What Are Junipers?

Characteristics

• Junipers are slow- to moderate-growing evergreens that produce fleshy blue or purple berries. Junipers' needles are soft and scaly or prickly and pine-like. Generally, the foliage is sharper and more prickly on young trees, becoming softer and flattened with age. The foliage ranges among various shades of grey, green and blue. Hundreds of varieties are available in a many sizes and shapes.

Types

• The smallest junipers are ground cover types, such as creeping juniper and Blue Pacific Chinese juniper, which rarely exceeds 1 foot in height but can spread 5 feet or more. Other junipers are shrubs that grow between 4 and 10 feet tall. These include Arcadia savin juniper and Armstrong Chinese Juniper. Tree types, such as Rocky Mountain Juniper, can reach 10 to 30 feet tall.

Climate & Conditions

• Junipers can adapt to a wide range of soil types, but they fare best in moist, well-drained soils with a near neutral pH. According to the Virginia Cooperative Extension, junipers are better suited to dry, poor-quality soils than other evergreens. Ample sunlight is essential. Junipers do not grow well in excessively wet or shady sites.

Considerations

• Junipers are available for virtually any climate in the U.S., but all junipers are not suited to all areas. If you are planning on adding some of these plants to your landscape, talk with a local expert and consult with a U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zone map to help you decide which varieties of juniper are just right for the conditions in your backyard.