Calgary Carpet juniper

Sun

Full sun; growth becomes thinner in shade.

Water

Water regularly while establishing. Once rooted, it tolerates drought and usually needs extra water only during prolonged dry spells.

Soil

Well-drained sandy, gravelly or loamy soil, including moderately alkaline soil. Avoid waterlogged ground and heavy clay that stays wet.

Height

0.5-1 ft (0.15-0.3 m)

Spread

6-10 ft (1.8-3 m)

Foliage

Fine-textured, predominantly scale-like green foliage on low, spreading branches; evergreen through winter.

Growth

Moderate; allow several years to develop a broad, continuous carpet.

Care needed

Low

• Deer resistant
• Drought tolerant
• Cold hardy
• Wildlife

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Very tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   0.2 ft (0.06 m)

2. After 1 year

   0.4 ft (0.12 m)

3. After 2 years

   0.6 ft (0.19 m)

4. After 3 years

   0.7 ft (0.22 m)

   full size

About 3 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Toxic

Growth rate

Moderate

• Plant with the top of the root ball level with the surrounding soil, allowing room for its full spread.
• Water deeply when the root ball starts to dry during the first growing season; do not keep it constantly wet.
• Keep weeds out while plants fill in, using a thin mulch layer without burying stems or the crown.
• Avoid routine feeding; use a light application of balanced slow-release fertiliser in spring only if growth is weak and soil is poor.
• Keep lawn sprinklers from repeatedly soaking the foliage and soil beneath established plants.

Pruning. In spring, remove dead or damaged branches and shorten stray shoots back to a leafy side branch. Do not shear heavily or cut into bare old wood, which usually will not regrow.

Spring

Plant when soil is workable and drains freely; water thoroughly after planting.

Spring

Remove winter-damaged branches and check that mulch has not covered the crown.

Early summer

Weed between spreading branches before weeds become established.

Summer

Check new plants during dry weather and water deeply when needed.

Autumn

Clear fallen leaves from the foliage so they do not trap moisture.

Late autumn

In cold regions, water before the ground freezes if autumn has been dry.

• Plant across sunny banks to create a low evergreen cover and reduce exposed soil once established.
• Let branches spread around boulders in rock or gravel gardens for a soft contrast to stone.
• Use beneath widely spaced upright conifers, keeping it outside their deepest shade.
• Place along the top of a low retaining wall where its branches can soften the edge.

Garden styles it suits: Low-maintenance, Dry gravel garden, Desert / xeriscape, Winter interest, Alpine rock garden and Japanese.

Plant it with: Creeping phlox, Candytuft, Blue fescue, Catmint, Stonecrop and Dwarf mugo pine.

Wildlife: The dense evergreen branches provide low shelter for small birds and other small animals. It is wind-pollinated and offers little value to nectar-feeding insects.

• Root rot in wet soil: improve drainage or move the plant to a raised, freely draining position; watering less will not correct a persistently waterlogged site.
• Juniper tip blight: prune out browned shoot tips in dry weather, clean tools between cuts and avoid overhead watering.
• Spider mites in hot, dry weather: check stippled foliage for mites, rinse affected foliage and use a labelled horticultural oil if needed, following temperature restrictions.
• Winter browning from frozen soil and drying winds: water during dry autumn weather and protect newly planted specimens from exposed winter winds.

Savin juniper is toxic to people, cats, dogs and horses if eaten. Foliage, shoots and berry-like cones contain toxic oils; substantial ingestion can cause serious digestive and kidney injury. Sap and foliage may also irritate skin. Do not use any part as food or as a substitute for culinary juniper berries.

• Tamarisk juniper (Juniperus sabina 'Tamariscifolia')

  Usually forms a taller, more mounded shrub with ascending branchlets rather than Calgary Carpet's low, broad mat.

• Blue Chip creeping juniper (Juniperus horizontalis 'Blue Chip')

  Has distinctly blue-grey foliage, often with purple winter tones, rather than Calgary Carpet's greener foliage.

• Blue Carpet juniper (Juniperus squamata 'Blue Carpet')

  Has conspicuously blue, pointed, prickly needle-like leaves rather than predominantly scale-like green foliage.

The species name sabina refers to the Sabine region and people of ancient Italy.

Propagation. Take semi-ripe cuttings in late summer and root them in a freely draining medium under humid conditions. Low branches can also be layered; seed will not reliably reproduce the cultivar.

Accepted botanical name

Juniperus sabina

In the US and Canada

Introduced in Canada and the lower 48 states.

Native range

Albania, Algeria, Altay, Amur, Austria, Bulgaria, China North-Central, Chita, Czechoslovakia, East European Russia, France and Germany.

Measured

Average height 53 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.