Chinese Juniper- Juniperus chinensis
Juniperus chinensis 'Gold Coast', Gold Coast Juniper, SE Seeds Lab on Jefferson, 12/16/96, from a slide
Description
General: An evergreen shrub or tree depending on cultivar. Trees are narrow, conical and can reach 60.’ Shrubs can grow to 20′ wide and present as compact ground covers or wide spreading shrubs.
Leaves: Two types. Juvenile leaves are awl/needle like 1/3″ long in pairs or whorls of 3, and adult leaves are scale like in opposite overlapping pairs 1/16″ long.
Flowers: Males produce catkin like pollen cones and females produce fleshy, berry like whitish blue seed cones.
Attributes: Juniper (spreading shrub) is a hardy evergreen useful as a ground cover, foundation plant, hedge, screen or mass planting.
Culture
Hardiness: Zones 4-9 depending on cultivar
Growing Conditions: Prefers a moist, well-drained soil in full sun. Is ph adaptable and tolerates drought once established
Maintenance: Susceptible to fungal blights, cedar apple rust, canker, root rot, aphids, bagworm and scale.
Transplanting: Easily transplanted balled and burlapped.
Our Experience
Experience at Great Hill:
We utilize Juniperus chinensis ‘Sargentii,’ a low growing spreading ground cover juniper to cover a slope that connects the main house terrace to the formal garden. This cultivar grows only 2′ high but spreads up to 9′ wide and has blue-green foliage.