Content
- 1 Description of Juniper Medium Mint Julep
- 2 Dimensions of an adult juniper plant Mint Julep
- 3 Juniper Mint Julep in landscape design
- 4 Planting and caring for juniper medium Mint Julep
- 5 How fast does Juniper Mint Julep grow?
- 6 Propagation of juniper Mint Julep
- 7 Diseases and pests
- 8 Conclusion
- 9 Reviews of Juniper Mint Julep
Juniper Mint Julep is a low-growing evergreen shrub with a spreading crown and a pleasant pine-mint aroma. This hybrid, obtained by crossing Cossack and Chinese juniper, is often used in landscape design when decorating green islands near office buildings, in greenhouses, as well as in landscaping personal plots.
Description of Juniper Medium Mint Julep
The country of origin of this variety of juniper is considered to be the USA; the hybrid was obtained in the 60s of the 20th century by breeders from a nursery in Saratoga Springs (New York State). The branches of Mint Julep grow in an arched manner at an angle of 45° relative to the ground, and are distinguished by their lushness and softness. The tops of young shoots hang down. The needles are scale-like, thick, the color varies from light emerald to dark green.The cone berries are small (1-1.5 cm), have a round shape and a bluish-gray tint.
From the Cossack juniper, the most poisonous in the genus Juniperus, Mint Julep inherited the ability to secrete essential oils that are extremely dangerous to human and animal health. All parts of the plant are poisonous.
The shrub exudes a subtle, fresh aroma with hints of mint. It is for this feature that the medium juniper Mint Julep got its name, which translated from English means “mint julep.”
Juniper is a typical representative of dioecious plants. Male specimens are denser than female ones. Sex can be determined at the time of flowering: male microstrobilae (cones) are yellowish in color, female ones are pale green.
Among the positive characteristics of juniper Mint Julep, one cannot fail to mention the following:
- Mint Julep tolerates heat and drought well;
- the hybrid has good frost resistance (up to -40°);
- resistant to sudden temperature changes;
- suitable for growing in conditions of high gas pollution;
- grows faster than other varieties of juniper;
- undemanding to soil composition;
- is a long-lived plant (on average up to 100 years).
Dimensions of an adult juniper plant Mint Julep
The shrub has average dimensions for a juniper - a 10-year-old specimen with proper care has a height of 1.5-2 m with a crown diameter of 3-3.5 m. Mint Julep does not spread along the ground like the Cossack juniper, and does not stretch 15-20 m, like Chinese.According to the description of the Mint Julep juniper, the branches of the bush bend well and can take any shape. This amazing feature, coupled with its relatively small size, has made Juniper Mint Julep a very popular material for creating living frame figures.
Juniper Mint Julep in landscape design
Decorating plots with compositions of evergreen shrubs is a favorite theme of many landscape designers. Slow-growing junipers, including Mint Julep, are used for these purposes more often than others. Spreading or neatly trimmed bushes decorate the garden all year round, especially in winter, when deciduous crops look dull.
When forming the crown of the Mint Julep juniper, you can give free rein to your imagination and create a unique living sculpture in the bonsai style. Mint Julep juniper grown on a trunk looks no less impressive.
A young plant can be made to creep by attaching a flexible trunk to the ground with wire pins. This technique is used when planting juniper on a slope. If the project requires a more compact but tall bush, use an attachment to a vertical support. Over time, the shoots will finally become lignified and will forever remain in the desired position. The ability for such transformation allows the Mint Julep juniper to look harmonious in the compositions of various areas of landscape architecture, be it a Japanese garden, a heather slope or an alpine hill.
A hybrid of Chinese and Cossack juniper can act both as a background and as a dominant plant. Thanks to its unpretentiousness and resistance to negative environmental influences, Mint Julep is a leader in industrial landscaping.The culture can often be found in city parks, alleys, squares as part of mixborders or as a hedge.
Juniper's neighbors can be both coniferous and deciduous trees and shrubs. Beautifully flowering crops look interesting against the backdrop of juicy scaly needles:
- rhododendron;
- hydrangea;
- heather;
- Erika.
Planting juniper with barberry or cotoneaster will be no less advantageous.
Planting and caring for juniper medium Mint Julep
Juniper Mint Julep can grow on any type of soil, but the shrub will feel best on loose, well-drained sandy loam and loam. For this crop, it is better to choose a well-lit area, since juniper is a light-loving species. With enough sunlight, the crown will be thicker and more lush; when planted in the shade, the structure of the needles will be loose. In the place chosen for planting juniper, groundwater should not lie too close to the surface.
Preparing seedlings and planting area
Experts recommend purchasing seedlings from large, time-tested nurseries. It is better to choose plants with a closed root system, in containers; they can more easily withstand the stress of replanting.
Juniper Mint Julep is planted in a permanent place in mid-spring, when the soil has already warmed up sufficiently. The pit is prepared 2 weeks before planting. The dimensions of the recess should exceed the volume of the seedling's earthen ball by 2-3 times, the depth should be 60 cm. A drainage layer 10 cm thick is laid at the bottom of the hole. For this, broken bricks, expanded clay, gravel, and small pebbles are used.The next drainage layer is coarse sand. The soil mixture is prepared from the following components:
- turf land (1 part);
- river sand (1 part);
- peat (2 parts).
The prepared nutrient soil is left in the hole so that it settles naturally.
Rules for planting juniper medium Mint Julep
Mint Julep does not tolerate replanting well, so the location for the shrub must be selected carefully and for many years to come. When planning, you need to take into account that the distance to neighboring plants should be at least 1.5-2 m.
The landing algorithm boils down to the following manipulations:
- In the prepared hole, dig a hole commensurate with the container of the seedling.
- The seedling is placed in the hole so that the root collar is flush with the edge of the hole.
- The hole is filled with nutritious soil, lightly compacted.
- Plantings are watered abundantly with settled warm water.
- When the moisture has finally been absorbed, the circle around the trunk is loosened and mulched with pine bark or sawdust.
For the first 7-10 days after planting, young juniper is regularly watered by sprinkling.
Watering and fertilizing
Hybrid Mint Julep is very responsive to regular soil moisture. The bushes need to be watered in the evening every 7-10 days, using 1-3 buckets of settled water per plant. Spraying or sprinkling has a beneficial effect on the appearance and health of the bush. The procedure is carried out early in the morning or in the evening every 3-5 days.
The young bush is fertilized once a year in the spring. Complex mineral fertilizers containing phosphorus, potassium, nitrogen and other useful microelements are suitable as top dressing. Fertilizers begin to be applied in the 2nd year after planting. An adult plant needs feeding every 2-3 years.
Mulching and loosening
In the spring, as soon as the snow melts, the old mulch is removed and disposed of, because pathogenic microorganisms could multiply in it over the winter. The tree trunk circle is carefully loosened and covered with a new layer of mulch. Loosening the soil should be done regularly, after each watering or rain. It is imperative that the soil is loosened before winter so that a sufficient amount of oxygen reaches the root system.
Pruning Juniper Mint Julep
Sanitary pruning of Mint Julep is carried out in the spring. At the same time, broken, dried and diseased fragments are removed. Formative pruning of the Mint Julep juniper is carried out throughout the warm season, as the branches grow, distorting the shape of the bush intended by the gardener.
Bottom pruning is done extremely rarely, in most cases when bonsai are formed from Mint Julep juniper. The lower branches of young bushes are cut off, the trunk is carefully wrapped with copper wire, which is then bent based on the master’s idea. The trunk is formed over 2-3 seasons, after which the wire is removed and the design of skeletal and secondary branches begins. It is possible to form a plant only at a young age; adult bushes painfully tolerate any changes.
Juniper Mint Julep shelter for the winter
Juniper Mint Julep is a frost-resistant hybrid. Only young bushes, whose branches have not yet become woody, need shelter for the winter. The circle around the trunk is mulched with a thick layer of peat, the branches are tied and covered with spruce branches. Adult plants also need to be tied up for the winter, similar to Christmas trees at New Year's markets, in this form the branches will not break under the weight of snow.
How fast does Juniper Mint Julep grow?
The average annual growth of Mint Julep juniper directly depends on the growing conditions. The main growth occurs in spring and summer. Typically, over the course of a season, the height of the Mint Julep juniper increases by 10 cm, and the branches grow 5 cm in width. Judging by numerous reviews from gardeners, growth in central Russia is slower than stated in the description, although the growth rate of the hybrid Mint Julep juniper exceeds the original Chinese species.
Propagation of juniper Mint Julep
This variety can be propagated by layering and cuttings. Theoretically, it is possible to collect seeds from female bushes, but it is extremely difficult to grow a full-fledged strong plant from them. In the summer, strong shoots about 10 cm long are cut from the bush and rooted in individual containers with nutrient soil. Before roots appear, seedlings are kept in greenhouses.
Diseases and pests
Juniper Mint Julep can suffer from various fungal diseases, including rust and chute. Infections are often carried by insects that live near fruit and berry crops. When affected, the color of the conifer needles changes and the plant looks depressing. To prevent and treat fungal diseases, it is necessary to use fungicides.
The most common pests of Mint Julep are:
- aphid;
- needle mite;
- scale insect;
- sawfly;
- mole;
- caterpillars.
If unwanted insects are found, the bushes should be sprayed with an insecticide solution diluted strictly according to the instructions.
Yellowing of juniper needles can be caused not only by diseases and pests.With a lack of nutrients, poor drainage, too dry or, conversely, waterlogged soil, the dark emerald shade of the branches quickly changes to faded yellow.
Conclusion
Juniper Mint Julep is an excellent choice for those who want to decorate their garden with an unpretentious conifer. The lush emerald crown and the possibility of a curly haircut have made this hybrid of American selection a favorite and sought-after crop. The plant is popular both among professional landscape designers and amateur gardeners.
