December 2008 Plant of the Month - Juniper

Go for the Gold in Your Winter Landscape

Juniperus horizontalis ‘Gold Fever’ summer color (left) Download image

Juniperus horizontalis ''Gold Fever' winter color (right) Download image

 

Juniperus x media 'Daub's Frosted' Summer Color (left) Download image

Juniperus chinensis 'Gold Lace' Winter Color (right) Download image

A few years ago if you had told me I would be planting junipers at my home I would have said “you’re crazy.”  At that time I did not like junipers, based on what I saw in commercial landscapes. These were often the blue rug types and were usually over used and under maintained. I have since come to know, and currently grow many of the more colorful forms of juniper -both in my home landscape and in the UT Gardens in Jackson.  Juniperus chinensis 'Gold Lace' and Juniperus horizontalis 'Lime Glow' have become two of my absolute favorites.

Michael Dirr refers to Juniperus chinensis 'Gold Lace' as “the most golden of all junipers” in his 1998 addition of his Manual of Woody Landscape Plants.  It is indeed a beautiful, vibrant color.  The dense, compact, soft-textured foliage provides vivid color through all four seasons. It is often considered a Pfizer type but with a more compact and prostrate habit, typically growing 3-4' in height and 5-6' in spread in ten years.

Juniperus horizontalis 'Lime Glow's soft feathery foliage is an electric lime green in the summer.  Its winter color is difficult to describe, but picture incredible burnished coppery gold tones with hints of purple. The more exposure it has to the winter elements the more colorful it will be. I can’t decide which season I like it most. It provides year round striking contrast to other greens in the garden. ‘Lime Glow’ forms a flat-topped upright, somewhat boxy v-shaped mound reaching 1 ½ - 2’ tall and 3-5’ wide in ten years.  It is a branch sport from 'Youngstown'.

If you’re looking for a low growing golden form, Juniperus horizontalis ‘Mother Lode’ is the one. This slow-growing juniper hugs the ground, reaching only a few inches tall.  It looks exceptionally handsome cascading over a short retaining wall and complements most stonework. In the south it will sometimes burn in full sun.  A couple hours of afternoon shade will help prevent this. ‘Mother Lode’ was found at Iseli Nursery in 1982 as a sport on 'Wiltoni'.

Junipers require well-drained soil. Once established they can handle periods of drought with no problem. The color of 'Gold Lace’ and ‘Lime Glow’ shows best in full sun, but each plant will also grow in light shade. Both can easily be used as a specimen or a foundation or in a mass planting. They can also be featured in a large porch pot for winter interest and planted in the ground when spring arrives, or when they out-grow the pot. ‘Lime Glow’ and ‘Mother Lode’ are often found at nurseries in quart pots as part of the Iseli’s super cute Fanciful Gardens® Collection. At that size they work great in hypertufa troughs.  

If you need to trim your junipers, if possible do it prior to bud break in spring or shortly after the hardening off of new growth in the winter. The clippings also make good additions to a Christmas display.  Avoid pruning any plant late in the growing season so as not to promote new growth at a time when it can't harden off before winter freeze. To avoid the “meatball” look, selectively prune them with hand pruners not shears. Going into the plant's interior and removing the individual branches that are growing wayward keeps the plant looking soft and natural.

Juniperus horizontalis ‘Gold Fever’ from Iseli Juniperus chinensis ‘Saybrook Gold’ and Juniperus x media 'Daub's Frosted' are a couple of other fine golden junipers.  ‘Gold Fever’ is similar to ‘Lime Glow’ but needs afternoon shade in the south to prevent burning.  ‘Saybrook Gold’ is an older cultivar that is similar to ‘Gold Lace’ but larger and less gold.  ‘Daub’s Frosted’ produces yellow new growth that matures to a bluish green.

All the junipers in this article can be seen growing in both the UT Gardens in Knoxville and Jackson with the exception of ‘Gold Fever’, which can only be seen in Knoxville. You should find some of these locally, but don't be afraid to ask your nursery or garden center to carry them if they are not in stock. If you haven't tried junipers before, these are sure to win you over. With just a little care you can have gold in your garden.

Jason Reeves is an Ornamental Horticulture Research Associate with the UT AgResearch and Education Center in Jackson, Tennessee. He creates the various seasonal horticultural displays, conducts research on herbaceous and woody ornamentals, and supports various educational programs. The UT Gardens in Knoxville and Jackson are both open to the public. See http://utgardens.tennessee.edu/  and http://westtennessee.tennessee.edu/ornamentals/ for more information.

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Contact:
Jason Reeves, West Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center,
(731) 424-1643