Cossack juniper compositions with other plants. Juniper: planting and care. Juniper horizontal "Andorra Compact"
Today, juniper is considered one of the most popular plants in the garden. This plant is used to decorate the yard. The use of juniper for garden design is gaining great popularity in any country, with any gardener. After all, everyone strives to create comfort and beauty in their yard.
Photo example:
What are its advantages?
Juniper has a large number of species and varieties. They can be of short stature, not reaching even twenty centimeters. And they can grow high up.
It is easy to cut and take care of it. Also, juniper can participate in the division of one area from another, or as a hedge to separate a zone in the yard. 
What varieties of juniper exist?
In nature, there are about seventy varieties of juniper. Each of them can be used in landscape design and garden decoration. All of them are very well related to frost, cool winds.
They tolerate high temperatures and are unpretentious to the growing conditions.
juniper
The most common variety is the middle juniper. This plant variety grows in a large bush and reaches up to two and a half meters. It has a beautiful asymmetrical shape. The color of the green has a blue-green tint.
In the shade, such a juniper seems needle-shaped. It grows very fast. You can plant it in partial shade, on the sunny side. It is important to plant juniper in fertile soil, and fertilize periodically. He also tolerates a haircut in any shape.
rock juniper
The rocky view of the plant is the second variety that is popular with gardeners. Rocky juniper is often used when planting plants near rock gardens, artificial reservoirs, fountains.
The rocky appearance of the plant will look great on open lawns, even if there is no additional decoration nearby. Often juniper is used in the design of the Japanese style.
Cossack species of juniper
The Cossack type of juniper is a dwarf plant that people who have a small plot of land love to use. In width, this plant reaches two meters.
The needles of this variety of juniper look like scales. It grows in sunny areas, frost-resistant. It can be used in group and single plantings. Can be planted on rocky or fertile soil.
What plants go with juniper?
Perennial flowers, small fruit trees and shrubs will look very beautiful in combination with juniper. It is important when planting to pay attention to what is already growing around the juniper.
Because over time, the juniper will grow and can damage plants growing too close. Photo:
Compositions with juniper
When entering the courtyard or walking in the garden, coniferous juniper will be an excellent choice for decoration. It will look great and harmonious with mountain pine or larch.Spruce will make a good pair for him. To design beautiful soil, it is necessary to plant pebbles or artificial stone around the planted plant. It is important to note that beautiful conifers will not be combined with a large inflorescence. But it is possible to find unity with such species if you plan the landing correctly and choose a place.
How to plant and water junipers
Juniper should be planted in an open area, making a distance between plants of about two meters. Since in a few years the plant will begin to grow, and it needs a supply.
The depth of the hole should be about seventy centimeters. They are indifferent to the fertility of the soil, so it is not worth delving into what kind of land.
Watering this plant is no different from ordinary watering trees.
It is imperative that after planting the juniper, the root system must be sprinkled with peat or sawdust to maintain moisture. Juniper loves water, so after hot weather like a fan, when the sun sets, you need to spray it.
If the plant is young, then the soil around should be cultivated and irrigated. Almost any variety can withstand frost, but there are varieties that require some sort of shelter.
How to cure rust on juniper?
Juniper has a common disease - rust. In order to fight it, it is necessary to use a solution of arceride. Ten liters of water are poured into fifty grams of this solution and the plant is sprayed every ten days.After that, the plant should recover. Pests such as mites, moths or aphids can also start. The solution will also help get rid of these pests.
Junipers are extremely popular in landscape design due to their huge variety of shapes, sizes and colors. They grow relatively slowly, practically do not require a haircut and are unpretentious to growing conditions. Junipers can be trees and reach 15 meters in height. They can be both two-meter shrubs and very miniature shrubs with a height of only 20 centimeters.
The juniper shape can be cone-shaped and weeping, sprawling and columnar, funnel-shaped and cushion-shaped, spherical and fountain-like. They will decorate any site, any landscape design project, as they are equally well combined not only with their coniferous counterparts, but also with deciduous shrubs and flowers. In addition, junipers have one indispensable quality - they are evergreens, so they are equally decorative at any time of the year.
Juniper trees and shrubs require a sunny location, well-drained soil, and deep but infrequent watering for normal growth and development. In the shade, plants lose their decorative effect and become thinner. Once planted, juniper is almost maintenance-free and responds positively to pruning.
It is better to buy junipers in nurseries, where you can get all the information about plants, from planting to care.
In landscape design, junipers are used as accent plants. But more often they are used in a group with other conifers. Junipers are excellent plants for hedges of any height. And some dwarf species in combination with heather crops are the decoration of a rock garden or rockery.
Junipers- one of the best ground cover plants. They are persistent, unpretentious and are worthy competitors to everything that tries to grow under them. They also look good next to each other and create the feeling of one big mass.
Juniper in the landscape
But not only creeping types of juniper are popular in garden design, some of them look great in single plantings. As a rule, such junipers should be distinguished by some interesting shape or color. Junipers have an incredibly diverse palette of colors. Their needles can be bright green, silvery gray, golden yellow, and sometimes a combination of these colors on the same plant. Now add to this the soft, fuzzy shape of the plant, and you have a whole sculpture in front of you.
Juniper trees and shrubs are characterized by a large number of their species and varieties. Let's look at plants that are popular with designers of landscape studios when decorating garden plots.
Common juniper(lat. Juniperus communis) is a cone-shaped tree about 8 m high, growing in our forests. In the landscape design of the site, juniper varieties are mainly used:
- Horstmann- an original shrub up to 2 m high with a weeping crown shape. Prefers sunny places, needs support and is used in single plantings.
- Suecica- a very popular variety in landscape design. This is a slender multi-stemmed shrub with a dense columnar crown, the height of which in adulthood reaches 4 m. It is undemanding to the soil, winter-hardy, drought-resistant, tolerates pruning. Used in single landings and in groups.
- hibernica- an ornamental shrub about 3 m high with a columnar crown shape of a bluish-green color. It suffers from sunburn, so it is better to plant the plant in partial shade.
- Repanda- creeping form of juniper 0.2-0.4 m high. Coverage diameter - 2.0-2.5 m. The needles are dark green with silvery stripes on the upper side. Well suited for planting in rock gardens or rockeries.
juniper chinensis(lat. Juniperus chinensis) is a tall tree or shrub with various crown shapes. It is impossible to meet a specific plant for sale, but there are many of its decorative forms:
- Expansa Variegata- This variety of juniper has a variegated color. On a dark green background there are cream blotches. Its crown is funnel-shaped. The height of the bush is a little over a meter. This is a winter-hardy juniper, it does not burn in the sun. It is used in rocky gardens and Oriental style gardens.
- gold coast- a shrub 1 m high with a spreading crown with a diameter of 2-3 m. Its needles have a golden yellow color, which darkens a little in winter. Juniper prefers a sunny landing site. Recommended for planting in groups with other conifers or mixed groups, in rock gardens and rockeries.
- old gold- juniper, reaching a height of 1.5 m in our climatic conditions. The shrub retains the color of its greenish-yellow needles throughout the year. Prefers a well-lit landing site, winter-hardy. In landscape design it is used in single and group plantings. Suitable for decorating any rocky garden.
- gold star- undersized shrub up to 1 m high with a spreading crown. The needles are bright yellow at the edges. Looks great in single and group plantings.
- Pfitzeriana- a shrub 2-3 m high with a wide spreading crown and prickly bluish-green needles. Perfectly tolerates winter, does not burn in the sun. Recommended for single planting or in decorative groups with other shrubs.
- Stricta- a shrub with a narrow cone-shaped crown and bluish-green needles. The height of an adult plant is about 2.0-2.5 m. This is a winter-hardy variety that burns in the sun. For the winter, it is better to tie the branches so that they are not damaged by snow. It is used in single and group plantings, suitable for heather gardens.
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Juniper horizontal(lat. Juniperus horizontalis) is an evergreen undersized shrub with a creeping crown. The following varieties are especially popular in landscape design:
- Andorra Compacta- This is a low-growing shrub (0.3-0.4 m) with a cushion-shaped crown. The variety is slow-growing, winter-hardy, photophilous. It is used in single and group plantings in rocky gardens.
- Prince of Wales- this juniper has an unusual crown shape, spread out with only a few branches. From above, it looks like a crown. In garden design, it is used as a ground cover plant. Its height is 0.2-0.3 m and the coverage diameter is 1.5-2.0 m. This is one of the slowest growing varieties of juniper, which makes it almost indispensable in rock gardens or rockeries.
- Glauca- creeping form of juniper. It has beautiful blue needles. Shrub height 0.2 m. Looks good on retaining walls and rocky gardens. It is winter-hardy, moisture-loving, does not tolerate dry air and extreme heat.
- bluechip- a dwarf form of juniper 0.2 m high. It has a silver-blue color of needles. One of the more expensive varieties.
Juniper rocky(lat. Juniperus scopulorum) is an evergreen shrub or tree up to 10 m high with a cone-shaped crown. In garden landscaping, the following varieties are used:
juniper scaly(lat. Juniperus squamata) is a densely branched shrub up to 1.5 m high. The most famous varieties in this culture are:
- blue Carpet- a very low creeping shrub, reaching a height of 0.3 m and a width of 1.2 m. The color of the needles is gray-blue. In landscape design, it is used as a ground cover plant on alpine hills or rockeries.
- Blue Star- a wide shrub with raised shoots. The height of the juniper is 1 m, the diameter of the crown is 1.5-2.0 m. Not the most frost-resistant form, it is recommended to cover the bush in winter. The needles burn in the sun. It is used in curb plantings and on rocky hills.
- Meyeri- a form of juniper widely known among gardeners. This shrub up to 2 m high has a bluish-white color of needles and a crown in the form of a funnel. Juniper Meyeri is recommended to be cut once a year, this will stimulate the growth of new shoots and give the plant a good shape. It is used in group and single plantings, as well as in heather and rocky gardens.
- Holger- a spreading shrub with a wide crown. Its height reaches 1 m, and the diameter of the crown is 1.5-2.0 m. This decorative form of juniper has an interesting color of needles. Mature shoots are silvery blue, and young shoots are golden yellow. Recommended for planting in rocky gardens. (lat. Juniperus virginiana) - an evergreen tree up to 30 m high. Its most popular variety is Gray Owl. This is a fast-growing shrub 1.5 m high with a wide, dense, spreading crown. Juniper needles are gray in color. The plant is frost-resistant, does not burn in the sun, grows rapidly. It is recommended to plant in a sunny place, as it loses its decorative effect in the shade. It is used in any garden compositions.
(lat. Juniperus sabina) is a creeping shrub up to 1.5 m high. The plant grows rapidly in breadth and forms dense thickets. The following varieties of juniper are most famous:
Habitus, description of varieties, photographs of juniper can be found in the alphabetical index of plants for landscape designers.
Juniper is a very beautiful plant belonging to the oldest family of cypress, appearing on earth fifty million years ago. Starting from the mountain tropics and ending with the polar zone, about 70 varieties of this plant grow. Most of the juniper with small areas is located on the mountain plains. The inhabitants of the mountain slopes and rocks are undersized and creeping species of this plant. Juniper can sometimes reach a height of 15 meters, mainly in the arid territory of Central Asia, as well as America and Europe - this is a tree-like juniper. Let's take a closer look at the views.
Varieties of juniper used for landscape design
Common juniper, which is a tall sprawling shrub with needles that have a slightly bluish tint. Its needles are very prickly and needle-shaped. If we consider this species for landscaping a suburban area, then garden forms are usually grown, such as dwarf and columnar shrubs. By the way, to create the most suitable are dwarf,
but to create hedges - columnar junipers. However, for group or single landings, they are also suitable. The most common forms of this species are Compressa, Green Carpet, Sentinel and Repanda.
Juniper Cossack has scaly needles and is one of the most undemanding species. Usually an adult plant reaches a height of one and a half meters, while its lower branches may have a needle-like shape. Most often used for planting in rockeries or on lawns. It is also used to cover the soil. And its most common forms are Variegata, Tamariscifolia and Glauca,.
Chinese juniper is a tree-like plant, which can reach a height of 8 - 10 meters with needle-shaped or scaly needles, having a golden yellow color or a different shade of green.
Most often used for group plantings or for rock garden. The most common varieties include Stricta, Olympia and Blue Alps.
Juniper horizontalis a creeping low shrub with branches pressed to the ground and short needle-shaped or scaly needles, the color of which can be different - it depends on the variety. The needles can have green, gray-green, blue or silver-blue shades.
The best use of this plant is for decoration of decorative borders, slopes or for the design of rocky terrain.
Juniper candy is a very miniature shrub no more than half a meter high with very beautiful silver-blue needles, it belongs to a creeping plant species, occupying an area of \u200b\u200bno more than 3 square meters. An ideal plant for creating alpine slides.
Let's talk about the features of planting juniper
The fact is that any kind of juniper (especially Cossack) needs special conditions in the process of planting. First of all, you should always remember that this plant is planted exclusively in sunny areas, otherwise it will simply lose its decorative properties. The only exception to the rule is the common juniper. In landscape design, it is important to take into account the fact that between these plants there should be a distance of at least half a meter (this is if the juniper is a small species) and one and a half to two meters for large plant species. Otherwise, subsequently, there will be no distance between them, and besides, they will obscure each other. Another important point - you should not plant them next to undersized plants, which will lack neither light nor nutrition. The best option is to plant juniper around the perimeter of the house, as well as in front of the house.
Thus, you get some kind of original hedge. Sometimes the plant is staggered throughout the site or, for example, near a rock garden. After that, pots with young plants are placed in the order in which they are planned to be planted. Container plants must be well saturated with moisture, for which they are kept in a container of water for two hours. Next, a hole is prepared, which should be slightly larger than the pot itself. Before planting plants, it is recommended to dig the site to the depth of a shovel, clean it of any debris and fertilize. At the bottom of the pit, a drainage layer is made, for example, from sand or broken bricks. The layer should have a thickness of 15 to 20 cm. Then the roots of the plants are covered with a soil mixture of turf, sand and peat, while peat should make up two parts of the entire mixture, and the remaining components one at a time. If the plants are large, the root neck at the time of planting should be slightly higher than the edges of the soil surface.
The use of juniper in landscape design
Since this plant is unusually beautiful, it is widely used for landscaping. Tree-like varieties, for example, are used in group or single versions of park plantings. With the help of these plants you can create a wonderful hedge. Undersized species, as well as dwarf ones, are most used in rock gardens and rockeries, i.e. in rock gardens.
There are cases when juniper is planted in order to prevent erosion, because. it holds the soil well. In the background, as a rule, high columnar varieties are planted with green or blue needles, imitating blue distances,
It should be remembered that the plant categorically does not withstand gas pollution, because. "loves" only environmentally friendly areas. Therefore, for the landscape design of the metropolis, the use of this plant is excluded.
In what styles of landscape design is juniper appropriate?
Despite all the beauty of an evergreen plant, its harmonious presence is appropriate only for certain styles of landscape design. For example, juniper will go well with the Scandinavian style, which is characterized by clear geometric shapes, as well as spaciousness and naturalness. Juniper, which has bright colored needles and is located against the background of moss, lichen and heather, will look extremely beneficial and impressive, acting as an expressive accent of the composition.
If the site is decorated in the English style, then it is simply unthinkable without juniper. However, if dwarf varieties are the most suitable for the Scandinavian style, then in this case larger species with calmer shades (green or blue) are appropriate. Those. the plant should not be an accent in this restrained style, but should serve as the final element to give the composition a finished look.
Juniper is also appropriate in styles such as Japanese and Oriental. Against the backdrop of a riot of colors, the natural simplicity of this plant will have a shading function. To do this, designers recommend planting juniper next to heathers of bright colors.
For example, pampered, as well as peonies and clematis, should be planted at a distance of at least two meters from. Moreover, the gaps between the conifers, it is desirable to mulch and pull up, or use backfilling with decorative crumbs.
Ground covers are good for sodding, for example, from evergreens, such as thyme, bryozoan, tenacious, saxifrage, etc. Thus, they will create a background and at the same time protect against the appearance of weeds. Mulch and backfill perform the same functions. For mulching, peat, walnut husks, coniferous litter, chopped bark, etc. are suitable.
If the juniper is planted in a permanent place, it should not be placed at close range - the landscape will be monotonous. If the site is rocky, then the simplicity of the plants can be very advantageously shaded using barberries or dwarf heathers. On a sunny lawn, especially if there is a stream or a flower garden nearby, yellow and orange spireas are perfect companions for juniper. When decorating the entrance, as well as the lawn in front of the house, juniper is best combined with other conifers. If a stone is used in the composition (granite chips or natural boulders), it looks more original and charismatic.
In winter, juniper, like any other coniferous plant, is the real king of the whole landscape, playing the most important role (of course, if it does not need shelter). The main thing to remember is that juniper will categorically not be combined with lush crops and flowers with large inflorescences - this must be taken into account when creating landscape design. Of course, if you approach this issue skillfully, then you can achieve unity in this case, for example, using a stone with which to create transitions between these different plants. Or you can use clearings planted with creeping plants. This is a well-known technique when creating alpine slides.
From all of the above...
Summarizing the above, it can be noted that planting a juniper in a garden can solve several problems.
Juniper belongs to the oldest and most beautiful cypress family, 50 million years ahead of the appearance of man on earth. There are few juniper forests left on the planet, which was greatly facilitated by human interest in the wood of this long-liver, however, more than 70 species of this wild plant have come down to us. Durability, unpretentiousness and invariable decorativeness made junipers widely in demand in landscape design.
In summer cottages and household plots, you can also find tall specimens, and representatives of the middle tier used in hedges, and creeping shrubs no more than 10 cm high, more like a fluffy carpet. Not only do they have different shapes and sizes, but they also lend themselves perfectly to being molded by a human hand. But the most popular in the design of summer cottages and household plots are creeping juniper species due to their unpretentiousness, compactness and ease of care. Among them, the most common in the middle latitudes is the Cossack juniper. In adulthood, it does not exceed a meter in height, while sometimes spreading in width up to 2.5 meters.
The color of the needles varies from muted silver-blue to rich dark green. Blue junipers are considered especially decorative, therefore they are the most popular among the population.
Creeping or horizontal species are divided into dwarf varieties with a height of 10-15 cm, undersized (up to 50 cm) and medium-sized, not exceeding 1 m.
It should be noted that the division of junipers into groups is somewhat arbitrary due to the large number of transitional varieties and some confusion in the names. For example, among the people you can find the name horizontal juniper not as a sign of a group, but as a designation of a certain variety.
The most popular varieties of horizontal species
Important! Juniper fruits (actually they are not berries, but cones) are poisonous! But their needles are unmatched in bactericidal properties.
Reproduction and planting
There are several ways to propagate junipers: by seeds, cuttings, layering and grafting.
Creeping species of this plant to grow from seeds is not only long and troublesome, but also hardly within the power of an ordinary summer resident. Therefore, we will not consider this method. Work with vaccinations also requires a lot of experience. The most popular method is vegetative propagation (cuttings and layering).
cuttings
layering
This method in horizontal species can be practiced throughout the growing season. It is considered the simplest, but is only suitable for those who already have the desired copy on the site. To do this, the branch must be bent to the ground, pressed and pinned with wooden studs. After that, it remains only to regularly water this place and wait for rooting.
The soil for this requires preliminary preparation. It must be dug up and well loosened, and then, if possible, enriched with moist sphagnum peat and sprinkled with coarse river sand. A very good effect is the addition of coconut fibers (removed from the shell of coconut fruits) to the soil.
The difficulty lies in the fact that lignified branches take root reluctantly, and young shoots are high. If it is impossible to tilt them, experienced gardeners sometimes use containers with earth, which are placed on a dais under young twigs.
In order for rooting to occur faster, the extreme 30 cm of the shoot are freed from needles, leaving a bare stem, and at the place of digging, an oblique incision of 5 cm is made on it to half the thickness. This place is sprinkled with a special compound that stimulates root formation (commercially available).
The result in the form of vertical young shoots will have to wait at least 6 months, and sometimes the next year. X is separated from the mother bush and transplanted to a permanent place.
Vaccinations
A difficult and unproductive method with a low survival rate. It is usually used for especially valuable, rare varieties, but when propagating Cossack junipers, it is practically not used, so we will only touch on a general description.
The desired variety in the spring can be grafted onto an ordinary Cossack, for which a smooth cut is made on it. The tissues of both plants must be healthy, without breaks and cracks. In order for them to take root, close contact is very important. The grafting site is first wrapped with a film, and after warm weather is established, polyethylene can be replaced with burlap.
Location selection
So that the work does not go down the drain, you need to be very responsible in choosing a place (it must be well lit) and preparing a landing pit. For this, some rules are observed:
- The recess in the ground should be three times wider than the seedling along with the earthen clod. The depth is calculated so that the root neck is in place, taking into account the shrinkage of the soil.
- A layer of drainage 10-12 cm thick is poured into the bottom of the pit so that the roots do not rot in case of excessive moisture.
- When the pit is half filled with earth, a bucket of water is poured in and a seedling is placed in it.
- At the end of planting, it is necessary to moisten the new settler well and add mulch from peat or sawdust to the trunk circle. It will also serve as protection against weeds in the future.
- In the first year after planting, care must be taken to protect the seedling from frost. For this, spruce branches or loose covering material is good.
Care
Further care for juniper is not particularly difficult.
Watering
Like all conifers, it tolerates temporary drought well, although, of course, it needs additional watering in summer. In order for the plant to be comfortable in the heat, it is necessary to periodically sprinkle. It is better to use settled water for irrigation, especially when the bush is still young and immature. Subsequent loosening of the soil will retain moisture longer, and oxygen access to the roots will be improved.
top dressing
The feeding system in this case is classic. In spring, it is useful to add nitroammophoska to the soil, but not more than 40 g per 1 m2. We also recommend buying a special complex fertilizer for coniferous crops (use strictly according to the instructions).
Excess fertilizer can lead to juniper disease and even death!
If the seedling grows too slowly and you are not at all happy with its appearance, you can add an additional portion of nitrogen, and after a couple of weeks - potash fertilizer. But do not forget that different varieties have different growth rates. This parameter should be clarified when choosing a plant.
pruning
Pruning conifers in the spring is mandatory and is an integral part of care. First of all, it is necessary to remove all branches that have been damaged, sick or simply did not survive the winter. At the same time, the crown is formed, and for this purpose, part of the healthy shoots are removed.
As with the rest of care, moderation is important here. A cardinal haircut at one time (for example, a complete change in its geometric shape) can destroy the plant. Young landings under the age of 3 years try not to touch.
Cut branches will be a great addition to the bath broom!
Diseases and pests
Junipers are considered quite hardy to various diseases, but if fungal formations were noticed on the trunk, and the plant itself turns yellow and crumbles, it is worth sounding the alarm. Most likely, these are signs of such a dangerous disease as fusarium, which occurs due to high humidity. If there is a high concentration of salts in the soil, rust can threaten the plant, and excessive shading often leads to a disease such as shutte.
If the listed problems are the result of improper care, they are treated with fungicides, as well as with the help of Bordeaux mixture. Mistakes in the choice of planting site and soil composition, unfortunately, are treated only by transplantation, which an adult plant does not tolerate well.
In the process of growing junipers, you may encounter pests such as aphids, scale insects or spider mites. It is best to deal with them with special insecticides or a solution of laundry soap.
Juniper is a carrier of a dangerous fungal disease - pear rust. It is manifested by the appearance on the shoots of small, up to 0.5 cm, tinder growths. Almost without suffering at the same time, he can destroy pear trees standing in the immediate vicinity, so such a neighborhood must be excluded from the very beginning!
In their natural environment, junipers are long-lived and can live for more than a hundred years! “Home” conditions, alas, do not prolong, but shorten their life, however, with proper care, they will invariably decorate your backyard for another thirty years!
Foreword
Junipers are a simple solution to many gardening problems. These plants are unpretentious and hardy, the forms of crowns are diverse and original. It has a place in your garden!
Required Tools
Mineral wool damper tape Corrugated pipes Pencil Chopping thread metal profile Gypsum board sheet screws screwdriver Level Roulette Saw plumb line Metal shears Knife dowel Electric drill show allJunipers are not only decorative, but also useful!
Junipers are very different, there are about 70 species in total, 10-15 species are used in landscape design with quite numerous variations of varieties. These representatives of the cypress family can meet you in a variety of forms - with needle-like needles, or more often scaly leaves, with a spreading crown or like a candle flame, there are dwarf and ground cover varieties of junipers. The easiest way to identify this plant is by the special aroma that comes from junipers. It is quite difficult to describe it, but those who have tried English gin will immediately remember this aroma.
In addition to the pleasant sensations, the phytoncides that juniper secretes are a very strong bactericidal agent, it was not for nothing that in the past they wiped the floor in the house of a sick person with juniper branches, steamed containers with infusion from his needles so that nothing sour in them. A hectare of juniper plantations is capable of releasing up to 30 kg of phytoncides per day, which is enough to cleanse the atmosphere of a rather large city from pathogenic microbes. Therefore, the presence of junipers on the site not only solves the design problem, but also improves the health of people who regularly breathe fragrant air.
Juniper Cossack - an invited guest in landscape design
Juniper Cossack - the most unpretentious of all types of this plant. He is able to feel comfortable in any conditions, on almost any soil. At the same time, it grows rather slowly, even with active watering. However, he does not really need the latter; only young seedlings should be watered. This juniper tolerates pruning well. It is frost-resistant and does not require warming for the winter.
In landscape design, Cossack junipers are used both in compositions and as tapeworms, against the backdrop of a lawn or an alpine hill. Some varieties feel great as ground covers. Cossack juniper in landscape design is planted in a well-lit place - in the shade it will lose its decorative properties. It is undemanding to soils, but waterlogging of the soil must be avoided, otherwise the plants may die over time.
Rocky juniper and other species in landscape design
Rocky juniper is used less frequently in landscape design, but it also deserves attention due to its special crown shape, in high varieties it looks like skittles, and in low varieties it has the shape of an irregular ball. Rocky juniper can reach up to 13 meters in height! It is this representative of the species that is distinguished by its love for regular watering and moist soil. However, provide it with good drainage so that the water does not stagnate. Rocky juniper tolerates pruning very well.
In landscaping, horizontal juniper is often used. This undersized creeping shrub, depending on the variety, is famous for its color from bright green to silvery blue. A plant of this species, due to its strong root system, is used to fix the soil on the slopes, as well as in the design of rocky areas of the landscape. With it, you can even create a juniper "lawn", this is especially true for areas in urban areas or in arid zones, when it is not possible to constantly water the plants.
Chinese juniper is another bright representative of these conifers! IN the tree-like plant reaches a height of 20 m, having a rather sprawling crown. Its needles can be golden yellow or salad blue, depending on the variety. It is great for single plantings and for rock gardens. When planting, keep in mind that this type of juniper grows rather slowly.
If you meet a slender tree in the garden with red-brown bark and dark green needles, it is quite possible that you have a virgin juniper in front of you. It is from its branches and wood that a very fragrant and pleasant cedar essential oil is obtained. . It is undemanding to soils, moreover, on too fertile soils it can lose its decorative crown shape. The species is winter-hardy, but young plants can still freeze slightly.
Juniper scaly is good for planting borders and rockeries, as well as low hedges. It is especially useful in the design of alpine hills - its shrubs have spherical shapes that are very convenient for such cases. Juniper needles are bluish or green. When planting these plants on the site, you should be aware that they cannot stand stagnant water and will not take root if planted in clay soils. Otherwise, they are very unpretentious, care for them is practically not needed, except that occasionally you refresh the juniper crown with a splash of water. Its only weakness is excessive sensitivity to spring rays, so in spring it needs shelter.
Junipers - planting and care
Junipers practically do not differ in their planting and care requirements, which greatly simplifies the gardener's life if several different species of this fragrant plant settle in his garden. All junipers prefer well-lit places, because in the shade their decorative properties noticeably deteriorate. An exception to this rule is perhaps the Chinese juniper, which is able to tolerate partial shade.
Junipers are mostly frost-resistant and drought-resistant, with the exception of young plants - they just need to be insulated for the winter and watered regularly. So that graceful branches do not suffer under the weight of snow in winter, it is recommended to tighten junipers with twine or rope. These plants do not need a haircut, but if you want to give them a special look, you can safely do it, because they easily tolerate this procedure.
Junipers should be planted at a distance of at least half a meter from each other, given the growth of bushes. This representative of cypress does not tolerate harassment! Before planting, juniper roots should be kept in water for about two hours, and only then proceed to planting. The hole is dug up to 70 cm, a broken stone for drainage and a layer of sand about 15 cm are laid out on its bottom. After planting, the soil under the plant should be well mulched with sawdust or peat, with a layer of at least 8 cm.
Young seedlings should be placed in the hole in such a way that the root collar does not exceed the soil level. Mature plants should be placed a little higher. The roots in the hole should feel free, falling asleep soil, try to compact the soil layer by layer. At the end of the planting process, water the plant and mulch.
Watering adult plants, even in dry summers, should be no more than 3 times per season, although in the evening it does not hurt to spray the plant with water heated during the day. This procedure will appeal not only to the juniper, but also to you - its phytoncides will be even more actively released into the air when watering, filling it with an incomparable aroma! However, make sure that the soil does not accumulate moisture - junipers do not like this. Junipers are good for shearing, but even if you are not going to give them a special shape, regularly remove dry branches.
In early spring, when the plant wakes up, such an unpleasant phenomenon as juniper burning is possible. This is because during the winter the plant is accustomed to small doses of ultraviolet light and from the spring doses of the sun the needles of the plant turn brown and die. To protect the plants, you should throw a light cloth over them on sunny days, such as gauze.
