Juniperus horizontalis

Common Name(s):

Creeping Juniper

Phonetic Spelling

jew-NIP-er-us hor-ih-zon-TAL-iss

Description

Creeping juniper is a low-growing, needled evergreen shrub in the Cupressaceae (cypress) family. It is a native of North America, found throughout Canada and the northern part of the United States from Maine west to Montana and in Alaska. Both its species and common names refer to the tendency of its long, trailing branches to spread much farther horizontally than it grows vertically.

Usually found growing in rocky or sandy soils from rocky outcrops to streams, this shrub is fairly adaptable to various soil types and pH as long as the soil is well drained. It is drought and deer tolerant, fairly salt tolerant, and grows well in coastal conditions.. It prefers full sun and tolerates hot weather, moderately poor soils, and many air pollutants found in urban areas. Creeping juniper grows up to 1.5 feet high, and branches can spread to form a dense mat up to 10 feet wide. Plant 6 to 12 feet apart.

Creeping juniper has green or blue-green, scale-like foliage that may take on a purplish tinge in winter. It produces small, round, blue, berry-like cones.

There are many cultivars available for use as a ground cover on slopes, where it can help control soil erosion, or in retaining walls or rock gardens.

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Creeping juniper and its cultivars are susceptible to infestation by aphids, bagworms, caterpillars, false spider mites, juniper scale, juniper tip mite, juniper webworm, and spruce spider mites.This shrub and its cultivars are susceptible to Cercospora needle blight, Phomopsis and other blights, and some fungal diseases. It shares with apple trees a susceptibility to a rust fungus called Gymnosporangium juniperi - virginianae. This fungus causes "cedar apples" on juniper twigs and dark leaf spots on apple leaves.

The Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center has a factsheet on common juniper diseases and insect pests.

VIDEO Created by Elizabeth Meyer for "Trees, Shrubs and Conifers" a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens.

Profile Video:

See this plant in the following landscapes:

Entrance Statement, Fescue Grass Shaded Patio Garden Asian Garden- Pathway

Cultivars / Varieties:

'Andorra'

Light green foliage, purple-tinged in winter

'Bar Harbor'

Very small, tightly appressed, awl-shaped scale-like leaves

'Blue Chip'

Silver-blue-green foliage all year, purplish tips in winter

'Blue Forest'

Blue-green branch tips turn up

'Blue Pacific'

'Blue Rug'

Dense, trailing, creeping form

'Lime Glow'

Upright mound to v-shaped

'Maiden Gold'

'Mother Lode'

Flat pancake form

'Plumosa'
'Plumosa Compacta'
Blue-green foliage turns purple in winter

'Wiltonii'

Branches are long and floppy, forming dense mats, grown as a groundcover

'Youngstown'

'Andorra', 'Bar Harbor', 'Blue Chip', 'Blue Forest', 'Blue Pacific', 'Blue Rug', 'Lime Glow', 'Maiden Gold', 'Mother Lode', 'Plumosa', 'Plumosa Compacta', 'Wiltonii', 'Youngstown'

Tags:

#evergreen #full sun tolerant #heat tolerant #drought tolerant #small shrub #salt tolerant #slopes #tsc #air pollution tolerant #erosion control #spreading #deer resistant #groundcover #rock garden #urban conditions tolerant #sandy soils tolerant #rocky soils tolerant #tsc-cg #coastal plant #landscape plant sleuths course

Leaves and stem Forest and Kim Starr CC BY 3.0

'Blue Pacific', habit, Wake County, NC Cathy Dewitt CC BY 4.0

close-up of 'Blue Pacific', Wake County, NC Cathy Dewitt CC BY 4.0