Juniper blue chip open field planting and care

Juniper is a common ornamental plant often found in landscape design. Its spreading "paws", creeping on the ground, or neat trees in the form of candles, are able to ennoble any garden or park. A person has long noticed the beauty of the plant - in the poems of the poet of Ancient Greece Virgil there are lines that mention this shrub.

Juniper Botanical Reference

Any description of a juniper contains information that it belongs to the genus of coniferous evergreen shrubs, and its tree species belong to the Cypress family. During its long history, it acquired several more names: Veres and Juniper. It is found almost everywhere in the countries lying in the Northern Hemisphere. Some species are native to eastern Africa.

The plant can be in the form of a large shrub, tree and small creeping bushes. Most of the genus likes to grow in well-lit areas, are easy to care for, do not impose special requirements on the soil, and tolerate prolonged drought well. As for resistance to cold, it all depends on the species: some of them come from the northern regions, so they easily tolerate significant drops in temperature. But there are also species - inhabitants of the subtropics, hypothermia is contraindicated for them. Check out the article on Andorra Variegata horizontal juniper.

Juniper - "first aid" for many ailments

This coniferous shrub is characterized not only by the beauty and grace of the shoots, the beneficial properties of the juniper have made it a widely used culture in medicine. Its ability to purify the air from microorganisms that cause various diseases is a long-known truth.

One hectare of land planted with juniper is capable of "disinfecting" the air of one large city. This is due to active substances - phytoncides, which in the course of evolution have become real fighters with microscopic fungi and bacteria that cause serious health problems.

Juniper berries and medicine

One of the most useful parts of the plant is its berries, which look like microscopic cones. It is for this similarity that they are also called cones. The extensive use of juniper berries for the treatment of many ailments indicates the high healing properties of these shrubs and trees. They are able to cure ailments associated with disorders of the bladder and kidneys. Skin conditions such as eczema and dermatitis can be treated with cones.

Juniper berries and cooking

Besides medicinal uses, the fruit is often used as a condiment for culinary purposes. After grinding, they are added to meat dishes, especially game. Many other recipes are also not complete without this ingredient: sauces, soups, terrines, marinades for meat.Drinks such as jelly, kvass, beer, gin are also made with the addition of an exotic seasoning that gives off a light coniferous aroma and gives the dishes a tart-sweet taste.

The use of juniper does not end with berries. Other parts of the plant are also used in human life. For example, no less fragrant oil is made from its fragrant branches, which has a lot of useful properties. It is appreciated for the fact that it is an effective way against radiculitis, polyarthritis and rheumatism. It can also cure some unpleasant problems associated with the nervous system, such as neuralgia.

Having prepared a decoction from the branches, it is easy to get rid of allergies, and the decoction from the rhizomes treats diseases of the respiratory system, such as bronchitis and tuberculosis. In addition, the root decoction is quite effective in solving some skin problems.

The wood obtained from the plant is widely used to make various products such as pencils and wooden utensils. By the way, in Ancient Russia, milk was poured into a container made of juniper for long-term storage: it did not sour for a long time in an antibacterial container.

Blue Chip - American-Canadian variety

Many varieties of this plant have been bred to date, but the Blue Chip juniper is the most popular and widespread, which appeared thanks to the joint work of American and Canadian breeders. Got many names: flat, ground cover, open. Refers to low shrubs growing horizontally.

Origin of the name Blue Chip

The origin of its name is interesting. Blue Chip in English means "first-class security". The fact is that in America a financial company with this name has been considered reliable and reputable for many years. The literal translation is "blue chip", but for Americans, Blue Chip has become synonymous with "prestigious, top quality."

Description and characteristics of the variety

The first thing to start with when describing the Blue Chip juniper is its beautiful appearance, thanks to which it received in 2004 in Poland the highest award from connoisseurs of ornamental garden plants around the world.

The common juniper Blue Chip belongs to perennial, evergreen, low-growing, coniferous shrubs of compact dimensions. In breadth, it grows no more than 1-1.2 m in diameter. And its height is generally low - about 30-40 cm.

This variety is prized for the beauty of its hairy branches. In summer, they are painted in a greenish-blue color with a slight gray tint, and closer to autumn they change their color to burgundy-lilac tones. Its stems are strongly fluffy, dense, collected in a horizontal, lush bush, raised above the ground, growing along the soil. The branches are completely covered with densely arranged green needles with a bluish tint.

Fruits horizontal juniper Blue Chip rarely gives on shoots: they are small, spherical and the color coincides with the needles.

Features of plant care

As a rule, Blue Chip horizontal juniper prefers areas that are well lit by the sun. But it can grow in a small shade. Needs moderate watering, but does not like waterlogged soil. The best soil for this variety is nutritious, slightly acidic, drained. Sandy loam soils are perfect for a plant. In care, it is unpretentious, tolerates cold enough.

Blue Chip is a great choice for landscaping

Of course, the extraordinarily beautiful Blue Chip variety will ennoble any garden. Blue Chip juniper is most often used in landscape design to create a variety of decorative ensembles. It is used for planting around small garden ponds, often part of mixborders made up of coniferous representatives. In addition, it fits perfectly into almost any rock garden.On flower beds, it can become a wonderful backdrop, not only highlighting the beauty of flowers, but also giving sophistication and nobility. By planting such an evergreen shrub, you can not only effectively decorate the garden, but also cleanse it of many harmful bacteria.

Landing - basic rules

After purchasing the plant, the Blue Chip juniper is planted and taken care of, which include a few simple rules. Most of the shrubs are sold in pots or containers. They must be carefully removed from the container and carefully water the roots with water. Then a suitable place for planting is selected (it is better if it is a sunny area or partial shade) and holes are prepared for planting. Their dimensions should be 1.5-2 times the size of the root.

You can improve the survival rate of the bush and make it more beautiful by adding nutritious soil to the planting pits. A high-quality planting of the Blue Chip juniper in a soil rich in all the necessary substances will give the plant strength not only to survive stress in the form of a transplant, but will also further feed the root system, which cannot but affect the decorative effect of the plant. The soil mixture is prepared on the basis of three components: turf, sand, peat, taken in equal proportions. Mineral fertilizers for conifers can be mixed with such a soil, which can significantly help the plant to take root faster. If the soil is compressed, not loose and poorly drained, then a 20 cm layer of gravel should be covered in order to provide air access to the roots.

The technology used for planting the Blue Chip horizontal juniper is simple. The prepared pits are well moistened, then bushes are planted in them. You can not plant a plant, deepening the neck of the root below the ground, this part of the shrub must be at the same level with it.

Features of culture cultivation

Evergreen shrubs are easy to breed using several methods: cuttings, layers, seeds.

The most common of these is cuttings, but it is not suitable for creeping varieties. Such species reproduce using cuttings.

Select the healthiest, youngest and most beautiful shoots before propagating Blue Chip Juniper. Then the soil is prepared for the future site, where the layering will take root: it is carefully dug up, after which peat and coarse sand are introduced. Everything is gently mixed and loosened.

After that, the selected stem is tilted to the ground and pinned with a clip made of ordinary wire. In the place where the "hairpin" was fixed, the soil must be regularly watered and loosened.

The cuttings take root for a rather long period of time: six months - a year. A well-rooted seedling is transplanted to a "permanent residence" using the technology mentioned above. A lot of useful information in the article: How to grow rosemary from seeds and cuttings at home?

Among the ground cover varieties, the Blue Chip juniper is considered the best. Its shaggy shoots, with a slightly raised core and ends, spread evenly and densely along the ground, forming a green carpet. The needles are short and dense, needle-shaped and prickly. The needles change color depending on the season: in summer the needles are of a rich silver-blue hue, young bright blue twigs appear in the spring, in the fall it is filled with brown and lilac colors, and in winter its tone becomes almost lilac.

Juniper horizontal Blue Chip is an excellent option for rocky compositions, rockeries and rock gardens, it looks harmoniously in combination with other coniferous and deciduous trees and shrubs. Juniper is a natural healer, it effectively purifies and disinfects the surrounding air within a radius of 10 meters.

Description of Juniper Horizontal Blue Chip

The homeland of the Blue Chip juniper is Canada and America, in translation its name means a blue chip.The plant grows horizontally, it is perfectly adapted throughout Russia, from the southern borders to the northern latitudes. Its growth is small - the height of an adult shrub is from 20 to 30 cm, and the crown in diameter can reach 1.5 meters. This beautiful dwarf representative with interesting needles and a slow growth rate is able to decorate any landscape design.

Description of Juniper Blue Chip:

1. Appearance. It belongs to dwarf creeping evergreen varieties of juniper, differs in small size and compact shape, raised middle and high decorative characteristics, has small needle-like needles. Seeds are spherical cone berries and are black with bloom, reaching 5-6 mm in diameter.
2. Requirements. He loves light and good soil moisture, is resistant to frost and drought, tolerates urban gas pollution and air pollution, does not tolerate excess moisture and excessive soil salinity.
3. Where is used. Often planted as a support for rocky slopes and walls, to strengthen slopes and curbs. An ideal solution for landscape design of rock gardens and heather gardens, looks good in a container with the need for decorative crown molding.

The beautiful, dense and fragrant horizontal juniper Blue Chip, with long creeping shoots and a bright unusual color, is used by gardeners to create living coniferous carpets.

Juniper Blue Chip - planting

Young seedlings are planted in planting pits 50-70 cm deep with a sufficient drainage layer in sunny or slightly shaded areas. the shrub prefers a nutritious, moderately dry soil, predominantly with an alkaline or acidic environment. The culture does not withstand stagnant moisture and soil salinity; regular shallow loosening is required to achieve the best decorative results. The optimal distance between adjacent plants is 1-2 meters. For the winter, the ephedra is sprinkled with peat in a layer of up to 10 cm; during heavy snowfalls, temporary protection is erected around it.

Agrotechnical features of the Blue Chip juniper are abundant watering after planting, mandatory mulching to retain moisture, and regular sanitary cutting.

Juniper Blue Chip - reproduction and care

The Blue Chip shrub is propagated by layering. The gardener chooses healthy and high-quality shoots, prepares the ground for rooting - digs up, loosens with peat and sand, fertilizes and moisturizes. With the help of a bracket, the selected branch is fixed on the ground, the layering takes root within six months or a year.

Planting and caring for the Blue Chip juniper includes the following activities:

1. Top dressing after planting is carried out three times per season: in the spring with nitrogen fertilizers, in the summer with phosphorus-containing compounds and in the fall - with mixtures for conifers with potassium. The plant gratefully responds to the application of organic fertilizers around the trunk.
2. Watering regularly, but not excessive. For the best moisture retention, mulch from chips or sawdust is generously poured near the trunk circles.
3. Pruning is carried out in the spring - dry and broken shoots are removed, old and frozen branches are cut off.
4. Weeding and loosening are carried out as needed, the excess of weeds harms the decorative characteristics of the plant.
5. Diseases and pests. Coniferous crops can suffer from root fungus and rot, and are often infected with ticks and scale insects. For preventive purposes, juniper thickets, in the spring and once a month during the warm season, are treated with fungicides and insecticides.

The Blue Chip juniper is picturesque at any time of the year, with its help, colorful corners are created near stones and near water bodies, they are effectively decorated with flower beds and flower beds. An additional advantage is that the plant creates a microclimate around it that is beneficial for people.

Photo of juniper Blue Chip in landscape design

Acquaintance with Blue Chip juniper - video

The horizontal juniper is one of the favorite plants for those gardeners who are designing their site. Conifers will perfectly decorate the landscape and bring a touch of wildlife.

All horizontal junipers are evergreen creeping dwarf shrubs with a height of ten to seventy centimeters, the crown width varies from one meter to three.

general description

Junipers grow slowly... The main shoots are extended to the sides, usually covered with younger branches. The needles of junipers are either acicular or scaly, the length is about three millimeters. The color of the needles ranges from green to yellow and silvery. In winter, needles of all varieties acquire a brownish or purple color.

Description of the fruits. The fruits of junipers are globular blue cones, covered with a blue bloom. Junipers tolerate drought, frost and drafts well. Natural habitat - Canada and North America. There are more than a hundred varieties of this shrub, and one of the most popular is the Blue Chip.

Plant has an attractive appearance, and even won the highest award at the 2004 exhibition in Poland.

Blue Chip is classified as a perennial dwarf shrub, about one and a half meters wide and thirty centimeters high. The color of the needles in summer is green with a blue tint, in winter it is burgundy. The stems are dense and fluffy, growing along the ground, the branches are densely covered with needles. This variety gives fruits quite rarely, they are small in size, the color is the same as the needles.

Conditions and reproduction

Like all junipers, the horizontal Blue Chip grows well in any soil, however, you should be aware that it does not like too much moisture and salty soils. When planting, it will be good to mulch in order to maintain the correct soil moisture regime. As it grows, the juniper will defend its roots on its own.

This type of shrub reproduces with the help of layering. A healthy shoot is selected, and the ground is prepared under it. It should be dug up, add fertilizer and sand, dig everything up again. Next, the shoot must be bent to the ground and pinned with a wire staple. In the place of the bracket, it is necessary to water and loosen the earth. Layering takes root for about a year. After rooting, the young plant can be planted in a permanent place.

Juniper on the site

To begin with, the landing site is determined. It is good for optimal growth to choose a bright place, or in partial shade. Next, planting holes are prepared, dug about eighty centimeters deep. At the bottom, you can place compost or ready-made nutrient soil.

For the speedy rooting of the plant, mineral fertilizer must be added to the soil. If the soil is too compacted, a drainage layer (eg fine gravel) must be backfilled.

After preparing the pits, they should be moistened and the plant should be carefully placed there along with the soil on the root coma, then sprinkled and tamped with the soil.

Planting and further care for this variety is practically no different from any other conifers.

Make the first watering in the amount of no more than two lei. The distance between the bushes should not be less than one meter. For the winter period, the juniper is sprinkled with sawdust.

Within a week after planting, the bush should be watered with a root stimulant, and the branches should be treated with Epin. Processing is necessary abundant, the drug should even drain from the branches.

In the period from February to early May of the first year of growth, it is worth loosely covering the plant with a soft fine-mesh net (you can buy it at a hardware store). This is done in order to avoid burns from the ultraviolet rays of the spring sun. In horizontal junipers, the needles evaporate year-round, and in the spring the roots have not thawed yet, the sun is hot, as a result the needles dries up. Therefore, in the spring it is necessary to thaw the soil near the bush.then it can absorb moisture better. Thus, it is advisable to start watering the juniper in mid-March, at the same time you need to remove the snow from the soil near the bush.

Shrub care is quite simple, you just need to follow some general rules:

1. Water regularly, but not too abundantly. To maintain moisture, the ground around the plant can be mulched.
2. In the spring, you need to cut off old, shriveled, frozen branches.
3. Three times a season, it is advisable to fertilize with both mineral and organic fertilizers.
4. Weeds prevent junipers from developing properly, so weeding and loosening of the soil around the bush is necessary.

Diseases

In general, junipers are quite disease resistant., but you still need to know the dangers that threaten the bush.

1. Rust is a disease that can affect any type of juniper. Symptoms are red needles and drying of the shoots. If these signs are present, the damaged bush should be transplanted away from other plants and sprayed with a drug such as arcerid, you can also fertilize with micronutrient fertilizers.
2. Pests such as spider mites, aphids, and scale insects are also dangerous for the ephedra. Against insects, the bush is treated with special preparations (Karbofos, Fitoverm, etc.).
3. The fungus can infect the roots and shoots of the plant. In this case, the juniper will begin to dry out, and a whitish bloom will form on the branches. If affected by rot and fungus, it is best to completely remove the diseased bush and treat the ground with disinfectants. For prevention, plants should be regularly treated with insecticides.

Benefit

In addition to the fact that the Blue Chip looks beautiful on the site, the plant also has useful properties. The most useful part of a shrub is its fruit. In folk medicine, they are famous as a remedy for diseases of the kidneys and bladder, as well as skin diseases (for example, eczema). A decoction is prepared from the branches, which helps to relieve an attack of allergies, and a decoction from the roots treats bronchitis and other diseases of the lungs and respiratory tract.

Juniper fruits are also used in cooking. They are added in the form of a seasoning to fish and meat dishes, and in ground form - in sauces and marinades.

Juniper wood make pencils and even utensils. In containers made of juniper, products do not deteriorate for a long time, since wood has an antimicrobial effect.

It is also known the property of conifers to "clean" the air from fungi and other pathogens. The immunity of a person who has a juniper on his site is quite high.

Landscape

The Blue Chip juniper is beautiful both in winter and in summer, with its help you can create various landscape compositions on the site. Looks great in rock gardens, near artificial ponds and when decorating a flower bed, where it will emphasize the beauty of the planted flowers. It can be used as a living carpet on any section of the site or near a stone slide.

Conclusion

An unusual and very beautiful horizontal juniper of the Blue Chip variety will decorate and ennoble the garden plot, the country courtyard and the city flower garden. An additional plus - juniper, like all conifers, perfectly cleans the air from gas pollution and microorganisms harmful to health. Caring for him is simple. That is why it is worth making a choice in favor of such a spectacular and useful plant.

> Juniper blue chip

Juniper Blue Chip is a dwarf coniferous species. Grows in southern and northern latitudes, adapts well to the harsh climate. In landscape design, it is used to decorate rock gardens, rockeries, deciduous plantings decor.

Description of the plant

Blue chip - this is how the name of the plant is translated from the Canadian language. It is an evergreen perennial plant with a creeping stem. The needles are dense, gray-gray in color. The color of the needles changes according to the seasons of the year.In spring, young shoots are gray-green, gray in summer, and purple in winter.

Juniper Blue Chip can be molded

Juniper grows slowly, by 10 years of life the crown grows up to 1.5-2 m in diameter. Loves slightly alkaline or acidic soils, not waterlogged, with good drainage.

Botanical description of the plant:

• height 30 cm;
• stem horizontal, creeping, with raised tips;
• needles are needle-like, prickly;
• the fruit is a black cone berry with a diameter of 6 mm.

The homeland of the plant is Canada. Ephedra is common in China, Mongolia, CIS countries. Tolerates frosts and snowfalls, does not like drought. In landscape design, it is used to create stone compositions, it is used in urban landscaping, as it adapts to the gas pollution of the air.

Planting and leaving

The landing site for the Blue Chip is chosen illuminated, with light shading at noon. These are open areas away from buildings. Other coniferous or deciduous shrubs can grow nearby. A planting hole is dug three times more than an earthen ball with a root system. On average, the depth of the pit is 60 cm, the width is 40 cm.The shrubs are planted at a distance of 1.5-2 m from each other.

Planting and caring for an ephedra is the implementation of the following activities:

• arrangement of a drainage layer in the planting pit;
• preparation of soil for planting from 2 parts of peat and 1 part of land with sand;
• sprinkling the shrub with earth up to the root collar;
• watering before rooting;
• soil mulching;
• application of nitrogen fertilizers in the spring, and potash fertilizers - in the fall.

The Blue Chip is watered only in dry season, sprinkling is carried out in the evening. In the spring, the plant is pruned. The branches that have not overwintered, dried out and broken are removed. For the winter, the trunk circle is covered with sawdust. In heavy snowfalls, a support is built so that the bush does not break under the weight of the snow.

Juniper is an unpretentious plant with decorative needles all year round. It grows slowly, therefore it is used in home gardening. When properly pruned, it does not take up large areas of land. The needles contain essential oils and phytoncides, therefore they purify the air by 10 m around.

See also: description of the Maak bird cherry