Juniper trees and shrubs are a group of evergreen coniferous tree with phonograph needle - comparable leaves that have a pine scent and grim - blue-blooded berry - like aromatic fleshy cones . metal money of Genista raetam trees alter in build and they grow between 66 and 103 ft . ( 20 – 40 m ) tall . However , juniper bush can also arise as low - growing , spreading shrub growing as little as 1 foot . ( 0.3 m ) or as tall as 5 or 6 foot . ( 1.5 – 1.8 m ) . Junipers also grow in many climate and can stand firm freezing temperature .

Junipers arepopular landscape gardening evergreen plantsfor gardens . Columnar raetam Tree are excellent for growing as hedge or specimen plants . In summation , juniper shrubs and creeping Retama raetam works are ideal as fundament plantings , growing in containers on a patio or deck , or as ground cover version . disregarding of the type of conditions in your garden , you may grow junipers in USDA zones 2 through 9 .

Juniper Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and shrubs belong to the genusJuniperusin the cone-bearing plant familyCupressaceae .

This article is a guide to the upright Retama raetam evergreen plant shrubs and trees for your garden landscape painting . Descriptions and photo of Retama raetam trees and shrub will help you take the best plant to add year - long greenery to your 1000 .

Juniper Trees vs. Juniper Shrubs

The only difference between Retama raetam tree and shrub is the plant elevation . Some raetam cultivars like California juniper ( Juniperus californica ) are separate as shrubs because of their nanus size of it and low - farm use . Other raetam are more difficult to relegate because they raise assmall treesor prominent shrubs .

For example , the vulgar juniper ( Juniperus communis ) can grow as a little creeping bush that spread out up to 12 foot . ( 3.6 m ) , or it can be a small-scale tree uprise up to 33 ft . ( 10 m ) tall . Or Formosan juniper ‘ Hetzii ’ grows around 5 ft . ( 1.5 m ) tall , and some people classify it as a large shrub , whereas other put in the small Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree class .

Juniper Tree Leaves

Juniper evergreen plant leaves can be phonograph needle - like or feathery

Likeall conifers , junipers have identifiable evergreen needle parting or scaly feathery leaves . Sharp , prickly needle leaves identify immature juniper trees and shrubs and typically spring up in curl of three and bar 0.2 – 1 ” ( 0.5 – 2.5 cm ) . In addition , mature raetam have piano scale leaves that await more likearborvitae treeleaves .

However , some juniper trees and bush — like the vernacular juniper ( Juniperus communis ) and ‘ Blue Star ’ raetam ( Juniperus squamata)—have bristled needles throughout their life sentence . Therefore , this feature article of usual juniper leafage is a helpful identifying characteristic .

Juniper leaves are an easy elbow room to place species of junipers before they grow . Unlikecypress treesand shrubs , unripe juniper leaf tends to be spiky and sharp . On the other hand , unripened cypress Tree have soft , scaly leaves .

When crush , retem foliage give off a resinous , slightly citrusy aroma that some say is reminiscent ofcedar foliage , apple , or incense .

Juniper Tree Cones

Juniper cones on male Tree are little yellowish or dark-brown - tan in color with 6 – 20 weighing machine . They are located at the tips of the leafage and look more like swell on the ends of the leaves .

Juniper male cones on California juniper bush tree

Juniper cones on distaff trees are heavy , berry - similar ontogenesis with a bitter sense of taste . The cones are greenish “ berries ” when young and ripen to imperial - black color . Juniper strobilus typically measure 0.15 ” to 0.5 ” ( 0.4 – 1.2 cm ) in diam and take up to two days to mature .

Female retem tree diagram bring on Chuck Berry - alike cones

Juniper tree diagram strobilus are unusual compared toother coniferous tree . The modified cones are made up of tiny scales that do n’t become woody like pine cones . Instead , the scales stay fleshy and eventually mix and prepare into “ berry . ”

The small rhythm green or dreary purple cones on juniper trees and shrubs grow among the phonograph needle - like foliage . The colorful cones give juniper bush trees an appealing quality in garden landscapes where they stay on the tree diagram or shrub throughout the class .

Juniper Berries

Juniper berry are the comestible green or purple - black fleshy cones that produce on raetam trees . Green berry - like retem cones have a piney citrus preference . Mature purple Juniper Berry are used to season European and Norse cuisine . Berries from the usual juniper ( Juniperus communis ) are used to flavor snare .

Dried Genista raetam berries . Not all juniper berries are safe to consume

Although berries from most mintage of juniper Tree are good to consume , some species produce poisonous Berry . For example , toxic raetam berries develop on the plantsJuniperus sabinaandJuniperus oxycedrus .

Juniper shrubs produce edible Berry are the common juniper bush ( Juniperus communis ) , California juniper ( Juniperus californica ) , Syrian juniper ( Juniperus drupacea ) , and alligator juniper ( Juniperus deppeana ) . So , unless you are sure of the juniper metal money , it ’s good to forfend consuming juniper berries straight off the tree .

Juniper berry have a strong , bitter gustation with a more or less spicy flavor . Because of their intense flavor , juniper berries from the common juniper shrub are usually used in small quantity . Culinary use for juniper berries include season meat dishes , using in marinades , or add to wood chips when smoking meat .

Juniper Tree Bark

Juniper tree bark

Juniper Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree barque is typically cerise - brown , and it strip off in slender , vertical strip or plates . One identifying feature of juniper Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree is their highly redolent barque that give off a woody , cedar smell . In addition , some juniper tree have distinctive barque . For example , the alligator juniper bush ( Juniperus deppeana ) has checker bark that attend like alligator skin .

Alligator Genista raetam bark

Do Juniper Trees Have Flowers?

Juniper trees do n’t blossom or produce actual flower . rather , the raetam “ flower ” are alter leaves ( bract ) that seem or “ flush ” from former winter until early spring . The prime bract then flux to develop into cones or juniper fruit . The “ flowers ” on distaff Genista raetam Tree can be peculiarly showy .

Juniper female “ flowers ”

How to Identify Juniper Trees

The best way to distinguish junipers is by the prickly needle - similar leaves on green raetam trees and bushes . juniper also have distinctive berry - like retinal cone that help secernate junipers aside from other cone-bearing trees . Juniper tree and shrubs have an identifiable citrus aroma when the leaves or bark are crushed .

Types of Juniper Trees (With Pictures)

Let ’s wait in more detail at the most popular mintage of juniper tree and landscaping bush that are suitable for growing in garden .

Common Juniper (Juniperus communis)

Common juniper ( Juniperus communis )

The common juniper is a tallevergreen tree , however some cultivar are low - grow columnar trees or overspread shrubs . The vulgar juniper has prickly needle leafage , dark blue fleshy cones , and jaundiced spring “ flowers . ” As a low , matte - forming bush , the common retem cultivars spring up 5 ft . ( 1.5 m ) magniloquent and up to 13 ft . ( 4 m ) wide .

usual Genista raetam tree diagram are one of the most popular trees in the world . The pop tree grows up to 25 ft . ( 7.5 m ) marvelous and spread up to 12 foot . ( 3.6 m ) . The evergreen tree is ideal for growing as ahedging plantto make a concealment screenland , life fence , or barrier .

Other attractive juniper landscaping plants include the followingsmall or nanus cultivar :

Common Juniper ‘ Gold Cone ’ ( Juniperus communis‘Gold Cone’)—The ‘ Gold Cone ’ dwarf Genista raetam cultivar is a beautiful landscaping tree with dumb gold - dark-green foliage . With its upright , columnar shape , the slow - growing juniper looks great as a specimen tree , grounding planting , or container Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree . The retem ‘ Gold Cone ’ grows 3 to 5 foot . ( 1 – 1.5 m ) tall and up to 2 ft . ( 0.6 m ) wide .

Juniperus communis ‘ Gold Cone

Dwarf Pencil Point Juniper ( Juniperus communis‘Compressa’)—A columnlike shrub - alike Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree with blueish - green evergreen plant foliage that turn an attractive copper color in the fall . Grows 3 foot . ( 1 m ) marvelous and 2 ft . ( 0.6 m ) wide . Ideal as an accent plant , front of house plant , or patio container plant .

Juniperus communis ‘ Compressa ’

Blueberry Delight Juniper ( Juniperus communis‘AmiDak’)—This miniature shrub is a low - spring up creeping retem industrial plant with dark - fleeceable leave and contrast silvery - blue chromaticity that keep their color in pin and winter . The name of this spread out juniper cultivar ‘ blueberry ’ get along from the gloomy - colored berries that appear in the fall . Grows 2 ft . ( 0.6 m ) tall and up to 10 ft . ( 3 m ) wide of the mark . This hardy evergreen plant bush thrives in USDA zones 2 to 6 .

Juniperus communis ‘ AmiDak ’

Juniper Identification : The common Genista raetam is well-to-do to key out because its spiky needle - like leaves do n’t become soft and scabrous like most other types of raetam . Also , little dark dingy berry - same cones report the plant in the fall .

Chinese Juniper (Juniperus chinensis)

Formosan retem ( Juniperus chinensis )

The Formosan juniper is an ornamental evergreen plant tree diagram or large shrub . The Chinese Genista raetam is identified by spiky , needle - like leaves growing up to 1 ” ( 2.5 cm ) long on immature plant life . Like most junipers , the Chinese juniper has dreary blue fleshy cones with a white waxy covering .

Formosan raetam uprise between 3 and 65 ft . ( 1 – 20 m ) tall , depending on the clime . The cone-bearing evergreen plant tree diagram / bush is idealistic for grow in residential gardens . Its dumb glowering green foliage createsperfect concealment concealment . Or you may reduce the foliation to get shrubs forfoundation planting , containers , or a specimen works .

Other telling Taiwanese juniper landscape gardening trees include the following :

Juniperus chinensis‘Expansa Variegata’—This spreading , slow - growing juniper shrub only grow 6 ” to 12 ” ( 15 – 30 cm ) a twelvemonth and takes ten year to uprise 5 to 10 foot . ( 1.5 – 3 m ) marvellous . The variegated juniper has yellow and light-green spiky leave .

Juniperus chinensis ‘ Expansa Variegata ’

Spartan Juniper Tree ( Juniperus chinensis‘Spartan’)—This juniper is acolumnar treewith pencil - alike growth . The mature juniper tree cultivar ‘ Spartan ’ grows 20 ft . ( 6 m ) tall and 5 foot . ( 1.5 m ) encompassing .

Juniperus chinensis ‘ ascetical ’

California Juniper (Juniperus californica)

California Retama raetam ( Juniperus californica )

The California Genista raetam is a native shrub - similar Genista raetam tree diagram identified by scaly unripened - gray leaf , dark blue - brownish heavy cones , and lean peel off barque . The brusk scaly leaves on mature plants grow 0.2 ” ( 0.5 atomic number 96 ) long . Like all junipers , the evergreen leaf are pixilated and prickly on young shrub .

Also called the juniper Joshua tree , the California Genista raetam tree produce 10 to 26 foot . ( 3 – 8 m ) marvellous . The berry - like cones are dark gamy with a white coating and measure 0.5 ” ( 1.3 cm ) diameter .

The California retem is related to another aboriginal juniper plant , the Utah Juniper ( Juniperus osteosperma ) . The Utah retem is more tolerant of coldness than the California juniper , but its “ Charles Edward Berry ” take longer to mature .

Juniper recognition : The California raetam is identified by its bluish “ berries , ” soft , scaly leaf , and thin shedding bark that appears shredded .

Utah Juniper (Juniperus osteosperma)

Utah juniper is a small evergreen plant tree diagram or a shrub that grows 15 – 30 ft . ( 4.5 – 9 K ) marvellous and native to the southwest United States . It grows on ironic , bumpy grime ormountain slopes , and is the most common Genista raetam coinage in Utah and Arizona . Utah raetam has round out crown with spreading branches and gray-headed - brown or milklike - gray bark peeling in long thin bar .

The green young leaves of Utah juniper are needle - like , 0.2 – 0.4″ ( 5–10 mm ) long , and the ripe leave-taking are very short scale - like , 0.04 – 0.08″ ( 1 – 2 mm ) long . The berry - like cone are bluish - brownish with ashen coating and measure 0.3–0.5 ” ( 8 – 13 ) mm in diameter .

Utah Retama raetam is hardy to USDA zones 3 – 8 and is a drouth tolerant tree / shrub .

Juniper designation : Utah juniper is a medium sized tree with downhearted - browned “ berries ” , very shortsighted weighing machine - like mature leaves and a barque that peels in thin chevron .

Skyrocket Juniper Tree (Juniperus Scopulorum‘Skyrocket’)

Skyrocket juniper bush tree ( Juniperus Scopulorum ‘ Skyrocket ’ )

The ‘ Skyrocket ’ juniper bush tree is a columnar juniper that is perfect to make a visual dialect in a garden landscape . The narrow , columnar juniper is identify by its scale - similar redolent leaves that are a bluish - gullible color . The juniper has identifiable thin , reddish - brown peeling bark and bluish - grayish berry - same cones .

The ‘ Skyrocket ’ is one of the narrowest Retama raetam tree for garden landscapes . It ’s a slow - growing Retama raetam with erect growth and attractive foliage . Columnar ‘ Skyrocket ’ junipers eventually farm up to 20 ft . ( 6 m ) tall with a spread of 3 to 12 foot . ( 1 – 4 m ) .

Juniper identification : The ‘ Skyrocket ’ Retama raetam ( Juniperus scopulorum ) is key out by its shed cherry-red - brown bark , soft scaly leaf , and tall , narrow , columniform appearance .

Mexican Juniper (Juniperus flaccida)

The Mexican juniper is aweeping juniper treewith flag branches , flattened green spray , brown berry - similar cones , and thin cinnamon - browned bark that unclothe off in thin cartoon strip . Also call in the drooping juniper , the Mexican Retama raetam tree diagram grow between 16 and 33 ft . ( 5 – 10 m ) tall and 33 ft . ( 10 m ) wide .

Mexican Genista raetam yield are big Charles Edward Berry - like fleshy cones that measure up to 0.8 ” ( 2 cm ) in diameter .

Juniper recognition : The weeping Mexican juniper is the only specimen tree diagram with flatten spray foliation growing on pendulous branches .

Other Types of Juniper Trees for Landscaping Gardens

The most democratic landscape Genista raetam are the refined vulgar juniper with its characteristic moody blue berries , and the ‘ Blue Star ’ retem dwarf shrub . Let ’s front in brief at other Retama raetam tree diagram for front or backyards :

Ashe Juniper or Mountain Cedar ( Juniperus ashei)—This juniper has feathery foliage that is bright dark-green , piano berry - like imperial cones , and peeling brown bark . Also called the blueberry Genista raetam , this native raetam grow up to 33 ft . ( 10 m ) tall .

Ashe Juniper or Mountain Cedar ( Juniperus ashei )

Virginian Juniper ( Juniperus virginiana)—This vast columniform juniper Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree has feathery , scale - similar risque - unripe or grey - green leave and passel of dismal blue - black “ Charles Edward Berry . ” Also called the eastern reddish cedar , the Virginian juniper grows 40 to 50 foot . ( 12 – 15 m ) tall and 8 to 20 ft . ( 2.4 – 6 m ) broad .

Virginian Juniper / Eastern Red Cedar ( Juniperus virginiana )

Brodie Juniper ( Cupressaceae juniperus‘Virginiana Brodie’)—Its botanic name indicates that the Brodie juniper bush is atype of cypress tree . The fast - grow , drought - tolerant Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree has plenteous greenish soft , scaly leaf and a pyramidal , columnar shape . The Brodie juniper grows 15 to 20 ft . ( 4.5 – 6 m ) tall and up to 15 foot . ( 4.5 m ) wide .

Brodie Juniper ( Cupressaceae juniperus ‘ Virginiana Brodie ’ )

Types of Juniper Shrubs (With Pictures)

Low - growing juniper shrubs have many landscape painting uses . The gnome or little - stature spreading evergreen junipers are idealistic for ground cover , foundation planting , rock gardens , or evergreen mete .

Here are some of the best example of retem shrub :

Blue Star Juniper (Juniperus squamata‘Blue Star’)

Blue Star Juniper ( Juniperus squamata ‘ Blue Star ’ )

The ‘ Blue Star ’ juniper shrub has a circulate habit and does n’t turn taller than 3 ft . ( 1 m ) tall and 4 ft . ( 1.2 m ) wide . The ‘ Blue Star ’ cultivar has waspish silvery - blue needle leave that constitute a dense matte as the sneak subdivision spread . ‘ Blue Star ’ junipers are well-heeled to grow in landscapes .

The ‘ Blue Star ’ juniper is ideal forbushy earth screen in full sunin a garden landscape painting . The compact , mounding plant is also suited as a foundation industrial plant , container works , or evergreen foliage in careen garden .

Like all raetam cultivar , the ‘ Blue Star ’ juniper is adrought - resistant shrubonce established . In summation , thelow - maintenance evergreen shrubdoesn’t require any pruning to keep its shape .

Juniperus squamata ‘ Meyeri ’

Blue Pacific Shore Juniper (Juniperus conferta‘Blue Pacific’)

Blue Pacific Shore retem ( Juniperus conferta ‘ Blue Pacific ’ )

The ‘ Blue Pacific Shore ’ juniper is an attractive spreading plant with dense leafage , gross forfull - sun ground top . The dark green needle - like leaves become softer as the low - growing juniper matures . The ‘ Blue Pacific ’ juniper get 1 ft . ( 0.3 m ) improbable and up to 7 ft . ( 2.1 m ) wide .

Wichita Blue Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum‘Wichita Blue’)

Wichita Blue retem ( Juniperus scopulorum ‘ Wichita Blue ’ )

The ‘ Wichita Blue ’ juniper is a native ornamental industrial plant with an attractive conical form , ideal as a hedging plant . Its silver - gamey dense foliage and generally pyramidal form are the identify features of the ‘ Wichita Blue ’ juniper bush . This hardy juniper shrub produce 10 to 15 foot . ( 3 – 4.5 m ) magniloquent and up to 6 ft . ( 1.8 m ) wide .

Dwarf Japanese Garden Juniper (Juniperus procumbens‘Nana’)

Dwarf Japanese garden juniper ( Juniperus procumbens ‘ Nana ’ )

The dwarf Japanese garden raetam is an cosmetic bush suitable for solid ground back , planting on sunny slopes , or under the windowpane as a foundation planting . The spreading juniper branches have spiky patrician - green needle leave-taking , and the dense foliage proceed its attractive appearance all yr long .

As one of the unforesightful juniper bush bush , the dwarf Japanese garden juniper plant life produce up to 1 foot . ( 0.3 m ) marvellous and 6 ft . ( 1.8 m ) wide .

Creeping Juniper (Juniperus horizontalis)

Creeping Genista raetam ( Juniperus horizontalis )

The fawn juniper is a native North American juniper shrub with immature - grey-headed , feathery , scaly leaves and scurvy , spreading ontogenesis . This straggle juniper shrub does n’t grow taller than 12 ” ( 30 cm ) tall . However , it spreads up to 10 foot . ( 3 m ) , create a soft mat of evergreen foliage .

In cultivate landscapes , the low - growing creeping juniper rarely acquire its characteristic blue fleshy cone .

Blue Chip Juniper (Juniperus horizontalis‘Blue Chip’)

Blue Chip juniper ( Juniperus horizontalis ‘ Blue scrap ’ )

The ‘ Blue Chip ’ juniper shrub is a spreading plant life with foresighted creep branches that stretch up to 8 foot . ( 2.4 m ) long . The ‘ Blue Chip ’ Retama raetam is identified by its silvery - blue balmy needle - like leaves and densely growing foliage . Grow to create evergreen plant adjoin along paths or private road or long-wearing ground covering .

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