Blue Heaven Juniper Juniperus scopulorum 'Blue Heaven'
- Phonetic Spelling
- jew-NIP-er-us skop-yew-LOR-um
- Description
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'Blue Heaven' Juniper is a needled-evergreen tree, a cultivar of J. scopulorum. Its vertical habit makes it a great selection for a small garden area or for placing several in a row to serve as a screen or sound barrier. Cone production is heavy.
'Blue Heaven' is best grown in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun. It prefers dry, sandy soils with good drainage, but will tolerate a wide range of soil types as long as they are not wet. This cultivar's parent tree is a native of western North America and can be found growing in dry, rocky foothills at higher elevations; like its parent, 'Blue Heaven' is generally intolerant of the hot and humid growing conditions of the deep South.
'Blue Heaven' is typically grown for its beautiful silver-blue foliage. Its ability to tolerate poor soil, heat, and drought make it a go-to selection. Its vertical habit makes it a great selection for a small garden area or for placing several in a row to serve as a screen or sound barrier.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems:
Wear gloves when handling to avoid skin irritation. Junipers are susceptible to blights and root rot, particularly under wet conditions. Phomopsis twig blight is of particular concern. Rust diseases spend part of their life cycle on junipers. Occasional insect pests include aphids, bagworms, twig borers, webworms and scale. Watch for spider mites.
The Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center has a factsheet on common juniper diseases and insect pests.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Cultivars / Varieties:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Juniperus
- Species:
- scopulorum
- Family:
- Cupressaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Play Value:
- Colorful
- Screening
- Sound
- Textural
- Wind Break
- Dimensions:
- Height: 10 ft. 0 in. - 20 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 5 ft. 0 in. - 10 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Shrub
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Needled Evergreen
- Habit/Form:
- Ascending
- Columnar
- Conical
- Erect
- Pyramidal
- Growth Rate:
- Medium
- Maintenance:
- Low
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Soil Texture:
- Shallow Rocky
- Soil pH:
- Alkaline (>8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Available Space To Plant:
- 6-feet-12 feet
- 12-24 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Blue
- Fruit Description:
- Heavy cone production. The seed cones are berry-like, dark blue with a pale blue-white waxy bloom, and contain two seeds that mature in about 18 months. The pollen cones shed their pollen in early spring
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Flowers:
- Flower Description:
- Conifers do not have flowers.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Needled Evergreen
- Leaf Color:
- Blue
- Green
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Leaf Type:
- Needles
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Opposite
- Whorled
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Description:
- Silver-blue, evergreen foliage arranged in opposite decussate pairs, or occasionally in whorls of three; the adult leaves are scale-like while the juvenile leaves (on young seedlings only) are needle-like.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Dark Brown
- Surface/Attachment:
- Exfoliating
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Slope/Bank
- Vertical Spaces
- Design Feature:
- Accent
- Barrier
- Border
- Hedge
- Mass Planting
- Screen/Privacy
- Specimen
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Drought
- Dry Soil
- Erosion
- Pollution
- Poor Soil