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Woody > Juniperus > Juniperus horizontalis > Juniperus horizontalis

Juniperus horizontalis


Creeping Juniper




Origin:  North America, Eastern Canada.
Family
Cupressaceae
Genus
Juniperus
Species
horizontalis
Category
Woody
Type
Shrub (evergreen)
Pronunciation
USDA Hardiness Zone
3 - 9
Canadian Hardiness Zone
1a - Requires cool season protection under glass.
RHS Hardiness Zone
H3 - H7
Temperature (°C)
-40 - (-1)
Temperature (°F)
-40 - 30
Height
10 - 30 cm
Spread
2 - 4 m
Photographs
Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
General Description
A non-flowering evergreen shrub that spreads through long, trailing branches to form a dense, wide mat.
Landscape
Great as ground cover, or for retaining wall edges.
Cultivation
Grow in full sun in an average, moderately moist and well-drained soil. Fairly tolerant of city pollution and dry conditions, but will not tolerate wet soils.
Shape
Mat-forming habit.
Growth
Medium
Pests
Somewhat susceptible to blights, rust, root rot, aphids and spider mites. Many of these problems are exacerbated by wet conditions. It is important to watch out for tent caterpillars (Dichomeris marginella). Older plants may die back in the centre.
Habitat
Found on rock outcroppings, stony slopes, coastal cliffs, prairies, and in many other rocky or sandy soils.
Leaf Description
The leaves are arranged in opposite decussate pairs, or occasionally in whorls of three; the adult leaves are scale-like, 1-2 mm long (to 8 mm on lead shoots) and 1-1.5 mm broad. The juvenile leaves, on young seedlings only, are needle-like, 5-10 mm.
Fruit Description
The cones are berry-like, globose to bilobed, 5-7 mm in diameter, dark blue with a pale blue-white waxy bloom, and contain two seeds (rarely one or three); they usually have a curved stem and are mature in about 18 months. The male cones are 2-4 mm in length.
Notable Specimens
Cape Spear, Newfoundland, Canada.
Propagation
Propagate by cuttings.
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