Juniperus communis-Pasture juniper

Description

We native plant folks are always on our soapbox telling you “Don’t plant this, plant this! You don’t have to plant those non-native cultivar big box store junipers, you can plant one of our wonderful native ground covers, pasture juniper! Yes, it is a bit slow growing, but in a few years that bare piece of land will be covered in a luxurious, undulating sea of blue green tranquility. Pasture juniper rolls across the landscape like a carpet, providing habitat and food for all manner of animals. This species has male and female plants, our plants are unsexed. I often find this plant growing with lowbush blueberry or bearberry.

The cultural requirements (planting conditions) for this plant are very important. It is intolerant of rich, organic soils that are moisture retentive. It is adapted to what we would consider “poor” soils; soils that are low in organic matter and nutrients in general, moderately to quick draining. Overhead irrigation will cause foliar distress and disease, especially if in rich soils. Pasture juniper is tolerant of a wide range of light conditions as well, from full shade to full sun and everything in between. I commonly find it growing in the filtered light of deciduous and mixed conifer/deciduous forests. When growing in the shade the branches grow less densely than they do in the full sun. Needle density appears to be less in the shade than in the full sun.

15″-18″ high, 3 gallon pot size, $45 each