When Does a Juniper Bloom?

Leaves and Flowers

• Although junipers can have different growth habits, depending on the species and cultivar, all are evergreens with similar leaves, or needles. When they first appear, juniper needles are wedge-shaped, have sharp points and grow in small clusters of two or three needles. As they mature, needles become diamond-shaped and arranged in overlapping, flat groups that resemble fish scales. Juniper flowers appear in the spring and are quite tiny, usually yellowish-white and inconspicuous. Although juniper flowers aren't showy, most juniper flowers produce dark blue, berry-like fruits or fleshy cones that attract birds and other wildlife.

Culture

• Most junipers grow and flower well in a spot that gets full sun, although a few varieties are tolerant of some shade. They are tough, adaptable plants that thrive in any type of garden soil, even if its fertility is low. Once well established, junipers tolerate dry conditions, or even drought, but they require well-drained soil and don't thrive in locations that tend to stay soggy and drain poorly. If your soil is high in clay and retains water for long periods, adding fine sand to your planting site can improve its drainage.

Trees

• Some junipers have a form that's mostly treelike, making them good choices for specimen planting or as part of a naturalized area. The ashe juniper (Juniperis ashei) is a native American tree that reaches a height of 35 to 40 feet when mature. It has tiny, whitish flowers in spring, followed by fleshy blue fruits that can be show. It grows in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 7 through 9. Another tree, often called the common juniper (Juniperus communis), grows as a medium-sized, 5- to-10-foot-tall tree in USDA zones 2 through 7. It has widely spreading branches and small yellow flowers in spring, followed by 1/2-inch-wide cones, each containing three bluish fruits that are used to flavor gin.

Shrubs

• Many junipers grow as shrubs or low-growing plants, some low enough make an evergreen groundcover. One of these, a cultivar of the common juniper called "Effusa" (Juniperus communis "Effusa"), is only 9 to 18 inches in height and spreads to become up to 6 feet wide. It has tiny, hard-to-see flowers that produce fleshy, berry-like, blue-black cones. It grows in USDA zones 2 through 7. The Chinese juniper (Juniperus chinensis) comes in many varieties, some growing as bushy shrubs while others are low, creeping plants that make good groundcovers. These plants also have tiny flowers that aren't easy to see, but produce fleshy, purple-brown cones at the end of the season. They grow in USDA zones 3 through 9.