Flaky Juniper 'Blue Star' Juniperus squamata 'Blue Star'

'Blue Star' Singleseed Juniper is a cultivar that is a dwarf conifer, an evergreen, and slow-growing shrub that may reach from 1 to 3 feet tall and 1 to 4 feet wide. The shrub forms a compact, dense mound. The leaves are blue-gray, awl-shaped needles with a white band that overlap and are densely arranged in whorls of three. The fruits are bluish-berry-like seed cones.

This cultivar was introduced in 1964 in the Netherlands. It originated as a "witch's broom" on another cultivar 'Meyeri' of the same species.

The genus name, Juniperus, is Latin for juniper. The specific epithet, squamata, refers to the shrub's scaly bark. This cultivar is commonly called the singleseed juniper because the female berry-like seed cone only produces a single seed. 

This evergreen shrub prefers full sun and moist to well-drained soils. It tolerates a variety of soils including poor soils, dry soils, and sandy soils. It is drought-tolerant and relatively tolerant of hot and humid conditions. It grows well in dry, sandy soils with good drainage, but it is intolerant to wet soils. This shrub requires very little maintenance and usually, no pruning.

The 'Blue Star' Singleseed Juniper cultivar is a great selection as a foundation plant, for rock gardens, specimens, or planted in mass as a ground cover.

Quick ID Hints:

• evergreen, compact shrub with a dense habit
• blue-gray, awl-shaped needles with a white band that overlapped and appear in whorls of three
• the fruit is a blue-berry like female seed cone that contains one seed
• scaly bark

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: 'Blue Star' Singleseed Juniper has no serious insect or disease problems. In rainy or wet springs, it may be susceptible to twig blight. Other diseases include root rot, cedar-apple rust, and other rust diseases. Potential insects include aphids, bagworms, twig borers, webworms, scale, and spider mites. 

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

VIDEO created by Andy Pulte for “Landscape Plant Identification, Taxonomy, and Morphology” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee.