Thursday, April 21, 2011

Sea Green Juniper

The Sea Green Juniper taken in March when everything was still dead or coming back. It can tolerate the extreme cold.

I'm a sucker for open structured emerald evergreens.  This larger evergreen loves sun. It is a moderate growing Juniper with a lovely sea green hue that reminds me of the coast of San Francisco.  I have two on the property and at one time I had more, but I had to move them because they can get quite large. Place them in full sun here in Tucson and they'll be greener and brighter.  Be careful where you plant this large bush as it can overtake a space in no time.  Many homeowners end up pulling this plant out of the ground because it took up too much space.  Here is another observation I have with this plant which I can't explain....but I'll try.  I bought several and planted them in a row.  Out of the 4 I put into the ground, one died for no reason.  Other people have told me the same things and it's just an observation I'm sharing with you all:) Has this happened with you?  This plant doesn't mind the poor clay soil, but it does seem to collect a lot of trash blown around by wind.  If you are located in a high traffic area, I might think about planting something else.  However, it does make a nice large screen and will fill a large empty space. This plant likes sun and is drought tolerant once established.  Many people neglect this plant and it still does well.  You can prune it although I like the open branched structure.  When it rains, it has that nice junipery smell.  Birds also love to hang out in these large bushes.  It is low maintenance for the most part with an occassionaly trim here and there. Some people make sculptures out of these bushes!!  Here is a pic taken from the internet on how it looks when in its unpruned natural state.  Height:  Around 8-10 feet in Tucson.  Width: They spread out at around 6-7 feet here....maybe more.  BIG Juniper that loves our sun.  Nice!



1 comment:

  1. I've gained respect for many junipers, shrub and tree, long before many of the pinons above our elevation were killed by insects! (sorry were the clients who liked pinons but destroyed all the junipers on their properties, against my recommendations)

    After this winter, I especially respect junipers - but like you point out, give them the room they need!

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