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Juniper creeping - one of valuable coniferous shrubs. Its main difference from other common juniper is its appearance. This species is often used as an ornamental plant because of a variety of varieties with a variety of tints of needles, a pleasant aroma and the ability to supplement them with various compositions.
External characteristics
The plant is a shrub that grows no more than 10 cm in height. Some species of juniper creep reach, m in height and 2 m in width. The branches of the bush grow and spread along the ground. There is no leaf. Depending on the variety, each branch is covered with short needles or with scales of light green color.
The love of gardeners for the plant is also in the fact that it likes the open sun, it can adapt without problems to any soil, can grow even in stony places, it is not exacting to moisture and does not lose its decorative appearance to the sun.
Varieties
About 60 varieties of horizontal juniper are known. Outwardly, the plants are very similar to each other. Some creeping herbage gardeners are even grafted to a low stump. We present photos of the most common varieties of juniper creeping:
- Agnieszka;
- Andorra Variegata;
- Bar Harbor;
- Douglasii;
- Gray Pearl;
- Hughes;
- Icee Blue;
- Limeglow;
- Plumosa;
- Prince of Wales;
- Andorra Compact;
- Blue Chip;
- juniper blue creeping Blue Forest;
- Golden Carpet;
- Wilton.
Planting juniper creeping
Planting and care of juniper creeping does not require special efforts. For planting take only grown in containers young trees.
Buying seedlings, it is advisable to choose those specimens that are sold with a clod of earth wrapped in sackcloth.
Preferably planting is done in spring in April-May or wait until October. If you bought a bush with a lump of earth, you can make a landing at any time, providing plants with a light shade and regular watering. For the bush pick up an open place, lit by the sun.
It is not recommended to plant a plant under the walls of buildings or in the shade, as it will lose its decorative effect, it will hurt, and the branches will lose their elasticity.
The soil is selected depending on the type of juniper creeping. As a rule, the plant is undemanding to the soil and grows well on calcareous, sandy soil, on loam. But some species require special growing conditions.
It is desirable for planting to mix in an equal ratio coniferous soil, peat and sand. The depth of the hole should correspond to 3 blades of the blade deep, observing the distance between the specimens in 1 m. Having lowered the seedlings into a hole and sprinkled with soil, it is necessary to water it directly under the root. After doing mulching near the trunk of the bush, using for this purpose coniferous wood shavings, peat.
Care instructions
Rooted juniper creeping in the care is not complicated. You just have to follow some rules. Young animals should be watered regularly, but moderately. Adult bushes are drought-resistant, so they should be watered 2-3 times a month. In severe heat, the bushes are irrigated in the early morning or at sunset.
With the onset of spring, the fertilizing of nitroammophoska plants is carried out at the rate of 30-40 g of fertilizers per 1 m2 of soil. Do not forget about weeding in the near-barrel circle. In order not to spend time on this constantly, you can mulch with a piece of wood, wood needles, gravel, laying them on a black geotextile.
Juniper is affected by gray mold, mushroom rust. Eliminate them with special chemicals diluted according to the instructions on the package. With timely processing, it is possible to prevent complete contamination of the plant.
To grow a healthy plant, you must follow the following rules:
- In winter, protect the branches from the severity of the snow, tied with twine.
- Cover the plant in the heat.
- To avoid burning, the bushes need to be sprayed and watered.
- Spraying is carried out at a distance so that the juniper does not bend under the influence of water.
- With the onset of spring, pruning patients, dry and damaged branches.
- In mid-summer, juniper is an oyster.
Reproduction
Juniper is a dioecious plant. Reproduction of juniper creeping is carried out by layers (performed only during vegetation), seeds and cuttings. The first two methods are used very rarely, especially the seed, because it is subject only to professionals, because shoots appear only 1-3 years after sowing. Therefore, the main way of reproduction is propagation.
Cuttings can be cut from shrubs of 8 years of age at any time of the year, but it is preferable with the onset of spring.
The cut material (10 cm long) is first held in a wet sacking or water, after removing the needles from the bottom of the thread somewhere 5 cm and then planted in the ground.
Rooting is carried out in a greenhouse (including in winter) under a slight slope. After planting, the seedling is covered with a plastic wrap and placed in a dark place. In doing so, the following requirements are met:
- temperature 16-19º;
- diffused light;
- sufficient moisture of the substrate;
- regular spraying.
If the conditions are met after 1 or 1 month, the cuttings will be allowed the first rootlets, after which they wait for some time, in the summer, transplant the cuttings together with the clod of earth in the open ground. For permanent residence, bushes are transplanted only after 2-3 years.
The fruiting of juniper creeping occurs only after 2-3 years, with the formation on the female bushes of fruits dark blue.
Observance of all the rules will allow you to grow a healthy plant, which will certainly become the main accent of your garden.
