Woody > Juniperus > Juniperus horizontalis > Juniperus horizontalis 'Pancake'
Juniperus horizontalis
'Pancake'
Pancake Creeping Juniper
Origin: This cultivar was introduced by Bill Janssen of Collectors' Nursery, Battle Ground, Washington in the 1990s.
Mike's
Opinion
"
The Pancake Creeping Juniper is a lush, feathery low growing shrub. The layering branches create a dense blue-green carpet, and the addition of purple hues in winter gives this plant multi-season value. This creeping juniper is very low maintenance, requiring no pruning, and is tolerant to pollution, drought, and deer, making it an excellent ground cover.
Michael Pascoe, NDP., ODH., CLT., MSc. (Plant Conservation)
"
| Family |
| Cupressaceae |
| Genus |
| Juniperus |
| Species |
| horizontalis |
| Cultivar |
| 'Pancake' |
| Category |
| Woody |
| Type |
| Shrub (evergreen) |
| USDA Hardiness Zone |
| 3 - 9 |
| Canadian Hardiness Zone |
| Grow under glass |
| RHS Hardiness Zone |
| H3 - H7 |
| Temperature (°C) |
| (-40) - (-1) |
| Temperature (°F) |
| (-40) - 30 |
| Height |
| 3 - 5 cm |
| Spread |
| 30 - 60 cm |
Photographs
Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
| General Description |
| Juniperus horizontalis ‘Pancake’ is one of the lowest-growing creeping junipers, with long trailing, layered branches forming a lush blue-green carpet. |
| Landscape |
| This creeping juniper is best used in massing as a groundcover in naturalized landscapes, rock gardens, xeriscape, and at the edge of retaining walls. This cultivar is also suitable for inclines too sloped to maintain the grass on. |
| Cultivation |
| Grow in full sun, dry to moderately moist, well-drained soil. It is very tolerant of salt, pollution, and dry winy locations. This plant will not tolerate standing water. Water frequently upon initial transplant until a deep root system is established. |
| Shape |
| A low-growing shrub with long trailing branches that form a lush mat. To gain additional height, steak stem. |
| Growth |
| Slow |
| ID Characteristic |
| This shrub's most notable characteristics are its very low growing tendency, soft, dense, blue-green foliage, and pale lavender winter colour. |
| Pests |
| J. horizontalis is known to experience the following problems: Phomopsis (Juniper tip blight), spider mites, and bagworms. |
| Habitat |
| Horticultural origin. |
| Bark/Stem Description |
| Bark is brown with some red tones, exfoliating, typically hidden by layers of trailing foliage. |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description |
| The shrub's leaf buds are small, green-blue, and inconspicuous. |
| Leaf Description |
| The Pancake Creeping Juniper has feathery, elliptic, deep blue-green scale-like foliage that takes on a slight purple hue in the winter. |
| Flower Description |
| Non-Flowering. |
| Fruit Description |
| This cultivar rarely produces fleshy berry-like cones, blue-green in colour, and semi-globose in shape. |
| Colour Description |
| The leaves begin as dark blue-green and shift to a dull blue-purple colour in winter. The cones are a dull green-blue colour. The bark is a reddish-brown colour hidden beneath a carpet of foliage. |
| Texture Description |
| This is a medium to fine-texture plant. The bark is slightly exfoliating and the foliage is softer than most junipers. |
| Notable Specimens |
| The Missouri Botanical Garden, located at 4344 Shaw Boulevard in St. Louis, Missouri. |
| Propagation |
| Propagate by softwood cuttings. Remove a 20 - 25 cm long cutting from the current year's new growth, from spring to early autumn. Remove foliage from the lower third of the cutting before potting in a soil-less media mix of peat moss and vermiculite. Optionally, apply rooting hormone to the cutting before potting. Next, water, mist, and cover the soft-wood cutting with a plastic bag or dome to increase humidity. The Juniper cutting should root in 8 weeks and be ready for outdoor transplant the following spring. |
| Ethnobotanical Uses (Disclaimer) |
| Juniperus horizontalis has been found to have antibacterial properties. They are used in traditional medicine for illnesses such as bronchitis, tuberculosis, pneumonia, liver disease, and intestinal worms. Other uses include aromatherapy, candles, soap, lotion, and essential oils. |
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