Content
Juniper recumbent Nana is a variety that compares favorably with other varieties with its compact size. The low growth makes it easier to care for the shrub, and also allows you to use it to create borders, decorate tall crops and small flower beds. This species has gained great popularity due to its unpretentiousness and resistance to typical diseases of coniferous plants.
Description of juniper recumbent Nana
Juniper recumbent Nana (juniperus procumbens nana) is a dwarf creeping shrub, the height of which does not exceed 40 cm. The bush grows 130-150 cm wide. The needles of this variety are soft and small. Its color varies from bluish-silver to greenish-blue tones.
Like many juniper varieties, Nana is a long-lived plant with a slow growth rate. The annual growth of the shrub is only 30 cm, thanks to which the plant retains its shape for a long time after pruning. This quality is highly valued in landscape design, because...juniper can survive for long periods of time without crown formation.
A distinctive feature of the Nana variety is its immunity to low temperatures, which allows the shrub to be grown in most of Russia, including in the northern regions. In addition, the plant tolerates long-term drought well.
Juniper Nana recumbent in landscape design
As you can see in the photo below, juniper recumbent Nana is often used to decorate city parks and playgrounds. This is due to the fact that the variety is quite resistant to air pollution.
Most often, Nana juniper is grown as follows:
- as a ground cover crop to decorate slopes;
- as part of rock gardens;
- for planting on roofs and balconies;
- as part of coniferous groups together with spruce, pine, thuja, etc.;
- for decorating low-growing borders;
- in the form of homogeneous compositions;
- for placement on terraces in containers;
- as decoration in rocky gardens.
Planting and caring for juniper recumbent Nana
Planting and caring for juniper recumbent variety Nana does not cause any particular difficulties. The plant is quite unpretentious and does not make serious demands on the type of soil. On the other hand, in order to fully realize the potential of this variety, it is recommended to adhere to some general rules when choosing a site for planting:
- Nana juniper grows best in acidic, well-drained soils.
- This species does not grow well in conditions of lack of light, so it should be planted in open sunny areas.
- The growth of shrubs can be inhibited by planting in lowlands - with this location there is a high probability that moisture will stagnate in the soil after heavy rains. An increased level of soil moisture often provokes rotting of the roots of juniper.
Preparing seedlings and planting area
Despite the fact that juniper recumbent Nana takes root well in almost all types of soil, sometimes it is better to slightly adjust the area before planting the plant. If the soil in your garden plot is clayey and heavy, you can dilute it with a sand mixture. To do this, mix fine-grained sand, turf soil and peat in equal proportions.
Landing rules
Bare-rooted seedlings are planted in spring or autumn. If spring is chosen, planting can be done immediately after the snow melts. The earlier the shrub is planted, the better. Seedlings with closed roots are also planted in spring, autumn, even winter is suitable.
The procedure for planting juniper variety Nana is as follows:
- When planting in groups, planting holes are placed at a distance of 90-100 cm from each other. The diameter of the pit is 70-80 cm, the depth is 60-70.
- At the bottom of the hole, drainage about 10 cm thick and a fertile soil mixture of sand, turf soil and peat, taken in a ratio of 1: 1: 2, are placed.
- After this, the seedling is lowered into the hole, carefully straightening its root system.
- The roots of the juniper are sprinkled with earth and lightly compacted.
- Then the bush is watered abundantly.
If desired, Nana juniper can be sprinkled with a layer of mulch. Sawdust, peat, dry grass and leaves, as well as wood chips are used as mulch.
Watering and fertilizing
Juniper variety Nana tolerates drought well, so it does not need frequent watering. It is recommended to water adult plants no more than once a month. In conditions of prolonged rains, watering is stopped altogether.
Despite the fact that Nana juniper develops well without additional fertilizing, if desired, you can add nitrophoska or special mixtures for coniferous crops to the soil. Plants are usually fertilized in the spring.
Mulching and loosening
Loosening the soil in the tree trunk area is necessary in order to ensure better air supply to the root system of the shrub. It is not recommended to loosen the soil too deeply, because... in this case, thin roots can be damaged.
It is not necessary to mulch Nana juniper, but it helps to better retain moisture in the soil. In addition, the mulch layer protects the juniper from hypothermia in winter. In summer, mulch inhibits the growth of weeds.
Trimming and shaping
Nana juniper is trimmed no more than 2 times a year. The procedure is carried out in late April and July. In this case, first, all dry, damaged and diseased branches are cut off, after which they begin to form the crown.The variety is cut from bottom to top.
Preparing for winter
The description of the juniper variety Nana states that the plant tolerates low temperatures well, so adult plants do not need additional shelter for the winter. Only young bushes up to 2-3 years old are insulated in the fall. To do this, use garden fabric that allows air to pass through well. The trunk circle is sprinkled with spruce branches.
Reproduction of juniper procumbens Nana
Juniper procumbens Nana is propagated by cuttings or layering, but the first method is preferable. Cuttings are taken at any time of the year, but it is best to take cuttings from bushes in the spring months - this way young bushes will be able to survive the winter in open ground without any complications, because their root system will have time to strengthen before the first frost. Cuttings cut in August must be moved indoors, otherwise they will freeze in winter.
The procurement procedure is as follows:
- Juniper Nana is a creeping species, so any branches except those that grow vertically are selected as planting material.
- Selected branches are carefully cut with a sharp knife or garden shears. A blunt instrument leaves behind torn cuts that take a long time to heal and greatly weaken the bush. Before cutting, the blades must be disinfected with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
- The cuttings are cut together with the “heel” - a piece of old wood, which is located at the point where the branch is attached to the main shoot.
- The resulting planting material is cleaned from below, removing 4-5 cm of needles from the surface of the shoots.This is necessary for better development of the root system of future bushes.
- You cannot postpone transplanting cuttings. Cut shoots must be planted in open ground on the same day, no more than 3 hours later. It is advisable to do this as quickly as possible; in extreme cases, you can immerse the planting material in water for 1-2 hours.
- Plants are planted in loose, permeable soil. Nana juniper develops best in soils with a high level of acidity, so before planting, you should not fertilize the area with wood ash or eggshells.
Reproduction of juniper Nana using layering is not so widespread, but the procedure is quite simple. In order to form a layer, it is necessary to bend the young shoot to the ground and lightly dig it in. At the same time, it is important to fix it so that it does not unbend. When the layering forms a full-fledged root system, it can be finally separated from the mother bush and replanted.
Diseases and pests of horizontal juniper Nana
Juniperus recumbent variety Nana practically does not attract insects. Occasionally, bushes can be affected by aphids, moths or sawflies, but these pests can easily be controlled by any insecticide.
The variety also rarely gets sick. Disease outbreaks occur mainly due to gross violations of agricultural practices or during prolonged rains, when air humidity rises sharply.In such conditions, a fungus actively develops, which causes rapid death of the juniper bark and provokes the development of rot. In order to get rid of fungal infections, the bushes are sprayed with Bordeaux mixture or copper sulfate.
Conclusion
Even a novice gardener can grow juniper recumbent Nana - it is one of the most unpretentious coniferous crops, capable of developing well even with minimal care. The compact shape, attractive appearance and undemanding nature of the shrub have earned it great popularity, but the list of its advantages does not end there. If you wish, you can independently squeeze aromatic essential oil from the shoots of Nana juniper, which has a lot of useful properties.
