Content
Junipers occupy a special niche in landscape design due to the richness of species with different colors of needles and crown shapes. They use both tall tree-like varieties and creeping shrubs, combining them into various design solutions. This could be an alpine hill, a lawn border, a hedge or a coniferous flowerbed. Let us consider below the most profitable options for decorating a personal plot with conifers, as well as photos of junipers in landscape design in combination with thuja and other plants.
Features of a landscape with junipers
The use of coniferous plants in the design of land plots is not suitable for all types of landscape. For example, they are not entirely appropriate for decorating tropical or orchards. But for landscapes similar to the rocky terrain of the Scandinavian countries, with caves and grottoes, as well as an abundance of lichens, mosses and thickets of heather, conifers are ideal.
In addition, juniper is used to create a site design in English or Japanese style, where there are elements of classics, rigor and elegance.
For the Japanese style, obligatory elements are cobblestones protruding from the ground and rocky islands, as well as ponds.
In the English style, elements that carry a touch of antiquity and inviolability are clearly visible. For example, a lawn that has been mowed for several centuries, or old household items that have served their purpose many years ago.
Photo of landscape design in the English style using thuja and several types of juniper.
What types and varieties of junipers are used in garden design
In total, there are about 70 varieties of juniper, but not all are suitable for growing in the garden. For garden decoration, only those that have decorative value and withstand our climatic conditions are used. Basically, about ten species are used, but each of them is represented by several varieties:
- ordinary (Depressa Aurea, Repanda);
- rocky (Blue Arrow, Skyrocket);
- Chinese (Blue Alps, Stricta);
- Virginia (Blue Cloud, Gray Owl);
- Cossack (Blue Danube, Hixie);
- average (Mordigan Gold, Wilhelm Pfitzer);
- scaly (Holger, Dream Joy);
- horizontal (Prince of Wales, Golden Carpet, Andorra Compact).
This is not a complete list of decorative varieties used in landscape design. In fact, there are many more of them. In addition, breeders have developed many hybrids that are adapted to different climatic conditions. This makes it possible to use them to register a plot of land in almost all regions.
Conifers can be planted either in single plantings or by grouping several varieties into a single composition.
Photos of thujas and junipers in landscape design
Coniferous plants are widely used in landscape design to create a variety of styles and compositions. Below are photos of junipers in the garden and a design using them.
Photo of a rock garden using more than three types of juniper, as well as thuja.
Photo of landscape design of an alpine hill.
Photo of a coniferous garden with thuja and juniper.
Photo of using juniper in the garden to decorate a coniferous flower bed.
Photo of a hedge made of thuja.
Photo of a border for a flower bed of coniferous shrubs. Thujas were used for the background of the landscape design.
Photo of a flower bed, for the decoration of which several varieties of thuja were used.
How to beautifully arrange juniper in the garden
Both dwarf varieties and giant plants get along well in coniferous landscape compositions. However, when planting, it is important to adhere to some rules of landscape design so that the design of the land looks self-sufficient and harmonious:
- add stones and pebbles to the composition;
- plant mainly low-growing varieties in the foreground, tall varieties in the middle and background;
- plant plants that match in color nearby (for example, next to juniper, which has bluish-blue needles, shrubs with pink, yellow or golden foliage should be planted);
- spherical types are usually used as free-standing elements of the composition;
- columnar and pyramidal types look good near a hedge or in the center of a composition;
- creeping and vertical varieties should be planted at a distance from each other so that the tall ones do not obscure the low-growing and creeping varieties.
When planning a landscape design using juniper and deciduous plants, you should take into account the optimal distance between them when planting. If coniferous species are located too close to deciduous ones, then the needles will thin and fall off, exposing the branches. Only by observing discrete (discontinuous) planting can you combine the entire composition and emphasize the beauty of the designer’s idea.
Tall varieties of juniper are suitable for decorating hedges in the garden: virginian, rocky or ordinary. At the same time, they should be planted at a distance of no more than 0.7 - 1 m from each other. To decorate flower beds or soil on the slopes of rocky hills, creeping species - horizontal or Cossack - are planted instead of lawn grass.
Photo of creeping juniper in the landscape (in a flower bed and on a hillside - as a ground cover).
When planting conifers in group compositions, you should take into account the growth rate, size and color of the needles; A creative approach is also important in landscape planning.
In addition, in order for a composition of coniferous plants to always look good, timely pruning of old and diseased branches is necessary.
The combination of juniper in the garden with other plants
Juniper goes well with heather, bulbous, cereal crops, roses, dwarf barberry, yellow or orange spirea. Against their background, green pine needles are favorably shaded, and its splendor is revealed in all its glory. To the same extent, juniper sets off the brightness of the flowers and fruits of deciduous shrubs.
Photo of juniper on the site in combination with barberry and tulip.
Thus, planting coniferous bushes in a garden plot can pursue the following goals:
- creating a background for flowering plants;
- maintaining a color accent in landscape design;
- covering soil in rocky areas not suitable for planting a lawn.
Juniper is usually not combined with lush shrubs that have large inflorescences, or transitions are created between them using stone islands or clearings of creeping varieties. This technique is successfully used when planning the design of an alpine slide.
A correctly selected color scheme will allow the garden to play with bright colors throughout the season, and decorations in the form of natural stones and artificial ponds will make landscape design of the site unique.
Conclusion
The article contains photos of junipers in landscape design, as well as some tips on the correct placement of coniferous and deciduous plants in the garden. Having made juniper the main accent in the design of the garden, it is important to take into account the characteristics of the variety in order to emphasize its natural beauty; and, in addition, do not forget to clean the plant from dry shoots.
