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Not all site owners have the time and desire to understand the types and varieties of plants. Many people just want to have a beautiful garden, plant yellow roses here, columnar juniper there. But there is no way to leaf through the literature or carefully study articles on the Internet in order to first select the type of conifer, and then read the description of the varieties.
A selection that very briefly describes which columnar junipers can be planted in the garden will also be useful for “advanced” lovers. It will help save time when choosing plants. Of course, it is impossible to give all varieties of junipers with a narrow crown in one article; the published information will only give the right direction when searching for crops.
Description of juniper columnar
The genus Juniperus (Juniperus) belongs to the Cypress family, which includes about 75 species distributed in the Northern Hemisphere from Alaska to Africa. Some of them have columnar shapes.
At the same time, the species juniper does not always have a narrow ascending crown. It can be of any configuration, only erect varieties have not yet been bred from creeping forms. But on junipers with a columnar or pyramidal crown, mutations were found, from which various cultivars were created.
That is why, within one species, you can find varieties with an erect, round, weeping and creeping shape. It is often difficult not only to attribute them to the same taxon, but even to suspect them of being related.
Why does juniper look different from the picture?
Not only beginners, but also many experienced gardeners consider it the height of snobbery when someone orders a common variety of juniper from a certain foreign nursery. After all, you can buy it much cheaper from local producers! And such a plant will take root faster and better.
And varieties are propagated, for the most part, by cuttings. They are nothing more than a clone of the same plant. And they should look like twins. But it is not so. Or rather, not at all like that. That is why junipers of the same species and variety can differ greatly.
The question requires clarification. Juniper is a flexible crop. This explains the variety of varieties. Mutations constantly occur in nature; soil, water, environmental conditions, climate, and the presence or absence of fertilizing influence the appearance of the plant. The list goes on and on. Many people believe that it is of great importance whether the owners love the juniper and each other, whether they are evil or kind people.
So everything changes.Plants too. They grew a juniper from a branch, took it to another country, or simply placed it in excellent conditions. When cuttings are taken, its “children” will be slightly different. And so on. Or maybe the differences will be so significant that a new cultivar will appear!
And since nurseries constantly cull seedlings for varietal inconsistency, the junipers in them really resemble each other, like twins. But they may well differ from those grown by another organization. But everything will be within the “limits” of the variety!
What do columnar junipers of different types and varieties have in common?
Whatever type of columnar juniper belongs to, they all have a slender, elongated crown. These can be tall and low shrubs or trees.
The branches of narrow-columnar junipers are directed vertically and tightly pressed against each other. They resemble a pillar and are clearly visible from all sides.
Broadly columnar junipers have a slightly wider crown and shoots more loosely spaced. They do not always look like an obelisk; they can be spindle-shaped.
The spiny or soft needles of columnar juniper depend on the species; the color of the needles is determined by the variety.
Types and varieties of juniper columnar
There are so many varieties of columnar-shaped junipers that it is impossible to list them all. In addition, the creation of new cultivars does not stop. We offer for consideration species that are often used in culture in Russia, Europe, and neighboring countries.
Columnar Juniper virginiana
The species has produced many columnar varieties.It is a tree with a rather thick trunk. The needles are often needle-shaped and prickly, but in older plants they may be partially scaly. Color ranges from green to gray.
Lives more than 100 years. In the middle zone it winters without shelter. It tolerates urban conditions well, and can grow even on moderately saline lands and construction waste sprinkled with soil.
Among the columnar varieties of Juniperus virginiana, the following stand out:
- Boskop Purple with gray-blue needles;
- Canaertii (Canaertii) with dark green needles - the crown, depending on the nursery, can be columnar or cone-shaped;
- Robusta green – green-blue needles;
- Fastigiata - columnar juniper with blue needles;
- Skyrocket forms a narrow tree with silvery needles;
- Glauca (Glauca) – blue with a wide-columnar crown;
- Burki (Burkii) - the shape of the crown becomes straight and even only in an adult tree;
- Spartan (Spartan) with a wide-columnar crown and green needles.
Columnar Juniper Common
This is the type of crown that can actually look like a pillar, without any discounts! The needles of this columnar juniper are prickly, sharp, but not too hard. It is the cones of plants of this species that are added to gin.
There are many varieties with a narrow crown; they are worth mentioning separately:
- Meyer (Meyer) with a symmetrical, rather wide crown, and blue-green needles;
- Suecica, which has several forms, including those with golden needles;
- Sentinel (Sentinel) with a narrow cigar-shaped crown, green needles, acquiring a bluish tint by the end of the season;
- Gold Cone – wide-cone-shaped with golden needles;
- Compressa is a low-growing columnar juniper;
- Hibernica (Hibernica) with a narrow dense crown and bluish needles;
- Arnold (Arnold) – columnar with green, sometimes bluish needles;
- Erecta is similar to Hibernica, but with a narrower crown.
Columnar Rocky Juniper
The species includes trees, often multi-stemmed, with thick tetrahedral shoots and dark red-brown bark. The needles are scale-like, usually gray, but sometimes green. The most drought-resistant species, it produced many columnar forms. Among them:
- Blue Arrow - one of the most famous, with a narrow crown and silver needles;
- Blue Angel - columnar with bluish-gray needles;
- Gray Cleam is distinguished by a beautiful symmetrical crown and silver-gray needles;
- Silver Cord - a variety of columnar juniper for a small garden with a thin crown, bluish-silver needles;
- Skyrocket – Blue Rocket, the most famous variety, you can’t live without it;
- Springbank - a narrow crown with slightly bent tips of shoots and bright silver needles.
Columnar Chinese Juniper
This species is interesting because adult specimens grow both needle-like and scale-like needles, and male and female plants are very different.
It should be highlighted:
- Columnaris - columnar, with branches loosely adjacent to each other, but directed upward;
- Mountbatten is shaped like a wide cylinder, with short branches, gray-green needle-like needles;
- Obelisk - the famous low juniper with a wide columnar crown and prickly needles;
- Stricta is a common variety with raised branches, a dense crown and sharp bluish-green needles that change color to yellowish-gray in winter.
Features of growing columnar juniper
Indeed, when caring for juniper with a columnar crown, you need to take into account some features. It is a branched tree with one, often several trunks or a shrub. The shoots are raised upward and form a dense crown.
In all columnar junipers, they are more or less pressed against each other, so the crown is poorly ventilated and little light gets inside. As a result, the needles near the trunk quickly dry out. When carrying out sanitary measures, it is necessary not only to remove dead and broken branches, but also to clean off the needles. Otherwise, spider mites will settle there, which is especially difficult to fight on plants with sharp needles.
Pest and disease control is another feature that you need to know about when caring for columnar juniper. It needs to be constantly monitored, since all the “problems” can hide inside the dense crown. Shoots are regularly inspected, especially carefully those that grow without access to light.
Sprinkling is beneficial for junipers; columnar varieties are no exception. But it’s better to water species with sharp needles with a hose in the early morning rather than in the evening. The needles do not always have time to dry before nightfall; moisture is retained in the sinuses of the vegetative organs. Because of this, various rots appear, and in warm regions (not necessarily southern ones) also difficult-to-remove mealybugs.
Planting and caring for juniper columnar
The planting of columnar juniper is no different from varieties with a different crown shape. A hole is dug to such a depth that the root and drainage can fit in it; the diameter is 1.5-2 times larger than the earthen lump. The root collar is at ground level. Turf soil, peat, and sand are added to the planting substrate.
The only difference is that for a seedling exceeding a height of 50 cm, a peg is driven into the bottom of the hole, to which the juniper is tied. This is done simply for stability.
Water abundantly only after planting. Then, depending on the recommendations, usually in moderation. The most undemanding to watering is Rocky Juniper.
The greatest differences between columnar varieties and those with a crown of a different shape are in their shelter for the winter. Its branches must be tied with twine, otherwise the snow may simply break the plant.
Mulching the soil for columnar forms is also a mandatory procedure. Their root is not protected by branches lying on the ground. The covering material protects it from freezing in winter, and prevents it from overheating in summer.
Pruning juniper columnar
In fact, the crop tolerates pruning well, regardless of the shape of the crown. Columnar junipers can be given a more formal shape by pruning. It is from them that topiaries are made. For initial pruning, you should invite a specialist, then you maintain the shape yourself.
For all columnar forms, an important element of care is sanitary pruning. In addition to the fact that on a narrow crown, dry and broken branches are clearly visible and look unattractive, the health of the juniper also depends on this.Dry shoots quickly become infected with pests and fungal spores. And since the branches are pressed against each other, any “trouble” will quickly spread throughout the entire plant.
How to propagate columnar juniper
The shoots take root throughout the season. But for amateurs who have never propagated coniferous crops before, it is better to take them in the spring, tearing them off along with the “heel”. The lower part is freed from needles, treated with a stimulant, planted in sand, perlite or clean peat.
Rooting takes 30-45 days. After this, the cuttings are transplanted into individual containers. You should not overexpose them in a light substrate - juniper needs nutrition for growth, and perlite or sand cannot provide it.
At least two years must pass from the moment of cuttings to planting in the ground.
Conclusion
Columnar juniper is a good solution for any garden. It looks attractive, takes up little space, and requires minimal maintenance. In addition, if desired, you can create a topiary from it.
