Photos with a description of the species and varieties of juniper for a summer residence
Evergreen junipers, which in nature have settled from the polar regions to the subtropics, are recognized not only by some of their oldest plants, but also by the most valuable crops for gardening. Having studied the common junipers, species and varieties with photos, descriptions and features, you can transform both the summer cottage and the extensive garden and park areas.
All existing varieties of these plants have:
- creeping, shrub or tree-like shape;
- scaly or needle-like leaves;
- fruits in the form of small dense cones with closed scales.
Thanks to the highest degree of adaptability, junipers were able to survive the climatic cataclysms of the past and settle in various natural zones. This property, as well as exotic beauty, attracted attention to plants, which have become indispensable in the design of rocky corners, rock gardens, borders.
Common juniper (J. communis)
The common juniper shown in the photo has the shape of a shrub or medium-sized tree. In favorable conditions, a plant with dense leaves, consisting of branches covered with needle-like leaves, up to 15 mm long, reaches a height of 3–8 meters. Sometimes junipers, dividing into male and female specimens, grow up to 12 meters.
The common juniper, like all of its relatives, is a long-lived and slow growing crop. There are frequent specimens that have survived to a century and older. Moreover, the beauty of the plant is better revealed with increased soil and air humidity.
The crown, which resembles a pyramid or a cone, thanks to its rigid, prickly needles, retains its decorative effect throughout the year, tolerates a haircut without problems, which is important when growing juniper as an ornamental crop. And the leaves themselves live for about 4 years and are gradually replaced.
The blue-gray cones of the plant ripen only in the second year.
On the site, an ordinary juniper, in the photo, has an unpretentious character, high frost resistance and undemanding nutrition. The popularity of this plant is added by the presence of many varieties with traditional green, gray-silver or golden foliage, with a crown of a pyramidal, conical or squat flattened shape.
Photos of juniper varieties of this species are striking in diversity, and their agricultural technology is available even to beginners.
The Depressa Juniper is a cultivated plant species found in Canada. According to various sources, this species is considered independent, Canadian, or recognized as a subspecies of the common juniper. It is distinguished from the usual form by a wide, drooping or spreading crown and a height not exceeding one and a half meters.
The needle-like leaves of the plant have a brownish color, which becomes almost bronze by winter, increasing the decorative effect of the evergreen.
Juniper Depressa Aurea is similar in appearance to the variety described above, but its foliage is more attractive. Young shoots of the plant have a bright light green, almost yellow or golden color, which gave the name to the Juniperus communis variety shown in the photo.
Siberian juniper (J. sibirica)
This type of juniper is named after Siberia, where plants with small needles and a squat crown can be found in mountainous areas. In addition to the Siberian region, the culture is widespread in the northern regions of Europe, the Far East, the Crimea, the Caucasus and Central Asia. Everywhere Siberian juniper plants prefer to settle in dry rocky areas
The characteristic features of the Siberian juniper include: short stature, slow rates of development and decorative needle-like foliage, thanks to light stripes, which lives for about 2 years. Rounded gray berries ripen in the second year after formation.
In the wild, due to its slow growth and small size, the Siberian juniper needs protection. In the garden, the plant is more comfortable even with minimal maintenance. Undemanding view:
- survives dry periods without loss;
- content with poorly nutritious soils;
- not afraid of frost;
- takes root in areas where there is a risk of increased gas pollution and air pollution;
- loves light and does not need shading.
Over time, creeping juniper shoots can take root, so that the crowns grow and create living borders. The Siberian variety is ideal for decorating slides.
Juniper Cossack (J. sabina)
Another common type of juniper is interesting for the gardener in that, in addition to endurance, it has two varieties of needles. The first, needle-shaped foliage up to 6 mm long, can be seen on young shoots, as well as on branches in the shade. The second, scaly type of foliage is the needles on mature branches.
On average, foliage with a rich resinous aroma characteristic of juniper lives for three years. round or oval dense berries ripen in the second year.
Compared to the common juniper, the Cossack juniper shown in the photo is not so high and noticeable. The height of the creeping shrub with a dense squat crown is about one and a half meters. But this did not stop us from appreciating the juniper and from the end of the 16th century using it for decorating parks and regular gardens.
Thanks to the breeding of varieties with dark green, gray-gray and light needles, an undemanding, winter-hardy and easily drought-tolerant plant will be indispensable on slides. It is used to anchor slopes and create lively, well-shaped curbs.
Chinese Juniper (J. chinensis)
Among all junipers, this plant from the Cypress family stands out for its impressive size. The crown of a native of China, Korea and Manchuria grows to a height of 25 meters. The Chinese juniper, in the photo, has needle-like needles on young shoots, which, as the thin branches mature, are replaced by small scaly foliage. Small cones of the plant can be colored bluish, brown or black, covered with a bluish bloom.
The first specimens of Chinese juniper appeared in Europe at the beginning of the 19th century. In Russia, these plants were planted a little later on the Black Sea coast, where they are found today. But unlike other species, the Chinese variety needs more moist soil and air, therefore it often suffers from drought. The frost resistance limit of the culture is −30 ° C. Therefore, in the middle lane without shelter, plants can freeze out.
Interestingly, despite the large size of adult specimens, Chinese juniper, as in the photo, is often used for growing bonsai.
Recumbent juniper (J. procumbens)
In Japan and other countries of the region, there is a recumbent juniper with a creeping or drooping crown covered with green or more often bluish-blue needles.
Plants with a height of 50 to 400 cm are adapted to the humid maritime climate, therefore, in the Russian central lane, they can suffer in dry air, as well as from frosts in especially severe winters.
At home, this species of juniper is one of the favorite plants for creating spectacular bonsai.
Juniper firm (J. rigida)
Many Far Eastern junipers are now actively used in the design of garden and park plantings. Juniper is hard - the native inhabitant of this fertile region chooses coastal sandy slopes and shores as habitats. On windy clones, plants settle under the cover of larger trees. Here junipers take on a creeping shape and, at a height of up to 40 cm, thanks to two-meter shoots, they form dense, difficult-to-pass groups.
In favorable conditions, the solid juniper reaches a height of 8 meters. The crown, covered with yellow-green prickly needles, is dense in male specimens, female plants are more transparent.
A very unpretentious type of juniper is not often found in culture. At the same time, the plant can be interesting for park landscaping and the creation of authentic, eastern corners in small areas.
When growing solid juniper, it is necessary to take into account that on acidic soils the plant feels depressed, loses its decorative effect on the already low growth rates.
Juniperus (J. horizontalis)
The name of this species speaks eloquently about the appearance and characteristic features of the plant. The prostrate juniper has a squat, even creeping crown with a height of 10 to 30 cm.The plant comes from Canada, where it prefers to settle on sandy slopes, on the shores of lakes or in mountainous areas, also called juniper horizontal... Although the species is frost-hardy, picky in the choice of soil and perfectly strengthens the slopes, when planting it, you need to take into account that in drought conditions the juniper feels depressed, its needles lose brightness and tone.
In ornamental gardening, the horizontal juniper is prized for its needles with two light, almost white stripes. On the basis of the wild-growing form, more than a hundred cultivars have been created today, differing in the coloring of the foliage and the shape of the crown.
Juniper medium (J. x media)
During breeding work with junipers, it was found that certain species can give stable hybrids that are interesting to gardeners. An example of such a successful hybridization is the middle juniper obtained from crossing the Cossack and spherical varieties (J. sphaerica). The first specimens of this species were grown at the end of the XIX century in Germany, and then spread in Europe and around the world.
Evergreens of medium juniper, as in the photo, can have a creeping, spreading or wide spreading crown. Depending on the variety, plants of this species grow up to 3-5 meters. Scaly and needle-like needles are painted in green, gray tones. There are varieties with a golden crown.
Although the plants are hardy, there is a risk of freezing. Therefore, in the middle lane and to the north, the juniper is sheltered for the winter months, which is not difficult with a squat, relatively small crown of the plant.
Rocky juniper (J. scopulorum)
The North American continent gave the world a lot decorative trees and shrubs. In the Rocky Mountains, famous for their rugged beauty, the rocky juniper shown in the photo was discovered.
This form is distinguished by a pyramidal shape and scaly needles, which, depending on the variety, can be rich green or gray, almost blue. A slender evergreen plant in the first half of the 19th century is grown in parks and greenhouses. During this time, more than 20 cultivars were obtained. With minimal care and protection in severe frosts, adult plants easily maintain a pyramidal shape and, slowly developing, reach a height of 12 meters.
Juniper virginiana (J. virginiana)
Red cedar or juniper virginiana is an indigenous inhabitant of the north of the American continent. The plant owes its unusual nickname to the record growth for junipers. Adult specimens of this species are powerful trees up to 30 meters high with trunks up to one and a half meters in diameter.
The large tree-like shape is not the only difference in the species.Juniper Virginia, in the photo, has a fairly rapid growth. This circumstance was immediately appreciated by the Americans, who began to grow the culture in the middle of the 17th century.
The plant has small needles of a mixed type and the same medium-sized cones that ripen in the same year after formation. In Russia, this species is suitable for cultivation in the southern regions; at home, wood is used to make clerical pencils and obtain essential oil. For ornamental gardening, many compact varieties and interspecific hybrids with silvery, bluish and light needles have been bred.
Juniper scaly (J. squamata)
China, Taiwan and the Himalayas are the habitat of another species of juniper with a dense, decorative crown up to one and a half meters high.
This is a scaly juniper shown in the photo, easily tolerating dry air and poor soil, but not winter hardy enough for central Russia.
Juniper daurian (J. davurica)
The Far East of Russia, the northern regions of China and Mongolia is the homeland of another decorative species of juniper, which is distinguished not only by its creeping shape and slow growth rate, but also by a long life.
Dahurian juniper plants can grow and develop for more than a hundred years, while their shoots in diameter will not exceed five centimeters.
The species, described at the end of the 18th century, is called stone heather due to its hard wood, the ability to settle on poor soils, including stony dumps, and its compact size.
The aboveground part of the juniper does not exceed 50 cm in height; the trunk is often hidden in the ground, which helps the rooting of shoots and makes the plant very valuable for strengthening steep slopes, hills and embankments. Light green needles take on a brownish tint by winter. Ripe globular buds have the same color. Daurian juniper is decorative, unpretentious and extremely winter-hardy.