Red cedar

Virginia Juniper is one of the most popular evergreens that can be used to decorate plots. Junipers in principle, these are very decorative shrubs that can be used to decorate a personal plot.

Introduction

Depending on which variety the juniper belongs to, it can be of a horizontal type, or it can be vertical and grow like a tree. The maximum duration of a certain sort and a certain type of juniper can be up to five hundred years. The height of the plant can be different - the largest and tallest junipers can reach a height of almost thirty meters, and for some varieties this height is far from the limit.

As a rule, as soon as the Virginian juniper grows over forty years old, it can gradually lose its decorative qualities. The bush becomes less attractive, and usually after that it is completely removed from the personal plot or from the landscape where it has been all this time.

Fruits are present on plants - as a rule, these are cones, which have a wide variety of colors. Most often, on Virginian junipers, there are cones of a dark blue, almost black shade. Berries can stay on plants for a very long time, until severe frosts set in. This gives the juniper bush even more decorative and attractiveness, especially during the fruiting period. The root system of the juniper of this variety is distinguished by its strength, the development of a large number of lateral branches. As a rule, it is precisely due to its root system that the plant turns out to be so strong and, most importantly, it absolutely does not lend itself to strong gusts of wind in any way.

The natural habitat of Virginia juniper is rocky terrain. Also, sometimes junipers take root well in wetlands, especially in North America.

Today, breeders and agronomists have about seventy different types of juniper crops. They all differ from each other in a number of basic characteristics.:
- the shape of the plant (shrub)
- shrub height - dwarf, medium-sized or tall plants
- the shade inherent in needles and needles
- other characteristics, which may also differ depending on which variety the juniper belongs to.

In general, Juniper Virginsky today is very popular precisely because it is completely unpretentious and, at the same time, it is quite decorative, which is why it is so often used to decorate and decorate personal plots and even apartments. Junipers usually reproduce in three main ways:
- the seed method, which at the same time is not the most demanded
- vaccination method
- grafting method

Variety grafting is usually carried out only in relation to the rarest varieties of juniper crops. Gardeners, especially experienced ones, recommend a third method for propagating junipers - cuttings. But here it should be borne in mind that there are some specific features and nuances that are best taken into account in order for the plant to grow strong, healthy and really very decorative. So, if you do not take care of the plant, do not take some preventive measures, then of the total number of cuttings, only half, and sometimes even a small part, can survive.But if the gardener adheres to agrotechnical rules, and also uses drugs to stimulate plant growth, then an excellent tendency for plant survival can be obtained. As a rule, in this case, up to 80% of the number of all cuttings that the gardener used in his activities takes root.

It is best to choose a place for planting that is warm and well-lit; the soil should also warm up well. It should be equipped with drainage, which can be used as ordinary broken brick or expanded clay. If water accumulates and stagnates in the soil, this can lead to the formation of fungi and fungal diseases in the root system, which have a destructive effect on the plant. If the Virginia juniper experiences such loads, its growth will slow down to a noticeable extent, and in the future it will simply stop growing, die, and lose its decorative features.

Plants are planted either in the autumn or in the spring. Due to the peculiarities of the development of the root system of a juniper, it is recommended to transplant it together with an earthen clod, without destroying it. Only in this case, the root system has a better chance of successfully adapting to new conditions. The planting hole should be no more than seventy centimeters deep. Between seedlings, it is better to observe a certain distance, which ranges from half a meter to two meters, it all depends on the variety of the bush, on its size and how the root system grows. The root collar can remain on the surface of the ground, since in this case the plant will be saturated with the necessary amount of oxygen, which is very important for the juniper.

With regard to care measures, the Virginia juniper, in principle, needs the most standard procedures, among which the following measures stand out in particular:
- weeding in a regular manner, getting rid of the plant from any weed
- around the plant, it is necessary to regularly loosen the soil so that it receives all the necessary amount of oxygen. It is oxygen that saturates the plant and allows it to develop in accordance with the norms.
- soil moisture. In this case, you can use both root application of moisture and spraying, since the green part of the plant also needs the gardener to spray it regularly. This will preserve the fresh appearance of the juniper. External moisturizing is best done either in the morning hours or in the evening, when the sun has already disappeared below the horizon.
- mulching the soil with straw peat allows you to keep all the necessary amount of moisture in the near-trunk circle so that the plant feels as comfortable as possible

Features of the variety, planting and plant care

Gray oul

This is one of the most popular varieties of the Virginia juniper, which is also very popular among domestic gardeners and designers who are engaged in landscape design. Gray owl is a fairly short and evergreen bush that has a very spreading and attractive crown. The knots of the bush are large, they are predominantly located horizontally. When the bush becomes an adult, its height can reach three meters. The diameter of the bush as a whole is gigantic - seven meters, if the bush grows in the most favorable conditions for itself. At the same time, in principle, like any other junipers, Gray owl grows very slowly, during the season it can add no more than ten centimeters in height. But in width for a year, a bush can grow up to twenty centimeters. The needles are very attractive, they look fresh due to the fact that they have a gray-blue or green tint with a gray tint. The fruits are ordinary - these are cones, which are blue in color with a clear gray tint.

The variety also needs to be planted in sunny locations where there is also prepared, drained soil.At the same time, the variety differs in that it tolerates both severe frosts and excessive drought equally calm. It does not suffer from this at all, it grows in the same way as it should grow under normal conditions. At the same time, in hot summer, it is best to spray the bush with water in order to maintain its fresh appearance. In order for the bush to look neat, it is necessary to subject it to sanitary and formative pruning.

Hetz

The Virginia Juniper variety Hetz is an upright shrub that has an attractive spreading crown. At the same time, an adult plant can reach up to two meters in height and three meters in width. This is a fast-growing variety, and this is some of its peculiarity. The needles look very decorative and attractive - they have a gray-blue tint, and when the first frosts come, the needles turn brown. The fruits are also cone berries that are dark blue, almost black in color. The fruits contain seeds.

A sunny place is perfect for planting, but the juniper also takes root well in the shade. One way or another, it is worth remembering that sunlight has a positive effect on plants, and therefore, if a juniper is in the shade for a long time, then it may lose its decorative qualities, and may, in principle, lose the brightness of its crown. At the same time, as far as the soil is concerned, here the juniper is absolutely unpretentious. It is important not to allow excessive compaction of the soil, since junipers love loose, ventilated soil, which is actively saturated with oxygen.

Glauka

Glauka is another vertical juniper that I would like to mention. This variety has a columnar crown shape, while the bush looks as decorative as possible. In height, it can reach about six meters, and in girth - no more than 220 centimeters. It differs from other varieties of the Virginian group of junipers in that, in general, it grows very quickly, in one year it can add up to an average of twenty centimeters in height. The bushes can perfectly tolerate the formation, and the bushes keep their shape for a long time, without requiring additional measures.

Skyrocket

Skyrocket is another Virginian type juniper. It looks like a tall tree growing vertically (up to eight meters), which can reach one meter in diameter. This species is rather fast growing, which can also distinguish it from many other varieties of junipers. At the same time, it can add up to twenty centimeters in growth annually, the needles have a very attractive bluish-green color, and can also have a gray-green color, but this is achieved solely due to the fact that the plant grows in a well-lit area, as well as due to the fact that it is in the soil, where drainage was installed in advance, which also allows you to receive only the required amount of moisture, and the roots are not oversaturated, which does not lead to decay or the development of various fungal diseases.

At the same time, the variety is resistant to both severe frosts and droughts - it quite calmly tolerates air pollution. The fact is that the plant emits special substances that can cleanse the air around, therefore, in this sense, the plant has another important value, and this is its considerable advantage over many other varieties and crops in general.

Munglow

Munglow - a variety of juniper that has a classic conical shape. The height usually reaches four meters, while the variety grows quickly - over a year, the plant grows in height on average from 10 to 15 centimeters. The needles are blue with a bluish tint. Fruits are typical cones with seeds inside. The variety is very fond of sunny areas, but at the same time it can tolerate partial shade for some time.If you plant a bush on a permanent shade or partial shade, then it may lose its decorative features, and, in principle, may practically not grow, therefore, it will lose its features in principle. The variety, like other juniper varieties, can perfectly tolerate both drought and frost, but nevertheless, the plant must be looked after, since it always needs a gardener to care for it, in accordance with the most standard methods of caring for juniper crops.

Blue Arrow

Blue Arrow Virginia Juniper is an upright shrub. In general, its characteristics correspond to other varieties of juniper crops of the Virginian type. The height can vary from two to 2.5 meters, the plant grows very quickly. The needles are bright blue, which in general fully justifies the name of this variety. The variety is frost resistant. You don't need to cover it at all for the winter, it perfectly withstands a drop in temperatures. In addition, the variety is drought tolerant, but it is recommended in very dry weather not only to carry out root watering, but also to spray the crown of the juniper to refresh it and make it look healthier and more attractive.