Juniper squamosus: Floreant, Dream Joy, Loderi, Hannethorpe

Scaly juniper is a plant whose lifespan can be several hundred years. Since coniferous shrubs have an attractive appearance and a lot of useful qualities, they are often grown in summer cottages.

Description of juniper scaly

The Eastern Himalayas, mountainous regions of China and Taiwan are considered the homeland of scaly juniper, but the coniferous plant is cultivated artificially all over the world. Scaly juniper belongs to the Cypress family and can have a tree-like or prostrate form. The height of scaly juniper rarely exceeds 1.5 m, the dense shoots are covered with long, rigid needles with a shade from grayish-blue to bright green, depending on the variety.

Scaly juniper is a light-loving plant that prefers a fairly warm climate. However, the shrub is grown, including in the middle zone, it tolerates frosts below - 20 ° C, although it can freeze without high-quality shelter.

The shrub grows very slowly, but already in the second year after planting in the ground it begins to bear fruit; in May, black oval cones up to 7 cm in length appear on its shoots.

Juniper scaly in landscape design

Due to its attractive appearance and pleasant aroma, this type of juniper is actively used in decorative landscaping. Coniferous shrubs are planted in gardens, summer cottages and parks, both solo and as part of plant compositions.

As a rule, creeping plant varieties are used to form the foreground of decorative groups. Scaly juniper is often used to highlight borders and borders when dividing the landscape into separate zones. Tall varieties of plants often form hedges; thick, dense needles are ideal for creating a natural fence, since they are completely impenetrable to view.

The coniferous shrub is evergreen, so even in autumn it retains its bright color and visual appeal.The shrub looks especially advantageous in autumn gardens in the vicinity of other conifers or late-flowering plants, this is easy to see if you look at the photo of scaly juniper.

Varieties of juniper scaly

There are many types of scaly juniper - both horizontal and tall-growing varieties are bred through selection. Several types that combine visual appeal with increased endurance are especially popular in landscape design.

Juniper scaly Blue Sweet

The Blue Sweet variety is distinguished by its compact size, drooping branched shoots and an unusual shade of needles - silver or greenish-blue. The maximum height for this variety is 1.5 m, and the width of an individual bush does not exceed 2.5 m. The variety grows very slowly; in order to reach 0.5 m in height, the plant takes about ten years.

Among the advantages of the variety is its unpretentiousness - the scaly juniper Blue Swede grows well in poor soils and easily tolerates average frosts.

Juniper scaly Floreant

The Floreant variety shrub belongs to the squat varieties of scaly juniper; it rarely grows higher than 1 m, and the width of the bush is no more than 2 m. The beautiful hemispherical crown, easy to formative pruning, makes the variety attractive to those interested in landscape design.

What makes juniper flake Floreant unusual is the color of its needles - green with a yellowish tint. In the landscape, Floreant looks colorful and cheerful, thanks to which it noticeably enlivens plant compositions.

Juniper scaly Dream Joy

An ornamental plant belongs to the category of low-growing - the height of a shrub of this variety rises to only 80 cm, and grows up to 1.2 m in width. Dream Joy has an unusual color - the needles of young shoots are light green or yellow at the tips, and as they grow older the bush darkens and becomes bluish-green.

In the landscape, Dream Joy scaly juniper prefers well-lit areas and light, oxygenated soils.

Juniper squamosus Loderi

The Loderi variety belongs to the vertical varieties of coniferous plants, has an elongated, pointed shape and slightly resembles a small spruce. Loderi's shoots are raised upward, the needles are small and needle-shaped, greenish-blue in color.

Juniper scaly Loderi rarely grows higher than 1.5 m and wider than 90 cm. At the same time, the growth of the shrub occurs very slowly, so it reaches 80 cm in height only 10 years after planting. It is recommended to plant this variety in a well-lit place in warm regions. The coniferous shrub tolerates light frosts calmly, but is very sensitive to the amount of moisture - Loderi does not tolerate drought well.

Juniper squamosus Hannethorpe

The low shrub of the Hannethorpe variety has a spreading, dense crown that can reach 2.5 m in width. The height of the plant usually does not exceed 1.5 m, and the shrub grows very slowly and reaches its maximum size only 8-10 years after planting.

The young needles of the plant have a blue-bluish tint, and as they mature, they change color to bluish-green.The beautiful and winter-hardy scaly juniper Hunnetorp is very popular in Russia, Central Europe and the Scandinavian countries because it tolerates winter cold well.

Juniper scaly Golden Flame

The Golden Flame variety belongs to the vertical scaly junipers and can reach 1.8 m in height and up to 2.5 m in width. The main part of the shrub’s needles is green with a bluish tint, but creamy-yellow inclusions are unevenly scattered along the shoots. Due to this, the scaly juniper Golden Flame looks very unusual and can serve as a bright accent in a decorative landscape. The shape of the crown of the shrub is spreading, with the main branches directed upward, and the side shoots bending towards the ground.

The variety has average winter hardiness and is suitable for cultivation in the middle zone. It is best to plant the shrub in well-lit areas and light soils, this will provide it with a brighter color.

Juniper squamosus Little Joanna

The variety belongs to the dwarf category; by the age of 10 years it reaches only 40 cm in height and grows up to 50 cm in width. The shrub has a spreading and very dense crown with dense shoots, the color of the needles is light green with a blue tint, the shade is especially noticeable in the sun.

Little Joanna loves well-lit places and loose soil without stagnant moisture. The plant tolerates frost and drought well, so it is often found in landscape design in countries with temperate climates.

Juniper scaly Gold Type

Another dwarf ornamental plant variety is the Gold Type juniper, which 10 years after planting reaches only 40 cm in height and 1.2 m in width.The crown of the coniferous shrub is dense and spreading; young shoots are yellow-green in color, but then change color to silver-green. The juniper grows about 10 cm in height per year.

Gold Type feels best on light soils with moderate moisture and in sunny areas. It has good winter hardiness, but can break under the weight of snow cover, so it needs special shelter.

Juniper scaly Tropical Blue

A very beautiful miniature juniper is the Asian variety Tropical Blue with an unusual cushion-shaped crown. In 10 years, the shrub grows to only 30 cm, and its maximum height is slightly more than 50 cm. The horizontal scaly juniper spreads up to about 1 m in width. The needles of this variety are prickly and short, thick, and have a bluish-gray tint in sunny areas , and in the shade it turns bluish-green.

The Tropical Blue variety tolerates moderate frosts and drought well. But excess moisture is detrimental to it, the root system of the plant rots, so you need to carefully monitor soil moisture.

Juniper scaly Blue Spider

The spreading, squat variety Blue Spider rarely exceeds 1.5 m in height, and can spread up to 2.5 m in width. However, the growth of the shrub is very slow, so in the first 10 years it manages to grow to no more than 50 cm. The needles of this varieties are bluish-blue, with a gray bloom in winter, with a flattened shape.

The variety tolerates frosts well and is undemanding to the soil. But Blue Spider juniper should be planted only in sunny areas - even in light shade the shrub begins to feel worse.

Juniper scaly Blue Star

The Blue Star variety belongs to miniature varieties, its maximum height does not exceed 1 m. The crown of the bush is spherical with a bright bluish-silver tint; the variety tolerates frosts and lack of light quite well.

Juniper scaly Blue Carpet

The variety belongs to a few varieties characterized by rapid growth - 10 years after planting it reaches 60 cm in height. The crown of the bush is creeping and drooping, the color of the needles is grayish-blue.

Juniper squamosus Meieri

A low variety with a creeping crown reaches 30-100 cm in height and has a blue tint of needles with a white coating. It is characterized by low winter hardiness; in order for scaly blue juniper to withstand the cold, it must be carefully insulated.

Juniper scaly Holger

An ornamental variety with a maximum height of 0.8-1 m, it has an interesting bright green shade of needles with bright yellowish splashes at the ends of the shoots. The variety tolerates winter calmly, but does not tolerate excess moisture in the soil and lack of light.

Planting and caring for scaly juniper

Most varieties of coniferous shrubs are well suited for growing in the middle zone. But in order to properly plant and care for Blue Sweet juniper and other varieties, you need to know the basic rules of growing.

Preparing seedlings and planting area

Most varieties of scaly juniper prefer well-lit areas - accordingly, the planting site must be selected on the sunny side. It is allowed to plant shrubs in places with light shading, the main thing is that it is not significant.If you plan to plant several coniferous shrubs at once, you need to mark the area so that the distance between individual plants is at least 1-1.5 m.

In order for the plant seedling to take root faster, it is recommended to replant it in the ground together with a lump of earth; the roots of juniper are fragile and can be easily damaged. A few hours before planting, the earthen ball should be thoroughly soaked with water.

Landing rules

Coniferous shrubs are quite tolerant of soil composition and fertility. But an important condition is good soil aeration and high-quality drainage.

The pit for a juniper seedling needs to be prepared spacious - about three times larger than an earthen ball with a root system. Drainage is poured into a layer of approximately 20 cm at the bottom of the hole, then the hole is filled halfway with soil and the seedling is carefully lowered inside. After this, the hole can be completely filled with soil.

Immediately after planting, juniper must be watered. You should not trample the ground around the seedling; the soil should settle naturally. It is best to plant in the spring - in April or May. Autumn planting of shrubs is also acceptable; it should be done in October.

Important! For a juniper seedling, the root collar should be level with the edges of the hole or slightly above ground level.

Watering and fertilizing

An unpretentious coniferous shrub takes root well in almost any conditions, but lack of moisture affects its beauty. Therefore, in hot weather, it is recommended to water the scaly juniper regularly, as well as thoroughly spray the crown.

Warning! It is better to do both early in the morning or after sunset so that the bush does not get burned.

As for feeding, juniper needs little fertilizer. For good growth, it is recommended to apply nitrogen fertilizer to the soil three times a season, from spring to autumn. But it is better not to use bird or cow manure and other organic fertilizers; coniferous shrubs do not tolerate them well, and the roots of the juniper may be damaged.

Mulching and loosening

It is recommended to mulch the ground around the juniper bush immediately after planting. A layer of mulch will prevent rapid evaporation of moisture. It is recommended to use hay, dry pine needles or peat as mulching material; juniper reacts especially well to them.

But you need to loosen the ground around the bush with great care, affecting only the top layer of soil. The roots of the plant are located close to the surface of the earth, and therefore careless weeding can damage them and lead to the death of the plant. Loosening should be carried out as rarely as possible - high-quality mulching will help achieve this goal, as it will prevent the growth of weed.

Pruning juniper squamosus

Coniferous shrubs are valued not only for the beautiful shade of their needles, but also for their attractive shapes. The plant tolerates pruning well, so it can be done for both sanitary and decorative purposes.

Scaly juniper is pruned in early spring, before the beginning of the growing season - while sap is not yet moving through the branches of the plant. During the pruning process, it is important not only to correct the outline of the crown, but also to remove all dried, broken and diseased shoots.

Advice! To prevent pruning from harming the shrub, it must be done with a very sharp and sterile instrument.The cut sites must be treated with a fungicidal solution to promote rapid healing.

Preparing for winter

Juniper tolerates cold well, but needs special shelter for the winter. For creeping shrubs, snow can be used directly as a covering material; it will protect the plant from wind, frost and sun exposure. Since juniper branches can break off under the weight of snow, it is recommended to form a snow “cushion” on a special protective frame.

It is also necessary to protect the roots of the plant from freezing. To do this, shortly before the onset of winter, the soil in the tree trunk circle is mulched with a dense layer of peat about 10 cm, and spruce branches are thrown on top.

The last watering of the bush should take place no later than October, before the first frosts arrive. 2-3 buckets of water are poured under the trunk of the bush; the ground must not be frozen yet, otherwise watering will not bring any benefit, or even cause harm.

Attention! Polyethylene cannot be used to wrap juniper for the winter - during a thaw, excess moisture forms under the covering material, under which conditions a fungus dangerous to the plant will appear.

Reproduction of scaly juniper

Having planted a couple of juniper bushes on their summer cottage, over time, many gardeners realize that they would like to increase the population. This can be done without buying new seedlings - decorative juniper can be successfully propagated by cuttings.

For cuttings, it is necessary to take annual shoots from young shrubs no older than 8-10 years. The shoot is cut to 10-12 cm in length, and then placed in a solution with a growth stimulator for a day.
Then the cuttings are planted in a special substrate - soil mixed with sand and peat. The cuttings need to be deepened by a maximum of 3 cm; columnar varieties are planted in a vertical plane; for creeping varieties, an inclination of approximately 60° is left.
The container with the cuttings is sprayed with water, covered with plastic wrap and placed in a warm and shaded place for 2 months. Spraying is repeated daily or every other day; it is important to ensure that the soil does not dry out.
After a couple of months, the cuttings should take root properly. After this, they can be transplanted into larger boxes, along with a ball of earth, without damaging the root system. Young seedlings are left in new containers for the next 2 years; this time is enough for the plant to get stronger.

After 2 years, juniper propagated by cuttings can be planted in open ground, preferably in the spring. It is also customary to cut shoots for cuttings in the spring, immediately after cold weather and before active sap flow begins.

Seed propagation is suitable only for wild varieties of shrubs; for decorative juniper it is customary to use cuttings.

Pests and diseases of juniper scaly

Scaly juniper is quite resistant to diseases, but it is also susceptible to some ailments. A particular danger to the plant is rust, a fungal disease in which the needles of the bush turn brown and fall off, and growths appear on the bark, which soon turn into wounds.

At the first signs of rust, all damaged parts of the plant must be removed, and cut areas and wounds on the shoots and trunk should be treated with a 1% solution of copper sulfate and lubricated with garden varnish. It is also recommended to spray juniper prophylactically with Bordeaux mixture in the spring.All these measures will help not only against rust, but also against brown scute, fusarium, alternaria and other ailments that also affect the plant.

In addition to diseases, insect pests pose threats to juniper - spider mites, aphids, leafminer moths and scale insects. To prevent their appearance or eliminate detected pests, the bush must be regularly sprayed with insecticides. A solution of Karbofos, diluted according to the instructions in a bucket of water, helps well against scale insects, and a solution of Fitoverm against aphids.

Application of juniper squamata

Ornamental shrubs are valued not only for their beautiful appearance, but also for their numerous beneficial properties. Plants use needles, bark and cones:

for the treatment of ailments — traditional medicine offers dozens of recipes that help with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and joints, with colds and skin inflammations, with chronic runny nose and cough;
for room aromatization — juniper emits a very pleasant smell and also disinfects the air, eliminating pathogenic bacteria;
for adding to baths — in combination with hot water, juniper has a powerful healing effect, especially for respiratory and skin ailments.

Fragrant bath brooms are made from coniferous branches of juniper, the use of which improves blood circulation and skin condition.

Conclusion

Scaly juniper is an amazingly beautiful and unpretentious shrub that can be widely used in landscape design. Caring for juniper is easy, and the abundance of decorative varieties makes it easy to find a plant that will successfully highlight all the advantages of the garden.

Juniper squamata: Blue Sweet, Golden Flame, Little Joanna