. The culture is classified as a dwarf shrub, which is characterized by the fresh aroma of a coniferous forest. Thanks to phytoncides, the bush is an air purifier. When creating a variety of compositions, they choose certain types of juniper, each of which has its own characteristics.

Juniper creeping: photo, characteristics

Juniper creeping: photo, characteristics

A creeping juniper is a bush that does not exceed 40 centimeters in height, but the plant can grow even up to 2 meters wide, spreading lush branches on the ground. On the branches there are small needles and scales that are light green in color.
All creeping and horizontal junipers belong to this type of culture. They are often used for refining various areas, slopes, curbs. You can deliberately grow them in pots. The work is facilitated by the fact that this plant quickly takes root anywhere and on any soil, even in stones.

Juniper creeping: types of culture

Currently, more than fifty plant species have been bred. They all have a short barrel. However, the difference will be here in the color of the needles, the size and structure of the needles.

Andorra Compact

Juniper creeping: types of culture

The plant grows very luxuriantly, up to two meters in diameter. The bush reaches a height of 40 cm. It has brown bark and marsh green stems. If the shrub is young, then the bark will be smooth and even, if the plant has not been growing for the first year, then there may be cracks on it. The plant has acicular, scaly shape. If you touch it with your hands, the needles are very soft and delicate. Almost all branches are covered with needles on the sides. The plant can change color. So, in the summer season, the needles of the juniper are green, and in the winter they turn purple.

Blue Chip

Around the middle of the 20th century, breeders from Denmark bred this variety. It has a free crown and an interesting star-like shape. At the very ends, the branches are arranged vertically. This variety is characterized mainly by the needle type of needles, but there may be scales of a blue color, closer to a gray shade. You can also find thorns on the branches. Best to plant Blue Chip variety in an open place with sufficient sunlight and control the humidity level.

Limeglow

The needles of this species are yellow. The culture also refers to creeping junipers, and has a miniature appearance. In shape, this shrub is very similar to a vase. A characteristic feature is that the needles have the ability to change color. So, by the onset of cold weather, it can turn orange. And during the rest of the time it changes color. The shrub grows slowly, but it has a high immunity to various diseases and insect pests. The weak point of the culture is its intolerance to high humidity, so here you also need to choose bright open areas.

Prince of Wales

The plant has a very pronounced green shade of needles. The bush is not high, does not exceed 30 cm in height, but its diameter can reach 2 or 2.5 meters. The bush is a creeping plant and grows slowly. The needles are of a scaly type and look spectacular, having a green color against a red stem. The shrub grows well in sunny places and is resistant to frost and weather changes.

Creeping juniper: planting, landscaping on the site

Creeping juniper: planting, landscaping on the site

Juniper is often used for decoration when creating landscape design, both as a separately planted plant, and in a group, along with other crops. Shrubs with conifers look especially advantageous. Since the juniper has a beautiful rich color of needles, then against the background of white snow, it looks just amazing. Low-growing varieties of juniper are planted on slopes, on alpine hills and as part of other compositions. Within a few years, a small new bush forms a green carpet.

Agricultural rules

This plant should definitely be planted in open, not shaded places, since the needles will have a rich color only under the condition of constant sunlight. If the shrub is in the shade, then it will no longer look so attractive, and will often hurt. The branches will become pale, sore and saggy. For planting in the shade, other varieties of juniper are suitable, but not a creeping view.

Creeping juniper: planting and care

Since the described plant belongs to a garden culture, it needs regular care, like other plants. Moreover, this bush is unpretentious and resistant to change. The plant quickly adapts to growing conditions and can feel comfortable in an urban environment. Juniper has a very long lifespan, about 600 years. The shrub has low vigor and grows by about 5 cm per year.

Preliminary preparation

It is recommended to buy seedlings in a special container. This will allow you to plant it when it is less convenient for you. For the plant to take root, the shrub must be at least 2 years old. The plant should be carefully examined for signs of disease and rot. If there are any somewhere, then it is better to cut them off right away. It is also necessary to cut the plants in half. This applies to both the side branches and the tops of the plant. In addition, the closed shape of the roots will allow the plant to quickly get used to the new environment.

As for the soil, the plant will not grow on heavy clay soils, it is better to give preference to sandy or loamy soil, with a large predominance of peat in it. The medium must be alkaline.
It is best to make your own special soil, which will consist of equal parts of coniferous soil, sand and peat. The optimal period for planting a plant is spring or mid-autumn. So the plant adapts better and faster to the new land. A large clod of soil should be kept during planting so as not to damage the root system.

Pits should be prepared in advance. The depth should be about 70 centimeters, but it is better to focus on the size of the root system. The roots should not be cramped and they should be straightened out. The size of the hole should be 2-3 times larger than the roots. A drainage layer of at least 20 cm should be laid on the bottom.Crushed stone or small stones are well suited as drainage.
Next, the soil is filled up and the plant is planted. Then the plant needs to be watered, and the surface around the trunk should be mulched. If you are planting several plants at once, then you need to plant them at a distance of at least a meter so that they do not interfere with each other in the future.

Speaking of plant transplanting, it is better to avoid it and choose a good and suitable place for the seedling in advance.Because a juniper plant that has already taken root in the conditions of the site will react extremely negatively to transplantation. It can get sick or dry out altogether. The transplanted plant also does not tolerate the winter period, and may freeze. If, nevertheless, there is a need for a transplant, then you should proceed according to the same rules as planting a plant.

Feeding and watering

Juniper is a plant that loves drought more than waterlogging, so it is better not to overdo it with watering. So a young seedling is watered no more than 1 time a week, and an adult plant 3 times a month. Watering is best done in the morning or in the evening. It is necessary not only to water the plant, but also to spray it with needles.

Feeding is also carried out not often, namely in the spring with the help of nitroammofoska at the rate of no more than 20 grams per 1 square meter, and you can also buy special preparations for conifers. The next fertilization will be carried out in the fall, using a solution of potassium and phosphorus.

Loosening and mulching procedure

In order not to waste time on constant weeding of the plant, and so that moisture remains in the soil for a long period, it is advisable to mulch the surface around the trunk. Sawdust, small stone, or the needles themselves are perfect for this. Please note that the mulch layer should not be less than 5 centimeters. If you loosen the surface, then you need to do this regularly, especially after rain or watering, so that the air better penetrates the roots of the plant. However, you do not need to loosen deep, because there is a risk of touching the roots of the plant.

Preparatory procedures for cold weather

Before the winter season, it is necessary to cover only those juniper bushes that are not yet 4 years old. Burlap is best for this, or you can cover the bushes with spruce branches. If your region has cold winters with a lot of precipitation, then it is worth preparing adult crops by tying the branches with twine so that they do not break off under the heavy weight of snow.

How to prune creeping juniper: shrub formation

Since the juniper is planted mainly for decorative purposes, the crown should be formed regularly. If you neglect this procedure, then after several years the shrub will turn into an ugly, overgrown plant. It is best to form the plant in mid-spring or early fall. If necessary, you can perform pruning at other times. The main thing is to avoid a period of active plant growth and severe cold weather.

It is best to form the plant no more than twice a year or when necessary. So, there is a sanitary pruning. This is when just dry and diseased, old branches and forming pruning are cut off. Here the very formation of the bush branches and giving it the necessary image is already underway.

Branching rules

-Those branches that are not covered with needles, and there are no buds on them, can be cut directly from the trunk.
-Do not cut off more than 1/3 of the entire green mass of the plant, otherwise it may weaken and get sick.
-Sections are best done obliquely. So they dry out more quickly and look much better. Places of cuts should be treated with garden varnish.
-The equipment that you use for pruning must be thoroughly sharpened, cleaned and disinfected.
-Since juniper is classified as a plant containing substances harmful to humans, care must be taken during pruning and gloves must be used.
-After the formation of the bush is completed, it is recommended to treat the plant with fungicides, as well as feed it.

Reproduction

The shrub is propagated in several ways, namely by cuttings, seeds and layering. True, the latter are not in great demand, since this is a very lengthy process. Only breeders grow plants by seed method.
Most often, the juniper is propagated by the cuttings method.So, you should choose an adult, strong, healthy bush, which is at least 10 years old. Cut off a part of the branch about 15 cm and bare it to the bark, 5 centimeters from the beginning. The branch must first be held for half an hour in a special solution that stimulates growth, and then planted at an angle in the ground. Then cover with foil and put away in a place protected from light.

Next, you need to create the necessary climatic conditions for the engraftment and rooting of the cuttings. The air temperature should not change around 20 degrees, and the soil moisture should be medium, the cutting should be sprayed with warm water from a spray bottle, the light in the room where the cutting is located should not be too bright.
So, if you follow all the rules of care, then in a month the plant will give roots. However, it can only be planted in the ground after three years.

Common diseases and pests

In general, the culture described here is quite resistant to ailments and rarely gets sick if the rules for planting and caring for the plant are observed. However, special fungicides can be used to protect the bush from gray mold and mildew.
To cope with insects - pests will help such insecticides as "Aktara", "Aktellik". Although pests rarely attack junipers, some of them, such as spider mites or aphids, can do so. Here the main thing is to notice in time the signs of the "ailment" of the bush.

Conclusion

In landscape design, a plant such as a creeping juniper is widely appreciated. So, its beautiful noble crown goes well with other cultures in any composition. You can also add a twist to creating the perfect look for your site by choosing this crop. They can decorate a slope or an alpine slide. In addition, the creeping juniper easily takes root in the conditions of the garden and is completely undemanding to care for.

Juniper creeping