Common juniper: description, types, varieties, cultivation

The article presents an ordinary juniper: description, characteristics, varieties, types, growing rules.

Large coniferous trees in the form of slender pyramids look very beautiful on plots. This is what the Common Juniper looks like, which grows wild in America, Europe, in northern parts of Africa and Asia. You can also find creeping juniper crops. The plant is very resistant and hardy. It can quickly adapt to new growing conditions and changing climatic conditions. This allowed the plant to exist for many years, experiencing even the most serious climatic changes. Junipers grow to this day, in great demand among landscape designers.

Common juniper: description, characteristics

Common juniper: description, characteristics

Having existed on the earth for a fairly long period of time, a lot of varieties of juniper have appeared. Wild species are mainly low, creeping shrubs that occupy the lower layer in the forest variety. However, thanks to scientists and breeders, the juniper has not only been studied and described in detail in the literature, but it has also been domesticated since the 16th century, and new varieties have been developed that differ from each other not only in appearance, but also in the color of the crown.

Common juniper: description of species

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Common juniper: description of species

The plant is classified by its crown and branching type. So there are:
- low-growing plants with branches hanging down the sides f. Pendula;
- trees with a large crown in the form of a column and a small number of hanging branches f. Suecica;
- Plants with a compact columnar crown shape f. Compressa;
- there are species that are low, but with a wide crown growing on the sides f. Depressa;
- plants with a high, slender crown shape, the branches of which are directed straight up f. Hibernica;
- creeping juniper species are also distinguished, which grow up to 2 meters wide f. S ..

In addition to the shape of the crown of the plant, the juniper has a different color of the needles. In a wild plant, the needles are green with a distinctive light stripe in the middle of the needle. The length of the needles is about one and a half centimeters.

Now, thanks to the diligent and not indifferent work of breeders, the juniper adorns a large number of gardens, squares and parks, surprising both with the blue color of the needles and the almost golden crown of the plant. The needles look great against the background of the red bark of the tree, which, as the plant grows, cracks and begins to peel off. After the plant has turned more than 10 years old, we can talk about its ability to reproduce by seeds. Pollinating, female plant species form pretty cones, which have three seeds inside.

Common juniper: photo and description of varieties

At the moment, a wide variety of combs of the culture have been obtained from the common juniper, which are now divided so as not to be confused by its size, and depending on the strength of the plant's growth.

Full-grown junipers. These are the crops that grow about 30 cm in height every year.
Medium-sized varieties. Such crops grow by about 15 cm per year.
Dwarf junipers grow 10 cm annually.
Miniature junipers.Such crops grow only 8 cm during the year.

The first position in terms of slow growth is occupied by junipers of the micro group, increasing only by a couple of centimeters per year.
There are also those crops that do not fit more than one group, since their growth occurs in different directions, and the branches hang down, resembling a weeping willow.

Juniper ordinary Horstmann.

Common juniper: photo and description of varieties

This plant can be seen in the lands of Germany. The culture has an average vigor of growth, however, reaching a height of about two and a half meters, it drops its stems down and becomes a weeping plant, making the plant unique, and attracts the views of many visitors to parks and squares. The needles of the plant are green. The bush itself is unpretentious. The only thing, to maintain beauty, he needs a lot of light. Designers are very fond of this culture and always plant junipers in the center of the composition.

Juniper ordinary Repanda.

It is also an extremely original specimen that surprises with its flat, round crown shape. The plant is only 30 cm long. However, the branches grow widely on the sides by about one and a half meters. The homeland of the plant is Ireland, so the culture is very resistant even to severe frosts, but does not tolerate dry air. The needles of the described plant are soft to the touch. Not even a centimeter long. The color is green with a silvery tint. On the needles, you can see the light stripe characteristic of juniper.

Juniper ordinary Green Carpet

The culture is very similar to the previous juniper variety. A grown-up plant looks like a soft green carpet from afar. The stem grows in height by only 15 centimeters, due to which the plant perfectly tolerates both low temperatures up to 40 degrees, and strong bad weather, and heavy rainfall.

Juniper ordinary Khybernika.

A variety native to Ireland. The crown of a beautiful plant resembles a pyramidal column. This plant was domesticated about 200 years ago, and is still very popular with landscape designers, because it has a very dense pyramidal crown with branches growing upward. The color of the needles remains blue throughout the year, even in winter. The needles are soft to the touch, and the height of the plant in years can even reach 8 meters. It is a pity that the variety does not take root everywhere in Russia, except in the southern regions, where the air temperature does not drop below 17 degrees in winter.

Juniper ordinary Arnold.

In length, the stem of the plant grows up to two meters. The shape of the crown also resembles a column, does not grow in width and the branches are directed straight up, for which the tree looks very slender and graceful. The plant grows annually no more than 10 cm in height, the needles have a slightly bluish tint. The needle itself is no more than a centimeter in length.

Juniper ordinary Meyer.

The variety was named after its creator, a German breeder. So, the bred culture has a beautiful wide crown in the form of a pyramid with thorny shiny needles of a blue hue. The size of the stem does not exceed three meters in height, and the plant itself is characterized by increased resistance to frost, but very demanding on light. Only with sufficient lighting will the crown look decorative. This type is loved by designers and actively planted a culture that looks like a Christmas tree or fir from afar.

Juniper ordinary Suetsika.

This plant is very popular in the north of Europe and in our country, since it is highly resistant to frosty winters. This plant is a shrub, which has several main stems and changes the shape of the crown from pyramidal to a crown with drooping branches at the end. From the outside, the plant looks attractive and is in great demand when creating unique compositions for ennobling plots and home gardens.The stem grows no more than 10 cm annually.

Juniper ordinary care, planting rules

The culture discussed in this article is very fond of light, but it can also grow in partial shade, since it is an unpretentious evergreen. In order for the plant to perform its decorative function, it needs to allocate a place in the sun and make sure that there are no constant drafts here. Any soil is suitable, the main thing is that it is nutritious and loose.

Planting the plant is best in mid-spring, in May or early fall. It is better to prepare the landing site in advance. The size of the pit should exceed the size of the root system so that the roots are not cramped. A drainage layer must be laid out on the bottom. A crumb of brick, expanded clay or sand is well suited. The composition of the soil should here consist of peat, turf and sand with a small admixture of clay. It will be optimal to add fertilizers containing nitrogen and phosphorus. The soil should not be acidic, so if this is the case, then add more dolomite flour or lime.

After the land has settled, the prepared plant can be planted. It is important to ensure that the root collar is flush with the soil or a few cm above the surface. After planting, the ground is tamped and the plant is watered abundantly. It is better to mulch the surface around the trunk so that weeds do not grow, and moisture remains in the soil for as long as possible.

Since the common juniper is classified as an unpretentious plant, it does not require undue attention to itself. You should only water the plant in severe drought. But not more than once a week. In addition, weeds are removed and the soil around the trunk is regularly loosened so that oxygen is better supplied to the roots. The crop should be fed only in the spring with the help of special fertilizers for conifers, of which there are many at this time. If the soil is not fertile or even stony, then you will have to feed the crop several times per season.

To maintain the beauty of the needles, it is recommended to spray the crown from a spray bottle.
Plants planted for the purpose of a hedge or to create other forms, then a crown should be formed annually. If a species with drooping branches is planted, then the formation does not need to be carried out, it is only necessary to occasionally do sanitary pruning of the bush, removing dry and diseased branches.

Since the growth of the plant is very weak, the main thing here is not to overdo it, since it will take more than a year to build up greenery. It is best to form a plant in the spring or early summer, and in the fall to carry out sanitary pruning.
For the prevention of diseases, it is necessary to use fungicides or treat diseased plants with Bordeaux liquid. Plants tolerate winter well, so adult crops are left as they are, and young seedlings for the winter must be covered with spruce branches and tied with twine. In winter, it is better to cover the plant with snow.

Summing up, we can say thank you to the breeders for discovering such an amazing evergreen coniferous plant for us. In addition, now you can grow a juniper bush with one or another crown shape and enjoy its appearance, creating beautiful coniferous compositions. Due to the unpretentiousness of the plant and its resistance to cold weather, any gardener can grow this crop on the site.

Common juniper: description