Here are 12 types ofjuniper shrubsand trees that might suit your landscape.
This species can either be a shrub or a tree depending on the growing location and conditions.
Other common names include checkerbark juniper, oak-barked juniper, thick-barked juniper, western juniper, and mountain cedar.
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This is a good plant for dry, rocky conditions.
It’s native toCentral and northernMexico, and the southwestern United States.
It features scale-like blue-gray leaves and reddish-brown cones.
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In landscaping, it is used to create wildlife habitats and in drought-tolerant gardening.
It is very tolerant of alkaline soils and is often used to provide erosion control on dry slopes.
It is also often used in bonsai.
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As it matures, it creates an intriguing twisted form that works well as aspecimen plant.
There are many other varieties composed of different shapes and colors.
This plant can take many forms depending on its environment.
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This is a rare juniper that has needle-like leaves, rather than scales.
The tree is native to North America, Europe, northern Asia, and Japan.J.
It is very adaptable and can handle many different soils and situations.
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The leaves begin needle-like but become scales when the plants mature.
The cones are blue-white berries with a waxy coating.
There are more than 100 cultivars of this plant available, including varieties with yellow foliage.
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As juveniles, these upright trees have needle-like leaves that become flattened scales in the mature plants.
The tree is native to Texas, Mexico, and Guatemala.
(The wood is often used in cedar chests.)
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This is an upright tree with dark blue-green scale-like foliage.
It is used as a specimen tree or in large screen plantings.
Do not plant this tree near apple trees, as it is a host to cedar-apple rust fungus.
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The tree is native to eastern Mediterranean regions.
These hardy trees can even grow on the sides of rocky cliffs.
The foliage is gray-green, and the trunks can be quite massiveup to 6 feet in diameter.
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The cones on female trees are purple-blue berries.
The bark is gray-brown, shedding in narrow vertical strips that expose reddish wood underneath.
The plant gets its name because the cone/berry typically contains just one seed.
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(Other common names include single-seed juniper and cherrystone juniper.)
It’s native to Rocky Mountain regions of western North America.
The Rocky Mountain juniper is a small to medium-sized tree that usually grows a pyramidal shape.
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‘Skyrocket’ is an especially narrow variety that is bluish-green.
This is one of the juniper species that is particularly susceptible to cedar-apple rust.
This tree has foliage that is a lighter yellow-green than what is typical of junipers.
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The mature foliage is scale-like, and the cone/fruit is bluish-brown.
The stems and branches are quite thick, and the gray-brown bark may exfoliate in thin strips.
The wood was used for many different tasks during the pioneer era.
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It is widely distributed in the wild but is rarely planted as a landscape specimen.
Care Tips For Junipers
The best time to plant juniper trees depends on your region.
Cooler regions should generally plant in early fall or early spring, while warmer regions can plant in winter.
Be sure to water the tree in.
Most species of juniper prefer full sun to partial shade and have moderate water needs.
They probably will not need supplemental water, except for during periods of drought.
These trees do not require regular fertilization.
Prune in early spring before new growth begins, removing individual green tips and dead foliage.
Avoid cutting old, living growth.
Are Juniper Trees Good?
The most common juniper tree is the common juniper,J.
communis, which is native to North America, Europe, and parts of Asia.
Other common species include Rocky Mountain juniper, western juniper, and creeping juniper.
Juniper trees are sometimes referred to as cedars, but junipers and cedars are not the same.
They are in different plant families entirely.
