These prickly junipers

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Modern landscape designs are hardly presented without juniper. These evergreens and plants of unusual shape have a diverse color palette. And the best part is that they are unpretentious and resistant to cold or sudden heat.

Juniper Features

The people call juniper differently. For some, it’s archa or northern cypress, others boast that they have heather growing on the site, in scientific circles the plant is called the ore miner. But, despite the variety of names, juniper always remains a "native" and favorite decoration of gardens.

Plants has a number of features:

it loves to grow near coal deposits;
it has amazing fruits that in the first year of ripening have a green color, and in the second year of life they acquire a black shade, with a characteristic blue tint;
it has useful properties, therefore it is widely used for the manufacture of medicinal infusions;
in the branches of the plant little birds like to nest.

If the wood is treated with infusion of juniper, this will protect it from rot and periodic insect infestations. The tree does not contain tar moves, therefore it lends itself to polishing and processing. From a unique plant make various jewelry in the form of earrings, beads and bracelets.

Juniper is a prickly plant. Needles (needles) protect the tree from cats and large birds. In addition, they contain essential oils with a mass of useful substances that effectively fight microbes.

From the fruits of the plant make syrups, jelly, jelly and marmalade. They are also added to meat and fish to enhance the taste and aroma.

Types of juniper and features of its cultivation

This unpretentious plant is resistant to frost and hot weather. Juniper is undemanding to the fertile qualities of the soil and its moisture. It tolerates soil salinity well.

There is an opinion that junipers hardly take root in a new place. However, numerous examples of gardeners prove that the plant feels good on a personal plot and does not require special fertilizers.

Before decorating the garden with juniper, you should determine its appearance. The plant is large or small (dwarf), in the form of slender columns or lush bushes. All varieties of wood lend themselves well to shearing and are ideal for hedges.

The most popular and common types of juniper are:

Virginian (Juniperus virginiana);
Rocky (J. Scopulorum);
Common (J. communis);
Chinese (J. Chinensis);
Cossack (J. Sabina);
Medium (J. x media);
Scaly (J. Squamata).

In order for the plant to take root well and quickly in a new place, some points must be taken into account

For planting, it is better to choose biennial seedlings, which should be purchased in April or September.
Before planting, it is advisable to introduce sawdust into the soil; you can add pine needles.
For a newly planted juniper, a support is required, which is removed after a year.
During the first two weeks, the seedling must be sprayed in the morning and evening.
Throughout the season, juniper should be watered and its soil loosened.
So that at the end of winter the plant does not suffer from settling snow, a small canopy in the form of a hut should be installed over it.

Cut the plant with extreme caution, because it grows slowly. Juniper can be propagated by seeds or cuttings.

The evergreen shrub belongs to the group of centenarians. If the plant is in favorable conditions, it is able to live from 600 to 3000 years.

Juniper is a symbol of life. It helps to eliminate various ailments and slows down the aging process in the body.