The essentials
Juniper needs surprisingly little care once established. Get the basics right, and you should have no problems. The two essentials are 1) lots of sun and 2) good
drainage. In other words: juniper is the perfect plant for hot, dry slopes where grass keeps dying off.
Decisions, decisions
First, look at the spot you want to fill and choose a suitable juniper. Okay, don't be daunted by all the different kinds that I just mentioned. There are a handful of common junipers and at least one or two of them will probably suit your particular needs and your region.
A few popular groundcover junipers include 'Bar Harbor,'
'Blue Pacific,' 'Blue Rug,' 'Green Mound,' and 'Parsoni.' (
Here is a good site to compare photos.) If you want something super-low growing for a warmer climate, go for
'Blue Rug' Juniper, which is easy to find and does not exceed about 4 or 5 inches in height. (
Here are some great tips for planting and caring for 'Blue Rug.')
Want something a little taller? I'd suggest
'Parsoni,' which tops out at about 1.5 feet high. It's low enough that it won't crowd out larger shrubs and perennials behind it, yet big enough to make a visual splash. For more color, plant annuals in front of Parsoni, then mulch well in winter.
Resist the temptation to plant a variety that will eventually outgrow its location. For example, I love the arching arm-like branches of
'Pfitzer' juniper, but I'm skipping it for my front yard because it grows up to 6 feet tall, which just won't fit with my garden plan and the space that's available right now.
Plant in masses
For maximum visual impact, the general rule is to always plant in masses -- that is, plant at least three plants of one variety in staggered clusters. The exception is when you're putting in a large specimen plant. Of course, if you're using juniper as a groundcover you will almost certainly be doing a massed planting unless you're working with a postage stamp-sized garden!
On the other hand, you can plant groundcover juniper in rows if you want.
This photo demonstrates juniper makes a fabulous low-growing border at the front of a garden bed. Wow. What a gorgeous pic. It just goes to show that row-planting works if it's done well.
Photo gallery: "My Craiglist Juniper"
I just finished replacing part of my front yard's lawn with 'Parsoni' juniper that I got for free after spotting an ad in Craigslist. Phew: I won't lie -- it's been back-breaking work. But it was worth it, and I have put together a photo gallery documenting the project.
Check it out for tips and visuals on planting or transplanting juniper!
Prune with caution!
You can't just hack away at juniper as you can with many other foundation shrubs and groundcovers. Nope. Do so and you run a pretty high risk of killing your plants. Junipers, like other conifers, can be sheared. Individual
branches can also be thinned out. However,
drastic pruning is a no-no. Specifically, cutting where there are no green needles (where the needles are brown or have dropped off entirely) kills the entire branch.
One last thing. Check out
this photo of a Phoenicean Juniper I found on Wikipedia. Whoa! That's one wild
tree. Still think junipers are boring?
For tips to apply to your whole garden, watch this video:
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