What Does a Blue Point Juniper Look Like?

Plant Size

• Blue Point juniper grows only 8 to 12 feet high with a width of about 8 feet, so it's suitable for both large and small yards. Given optimum climate and growing conditions, the tree can reach as much as 15 feet tall. Because Blue Point is short, it generally is not a problem around power lines. Blue Point makes a good topiary plant and also can be used for bonsai. The tree has fragrant foliage.

Growth Habit and Shape

• Blue Point juniper has a medium to fast growth rate, depending on cultivation and climate, and can grow as much as 12 inches per year. The tree's pyramidal, teardrop shape is perfect for decorating as an outdoor Christmas tree in winter. The trunk and main branches have shedding, gray-brown bark.

Foliage

• Grown mainly for its color, Blue Point juniper's immature leaves are small, prickly, green needles. The tree's foliage turns bluish-green as it matures, and is slightly flattened, diamond-shaped and scale-like. Trees often sport both types of foliage simultaneously. The mature branches produce short, stubby needles arranged in opposite pairs. Immature needles are pointed and one-third of an inch long, arranged in whorls. While the tree's overall foliage color is blue, you may find leaves in shades of green, gray, silvery blue or yellow woven through the foliage. When used as a specimen plant, its blue pyramid contrasts with green expanses of lawn.

Flowers and Fruit

• Blue Point produces small, uninteresting flowers in early spring. Male flowers and female flowers are sometimes produced on the same plant, though Blue Point junipers are mainly dioecious, which means only one sex of flower appears on the plant. Blue Point's male flowers are yellowish-brown to orangey-yellow while female flowers are dull greenish. The flowers are followed by rounded, berry-like cones that start out pale blue and gradually turn dark brown as they mature. The fruits are one-third to one-half inch in diameter.