Juniper is an evergreen shrub that surprises with a variety of species and varieties. Coastal juniper is a kind of coniferous plant with high aesthetic value that many gardeners dream to grow on their own plot. The article will discuss the varieties of the mentioned species and the rules for their cultivation.
Botanical Description
The coastal juniper was first discovered in 1913 by the Italian botanist F. Parlatore. Plants form dense thickets on the coasts and dunes. Landings of this coniferous breed can be found on Sakhalin Island. Typical representatives of the species are bushes up to 45 cm high and 3 m in diameter. The crown grows, spreading on the ground, in the form of lying shoots. It is thick and has a shape resembling a pillow.
The needles are very thick, needle-like, twisted at the tips. Its length is about 2.5 cm, and the color is gray-white or gray-green.
Initially, the bark on the shoots is brown with a red tint, in adult specimens the color changes to gray-brown. Cones are represented by dark brown or black ovoid berries. Their length is 1.2 cm. Seeds can be oval and flat. Cones on the shrub ripen not simultaneously, but gradually, and each has 3 seeds.
Varieties of coastal juniper
Coastal juniper is represented by a wide variety of varieties. Each in its own way is unique, and has its own characteristics of care. To decorate your site with juniper, you need to know the main characteristics of varietal plants.
Did you know? Juniper can be found in literary sources under a different name — Archa.
Hlyager (Juniperus communis Schlager)
The Schlyager cultivar can be characterized as a ground cover shrub about 30 cm high and about 2.5 m wide. The needles are represented by long, prickly green needles. On the inside of the needles a strip of silver is noticeable. A feature of the variety is its unpretentiousness to moisture and soil composition. Most often, these shrubs are used to decorate rock gardens and areas with rocky soil structure.
Golden Wings (Golden Wings)
The height of specimens of Golden Wings by 10 years is only 0.2-0.3 m, and the crown diameter is not more than 1 m. Shrub does not grow more than 50 cm in height. Needles are characterized by moderately stiff needles. Its yellow-green hue with a golden tint gives this plant special visual value in landscape design. Shrubs have good resistance to frost.
Blue Pacific
The Blue Pacific variety has creeping shoot growth. Plants up to 30 cm tall can have a crown diameter of 200 cm. Needles needles, prickly, green with a blue tint. The variety is resistant to dry climate, grows in 5–9 frost hardiness zones.
Silver Mist
Silver Mist is a variety with a flat, blue crown. It is more dense than that of other varieties of coastal juniper. The height of the copies of Silver Mist is not more than 50 cm, and the diameter ranges from 80 to 90 cm. Shrubs add in growth quite quickly, relative to other species of juniper. On average, their growth is about 10 cm in height, and in width - 15–20 cm annually. The crown is uneven, and consists of skeletal branches, which tend to twist randomly. The color of the needles is blue or blue, with a silvery sheen. The shade of needles remains unchanged in any season of the year.
Emerald Sea
Shrubs of the Emerald C variety, vegetating, create a kind of carpet from their branches. It grows slowly, at 10 years old the plant height does not exceed 25 cm, and the width is 180 cm. The needles are green in color with a blue tint. The variety prefers to grow in sandy and sunny areas. A plant is well suited to strengthen slopes and slopes.
Breeding
Reproduction of coastal juniper is carried out in several ways:
- by seeds;
- layering;
- cuttings.
Important! Reproduction using seeds is rarely used because there is a risk of losing varietal traits.
Creeping varieties prefer to propagate by layering. This is the easiest way, because you don’t need to make special efforts to press the shoots to the ground. A branch with young shoots needs to be fixed with special studs to the surface of the soil. A new shoot will appear in six months. Unfortunately, with this method of propagation, the shape of the crown is rarely preserved.
In order to grow a full-fledged healthy plant, seeds need to be sown in October - November. Planting material must be freshly harvested. If more than 2 years have passed since its collection, then the likelihood that the bush will sprout is minimal. In order to get seeds, you need to collect and prepare the cones. They are considered mature when fully revealed. Sowing material should be removed from the cones, the hard shell should be removed and placed in a soil substrate to a depth of about 3 cm. The seed container should be left on the street for up to 120 days, if necessary, covered from the spring sun. The soil must remain porous and moist at all times. Reinforced seedlings will form only after 3-4 years.
To propagate the bush by the cuttings method, you need to select planting material - a stalk (from the side shoots) 12-14 cm long with a part of the wood ("heel"). It must be lowered for 3 hours in a growth simulator, and after that it should be planted in a soil mixture (sand and peat). For the cuttings to create a greenhouse effect and regularly maintain soil moisture. The root system will form within 50–90 days.
Coastal Juniper Care
Coastal juniper at home requires careful care and should consist of the following procedures:
- Watering and feeding.
- Loosening and mulching.
- Pruning.
Plants favorably apply to spraying the crown, which must be carried out in the hot summer.
Watering and feeding
Most varieties adapt well to drought, but require watering in the first years of life. Dry air can affect the appearance of needles. It turns yellow and falls. To prevent deterioration of the condition of the crown, sprinkling is performed.
You need to feed exclusively young specimens. For this, nitroammophoska is used in an amount of 50 g per 1 m². An excess of humus in the soil can lead to the loss of a typical crown shape in a plant.
Mulching and cultivation
Juniper seedlings need mulching. This agrotechnical procedure is needed in order to save moisture and heat at the root of the plant. It is necessary to mulch the near-stem circle using a layer of peat, sawdust or dry leaves. The layer of mulch should not be more than 10 cm. Loosening is carried out in order to make the soil permeable and remove weeds, which will ensure access of water and air to the root system.
Formation
Juniper well tolerates the above procedure. In a favorable climate and lighting, the crown grows evenly and does not require artificial formation. However, sometimes you have to resort to pruning branches. The best time for this is spring and autumn. The procedure should be carried out exclusively with clean garden tools, and wounds on the shrub should be treated with special solutions that are sold in any specialized store or nursery.
Winter preparations
Plants tolerate low temperatures well (up to -28 ° C). Usually adult specimens do not require special preparation for winter. The first 2 years after planting, shoots of coastal juniper can be protected from frost with agrofibre or cotton cloth.
Did you know? Juniper appeared on the planet about 50 million years ago. And in Ancient Greece and Egypt, its healing properties were used to treat warriors.
Pest and Disease Control
Most often, shrubs of the described species are attacked by aphids and scale insects. Dark spots appear on the needles, after which it begins to dry rapidly. To get rid of insects, you need to spray needles with drugs such as Confidor, Calypso, Atkara.
Among the diseases, rust is the most relevant. She stains the needles and branches in a red color. You can overcome rust by removing damaged sections of the bush. After the measures taken, the patient specimen requires treatment with immunostimulants, for example, “Immunocytophyte”, “Novosil”.
Important! Treatment with insecticides is carried out at intervals of 2 weeks 2-3 times per season.
Use in landscape design
A pleasant coniferous smell and a variety of shades of the crown are inherent in all junipers. It is these factors that attract experienced landscape designers and amateur gardeners. Juniper looks very nice in the alleys and in the form of edging paths. In landscape design, shrubs are used to create rockeries, alpine hills, floral and coniferous compositions. Coastal varieties are in perfect harmony in combination with thuja, fir and pine, onion flowers, for example, tulips or daffodils.
Coastal juniper is a great way to decorate an open space, regardless of soil nutrition. It is difficult to grow it, but it is quite possible, following the instructions for planting representatives of the species. And proper care guarantees the growth of a healthy and beautiful plant that others will admire.
