Juniper rocky care and cultivation. Rock Juniper is an ideal hedge plant. What are the benefits of Blue Arrow

Rocky Arrow Blue Juniper is a coniferous, evergreen shrub that belongs to the genus Cypress.

This species is the most popular among all types of juniper, it attracts the eyes of all connoisseurs of ornamental plants.

Description and decorative qualities

Juniperus scopulorum blue arrow is a huge fantasy field and a valuable plant for your garden. It does not need to be given any form, nature has done everything on highest level so that people can only admire it without making any effort.

The advantage of this type is that it takes up a fairly small space and does not require a haircut. We list the main qualities of juniper:

1. Juniper rocky Blue Arrow reaches a height of about 5 meters;

1. The diameter is about 0.5-0.7 meters;
2. This type grows vertically, its branches are tightly pressed against the trunk;
3. The needles are soft, scaly, blue color;
4. It usually blooms in May, the fruits are blue in the form of cones;
5. Loves very much sunlight, do not plant it in a dark place;
6. Such a plant does not like winds, it is necessary to plant it in a protected place;

It's important to know: with a big wind, the juniper can easily break.

1. It also grows well in drought;
2. This plant grows very slowly, it can grow only one meter in a year;
3. He needs fresh air for good growth;
4. Needs fertilization and pruning.

Juniper is used as decoration in gardens, adjoining plots, in parks when creating an alley, estates, etc. This plant will look gorgeous on open lawns, the eye will be riveted to it.

Landing features and process description

This type of juniper is quite undemanding to planting, so it can be planted in any soil.

If the seedlings are young, then you need to look at the clods of earth near the rhizome, where the hole should be 2.5 times larger than it.

When planting this plant, it is necessary to observe an interval of 1.5-2 meters between the holes, and a depth of about 60-70 centimeters.

Note: it requires a lot of light, therefore, it is necessary to choose a place where the juniper will receive the maximum amount of sunlight.

Also, drainage is necessary so that the water does not stagnate in any case. At the bottom you need to fill up a brick fight along with river sand(about 20 centimeters). The hole must be covered with fertilizer (for example, a mixture of sand, peat and turf).

Care rules

It is necessary in the first week after planting to water the juniper abundantly enough so that the plant quickly adapts to the environment.

The soil after planting and in the future must be loosened by about 6 centimeters in depth.

As the reviews show, loosening allows the rhizomes to absorb enough water and oxygen, and this will have a beneficial effect on the further growth of juniper.

Advice: in general, Arrow blue, enough unpretentious plant. Difficulties in care were not noticed. But, it does not like too dry air, so it is recommended to put an automatic water sprayer near it.

Fertilizer should be used only once a year (it is best to do this in the spring season).

When preparing for winter, it is necessary to take into account the fact that this plant can easily break under the weight of snow, therefore, the crown must be pulled to the trunk (ribbon), and young plants must be covered. Around the trunks it is necessary to fill up peat, 10 centimeters.

Varieties with descriptions of characteristics

There are about fifteen varieties of juniper, but such varieties as are considered especially common in Russia:

1. blue arrow(Blue Arrow)

Translated as "Blue Arrow" distinctive feature is a narrow crown. In ten years it grows up to three meters in height and up to seventy centimeters in diameter;

Interesting fact: a very refined type of juniper, which is very often used in landscape design and attracts attention with a thousand glances, does not require shaping.

1. moonglow(Mounglow)

Also very interesting view juniper, but, unlike Blue Arrow, its crown shape is a fluffy pyramid. This species grows up to six meters in height and up to two meters in width. They grow vertically, but at a slight angle, slightly inclined to the side. This species can be attributed to the variety - bright blue. This variety can also tolerate drought and frost. Used for decoration purposes in parks, alleys, etc.;

1. Moffat Blue(Moffat Blue) has a wide pyramidal dense crown of blue-green color. In ten years, growth reaches 3 meters, and a diameter of 1 meter. Not suitable for humid climates;
2. Skyrocket(Skyrocket)

It has a long and narrow shape. In ten years, he can gain a height of up to three meters. This species has a blue-green color. Looks great in garden areas.

If you decide to decorate your country cottage area, then feel free to purchase a juniper of the Blue Arrow species. It will become the main asset of your site. By planting a juniper near a recreation area, a gazebo, a children's play area, you will do the most important thing that this plant is capable of - perfectly clean and ionize the air at a distance of 3 meters around you.

Thus, everyone who will be near the juniper daily will improve their health, metabolism, sleep, headache and fatigue will pass, and their mood will rise.

For more information about Blue Arrow juniper, see the following video:

Many lovers of gardening know what a rocky juniper is. This small shrub is often used to decorate gardens. Often it can be found in squares and parks, near the administrative buildings of the region. For landscape design today, many varieties of culture have been bred, which this article talks about.

About culture

Evergreen coniferous shrub called rocky juniper. The culture belongs to the Juniper family, from the genus Cypress. The place of growth is considered to be the highlands of North America, with a height of 1.5 to 2.7 meters above sea level.

Individual species are found in Canada, British Columbia, southwestern Alberta, the United States, and northern Mexico.

Juniper rocky

The plant is distinguished by the duration of development and life, special specimens have existed for more than a thousand years.

How decorative culture known since 1839. In Russia, rocky juniper has been actively grown since the 60s of the last century. The first step was the cultivation of crops for the purposes Agriculture. Juniper type of wood was valued for its strength and durability of use. The manufacture of the first household items from this material was noticed in North America, by the first Indian settlements. Such items in everyday life differed in the duration of use, pleasant color and aroma.

Interesting. Often, juniper skalnik was used in medicine, contributing to the healing of minor injuries, to treat joint and skin problems.

Description of culture

The culture is shrubs and dioecious trees. At home in nature, such plants can reach 18 meters in height, with a trunk girth of 0.8 to 2 meters. garden views are smaller in size. Starting from the base, a crown of irregular conical shape grows, which gradually rounds off.

Foliage color can vary from dark green to grey. of blue color

An excellent feature of the plant is the reddish-brown color of the bark and the pale blue color of young stems. The foliage is oppositely located with an ovoid-rhombic plate shape, often resembling scales, the length of which is not more than 0.2 cm, the diameter is 0.1 cm. The color of the foliage can vary from dark green to gray-blue.

The fruits have an interesting spherical shape. dark blue with a characteristic bluish coniferous bloom. The length can vary from 0.4 to 0.6 cm. The first ripening of the fruit occurs only towards the end of the second year after planting. Inside the cone hides a seed, brown-red in color, with a diameter of not more than 50 mm.

The best varieties

As a result of selection, the world knows more than one variety of culture, they are gradually gaining the trust of gardeners. American breeders have bred the following varieties that are popular today, planted in mid-latitudes ：

• Rocky juniper Blue Arow. The height of the plant can vary from 150 to 250 cm. A feature is considered to be a narrow, columnar crown, no more than 50 centimeters wide. The needles are needle-shaped, green-blue in color, scaly with a metallic sheen;

Rocky Juniper Blue Arow

• Blue Haven - low bushes, 0.2 meters high. They have a pyramidal crown, the width of which is 0.1 m. Plant color all year round light blue;
• Juniper Blue Sky - one of the few winter-hardy species, reaches 6 meters in height at 10 years of age. It is distinguished by a narrow and slender trunk and straight, adjoining stems. The needles, like other species, are scaly, green-gray in color. Most susceptible to attack by fungal infections;
• Moffat Blue. The difference of the variety is winter hardiness. Dense wide crown of a pyramidal shape. The needles are greenish-blue. Max Height- 6 meters, with a crown width of 130 cm. Does not like excess moisture, which makes it impossible to grow a variety in regions with high humidity;
• Moonglow is similar to Blue Haven in many ways. The only difference is the color of the needles is blue-silver, which becomes even brighter in winter time;
• Silver King. Bush with wide spreading branches. At the age of 10, it reaches 60 cm in height, with a crown width of up to 2 meters. Like everyone else, the needles are scaly, blue in color;
• Table Top Blue - has a characteristic oval-shaped crown, with a blue-silver color. After ten years from the date of planting, the plant has a compact size: 2 m in height with a crown span of up to 2.5 meters;
• Wichita Blue. It has open branches, the maximum width of which is 150 cm, with a height of 10 summer tree 40 cm. Color - silver-blue.

Wichita Blue

In addition to the species described above, others are also used in horticulture: juniper Fisht, Green, Erekta, Medora, Gray Glim, etc.

Features of agricultural technology

Landing

Bushes with a closed root system can be planted all year round. Planting seedlings with open roots in open land carried out only after the arrival of spring and sufficient warming of the soil, without waiting for the start of sap flow. Subject to the rules of agricultural technology, caring for a tree is not difficult.

When choosing a planting site, you need to prefer a sunny open space. It should be ensured that the distance to groundwater is at least about 10 meters. For undersized varieties you need to choose poor soils, otherwise the dwarf property will be left out. Full-fledged species are grown in nutrient soil in open areas.

When choosing a planting site, you need to prefer a sunny open space.

Should be taken into account! The size of the hole under the tree should be at least 2 times the volume of the root system. Dwarf varieties planted with an interval of 50 cm. For tall representatives of the culture, a larger distance is needed, given the annual increase not only in height, but also in the volume of crowns.

First of all, the bottom of the pit is covered with a drainage layer, its thickness should be at least 20 cm. You can use broken stones, bricks or crushed stone. Then a bush is lowered into the planting hole, filling everything with a mixture of peat, sod land and sand (proportion 2:1:1). Now a freshly planted bush needs to be watered abundantly, wait until the moisture is completely absorbed.

The layer of mulch should be at least 8 centimeters, consist of peat, wood chips, sawdust or pine bark. When planting a tree, you need to pay attention so that the root neck after planting is flush with the ground.

The layer of mulch should be at least 8 centimeters

Important! To carefully pull the seedling out of the pot, first, a few hours before planting, the pot must be placed in a container of water. Thus, the tree can be removed from the container without damaging the roots. All this will help the plant take root better.

Care

In the greater mass, the rock is valued precisely for its unpretentiousness. At the same time, it must be understood that, regardless of the care provided, the growth of the tree slows down in the first years. For full development, the newly planted juniper is watered several times a month, provided there is no natural precipitation. Additionally, it is recommended to spray the bushes with warm water, only in the evening. Adult representatives are watered only during periods of drought, while during the season they can be moistened no more than a few times.

It is strictly forbidden to use juniper for feeding organic fertilizers. For young trees, one top dressing is enough, carried out in the transitional period from April to May. For 1 bucket of water, use 20 grams of Kemira-universal or add nitroammophoska at the rate of 30-40 grams per square meter. Plants that have taken root do not need fertilizer.

Kemira wagon

The need for care in winter period may be cultivar specific. For columnar trees, it may be necessary to chip the snow from the branches, saving them from damage under weight. Also in the fall, you can pull the branches, pressing them to the trunk, so that the crowns do not break from heavy snowfalls.

Diseases and pests

Most coniferous trees suffer from fungal infections. Diseases and pests that juniper suffers from:

1. Rust is a fungus that manifests itself as growths of a rich orange color. To combat it, the affected areas are cut off and treated with any fungicide;
2. Tracheomycosis (fusarium wilt) is a disease of the root system associated with waterlogging of the soil. It is recommended to replace the top layer with fresh earth, cut off the affected parts, spray the surface of the soil under top layer fungicides against fungal infections;
3. Drying of the branches - the needles begin to die off, turn yellow, small fruit mushrooms begin to cover the trunk. For treatment, the affected branches and other areas are removed, the entire tree is treated with fungicides.

Landscape

Juniper Moonglow

Weakly spread culture gradually gained popularity. Today, rocky juniper is actively used to create design compositions on private estates and public areas. Such bushes help to create recreation areas as close as possible to natural conditions. Various varieties look great without additional elements landscape design and can be combined with other plants.

Moonglow juniper is the most popular in landscape design due to its compact size and interesting color. The plant looks especially impressive in winter, when its color on a snowy background becomes even brighter. The popularity of rock climbing in the landscape is due not only to ease of care and maintenance, but also to unusual geometric shapes. Often, juniper becomes a favorable background for other plantations, complementing various design compositions. Culture is great in cases where a garden landscape is created based on Japan and for decorating large alpine slides.

The rocky juniper crown is quite spectacular due to the fact that it is geometrically correct and clear. It is often used as a background for other plants or as a central link in a garden composition. This plant is perfect for those areas that are decorated in English or scandinavian style, juniper will also look great in alpine or Japanese gardens.

Rock Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum) - a tree up to 10 meters or more in height. The bark is reddish-brown, layered. The crown is narrow, low - starts almost from the ground. Skeletal branches are raised. Young shoots are round-tetrahedral, up to 1.5 mm thick.

The needles are scaly, tightly pressed, 1-2 mm long, bluish. Cone berries are round, 4-6 mm in diameter, dark blue with bloom, ripen in the second year, contain 2 seeds.

Rocky juniper grows in the Rocky Mountains (west of North America). In culture since 1839. In the photo of rocky juniper, presented in our photo gallery, you can see varieties grown in Moscow and St. Petersburg Botanical Gardens.

Varieties of rocky juniper and their photos

In total, there are about 20 varieties of rocky juniper. The most common of them are Blue Arrow and Skyrocket. The Blue Hafen, Mondlow, Silver Star and Wichita Blue varieties have also found application in Russia.

Rock Juniper ‘Blue Heaven’ (1955). The crown is dense, narrow-pyramidal, with a long-pointed top up to 2 m in height. The needles are bluish-green.

Rock Juniper ‘Moonglow’ (1971). The crown is compact, oval. The maximum height is 6 m with a width of 2.5 m. The needles are bluish-silver, light. There is a variegated version ‘Moonglow Variegated’ with creamy white twigs and shoots.

Juniper rocky ‘Silver Star’. The shape is the same as 'Blue Arrow'. At 10 years old, the height is 2 m. The needles are bluish-gray, individual shoots are creamy white.

Juniper rock ‘Wichita Blue’ (1976, USA). Male clone. small tree with a loose, broad-pyramidal crown. Height is about 6 m, width is up to 2.5 m. The needles are bright, silver-blue or ashy, do not change color in winter.

Juniper rock "Skyrocket"

Juniper rocky "Skafroket" (‘Sky Rocket’, J. virginiana ‘Skyrocket’) was discovered in 1949 in the USA. This popular variety with a very narrow columnar crown and a sharp apex. At 10 years old, the height is 2.5 m. At a height of 4 m, its width is about 0.4 m. The branches are almost vertically raised. The needles are mostly scaly, there are also needle-shaped, bluish-gray. Found in nature.

Juniper rock "Blue Arrow"

Juniper rock 'Blue Arrow' is an improved variety of rock juniper 'Skyrocket', bred in 1980. In 10 years, the height of the trees of this variety reaches two meters. Blue Arrow is a narrower and more compact variety. The needles are bluish-gray, in autumn with a steel tint.

Translated from English, Blue arrow means a blue arrow, you must admit, the name describes it succinctly and concisely. rocky "Blue Arrow" is one of the most popular varieties of the Cypress family, the description of this variety and its undeniable advantages have long been appreciated by gardeners. earned the recognition and respect of landscape designers. And all because a beautiful shrub of an ideal shape can become both the center of the composition and an assistant in creating a juniper alley. Its compact, graceful shape allows for planting even in a tiny area.

Botanical description

Juniper rocky "Blue Arrow" refers to evergreen coniferous shrubs. It grows up to 5 m in height. The branches grow annually by about 15 cm. The needles are blue, and sometimes almost blue. The plant bears fruit with cones.

Landing Features

Breeding "Blue Arrow"

This variety is propagated by seeds. Cuttings are considered the most effective and reliable. To do this, young shoots are cut in the spring, immediately planted in loose soil (it is advisable to clean the cuttings before planting by 3 cm).

Important! The vegetative method is best for propagating this variety.

Thus, the plant has time to get stronger and take root before wintering. When caring for a freshly baked bush, it is necessary to ensure regular watering.
As for the propagation of juniper by seeds, this method is used infrequently, since the appearance of a plant will not have to be expected earlier than after 5 years.

Diseases and pests

The most common disease of this variety is rust. If this problem occurs, the infected branches should be immediately removed and the plant should be treated with Phytocid once every 14 days until the symptoms disappear.

Everyone knows what juniper looks like. This small coniferous shrub, due to its attractiveness, is often used in landscape design. Landscaping of public gardens and city parks, decoration of private estates and office buildings rarely do without this culture. There are many varieties of juniper. This article will focus on the rocky juniper Blue Arrow.

For decoration, varieties of blue juniper are most often chosen. They look pretty impressive. Rocky juniper is considered to be Blue Arrow on this moment the most popular. For those who plan to use this variety in landscaping buildings, it makes sense to familiarize yourself with its characteristics and cultivation features. You can see the article about .

Detailed description rocky juniper Blue Arrow is shown below:

1. It is a compact, evergreen, columnar plant with a sharp top.
2. The shoots are pretty tough. Are located vertically. Close to the trunk.
3. The branches grow almost from the ground itself, which distinguishes the variety from many others.
4. The needles are blue. The shape resembles scales. Absolutely not prickly. Very soft.
5. The culture is growing quite fast. The growth rate is 15 centimeters per year.
6. The average height of the rocky juniper Blue Arrow, aged 10 years, varies from 2 to 3 meters. True, often the height of an adult plant reaches 5 meters. The crown diameter is about 70 centimeters.
7. The shrub bears fruit with blue berries-cones.

Juniper Blue Arrow has the following benefits:

What are the benefits of Blue Arrow?

I must say that the Blue Arrow juniper variety is distinguished not only by its attractive appearance, but also by a number of useful properties.

They are explained by the high phytoncidity of the culture. This means that the shrub, in the process of its growth and development, releases volatile biologically active substances in small quantities, which are called phytoncides. These compounds kill and inhibit the growth of pathogens.

The fruits contain vitamin C, fiber, essential oils, flavonoids and a number of other useful for human body elements. There are such important minerals as zinc, manganese. The plant is rich in iron, calcium, copper, magnesium and potassium. Berries are recognized as a powerful antiseptic. Therefore, they are often used for wound healing. In addition, they perfectly relieve pain in the joints, remove spasm. The fruits contain bitterness, which improves digestion. The antifungal effect has long been proven.

Help medicinal properties juniper to cope with such diseases:

In what areas is Blue Arrow used?

In the field of decoration, juniper of this variety is considered perfect choice. For example, rocky juniper Blue Arrow is often used in landscape design to form hedges of an unusual bluish tone, alpine coniferous groups and rocky gardens. Often this variety is also used to create various compositions for decorating porches and terraces.

In addition to the fact that Blue Arrow rocky juniper is actively used in landscape design, it is also used in other areas. For example, alcoholic beverages are made from the fruits of this culture. Seasonings for dishes are also made from berries. They are indispensable for salting meat.

The plant is also actively used in cosmetology and perfumery. Masks and creams with the addition of the fruits of this plant help prolong youth and give the skin a healthy look.

In medicine, rocky juniper Blue Arrow is important component to create drugs.

Berries help with inflammation of the joints, kidneys. The fruits are also effective in bronchitis. The diuretic effect of the plant is also well known.

How to grow juniper?

Juniper is propagated by seeds or cuttings. The latter method is considered universal and most effective. The procedure is carried out in the spring. So root system has time to form well and better tolerates winter. The tops of the plant are used as cuttings. The shoot is cut in such a way that the old bark and wood remain. Make a stripping of the handle to a height of several centimeters.

Plant cuttings immediately. The soil is chosen loose, consisting of sand and peat. It is preferable to plant in wooden boxes at a slight angle. The optimal planting depth is 3 centimeters. The container is removed to the greenhouse. Regularly the seedling is sprayed with water, irrigated. After 50-90 days, the first roots appear. If juniper planting and care are carried out correctly, the plant will quickly begin to develop and look beautiful.

Conclusions about the above information