Savin juniper 'Tamariscifolia'

Sun

Full sun; tolerates light shade but becomes less dense.

Water

Water regularly while establishing; drought-tolerant once rooted. Avoid persistently wet soil.

Soil

Well-drained sandy, gravelly or loamy soil, including chalky and moderately poor soils. Tolerates a broad pH range but struggles in waterlogged clay.

Height

2-3 ft (0.6-0.9 m)

Spread

6-10 ft (1.8-3 m)

Foliage

Evergreen. Fine, aromatic, grey-green to blue-green foliage on spreading, slightly ascending branches; both scale-like and prickly juvenile leaves may occur.

Growth

Slow to moderate.

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

   1.6 ft (0.5 m)

2. After 1 year

   1.8 ft (0.54 m)

3. After 2 years

   1.9 ft (0.58 m)

4. After 3 years

   2 ft (0.62 m)

5. After 5 years

   2.3 ft (0.69 m)

About 7 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

Slow

• Water deeply during dry spells for the first one or two growing seasons, letting the soil surface dry between waterings.
• Plant with the root flare at soil level, away from places where winter water collects.
• Apply a thin mulch over the root area, keeping it clear of the stems; gravel suits dry sites.
• Do not feed routinely; use a light spring application of balanced fertiliser only if growth is weak on very poor soil.
• Allow its full spread rather than relying on repeated trimming to contain it.

Pruning. Remove dead or damaged branches in late winter or early spring. If shaping is necessary, shorten selected shoots back to a leafy side branch; do not cut into bare old wood, which rarely regrows.

Early spring

Inspect for winter damage and remove dead branches back to healthy growth.

Spring

Plant in well-drained ground and water thoroughly; spring planting is safest in very cold regions.

Late spring

Check for brown shoot tips and orange, jelly-like rust growths after wet weather.

Summer

Water young plants during prolonged dry spells and check dusty foliage for spider mites.

Autumn

Clear fallen leaves from the branches and check that nearby drains and runoff routes remain open.

Late autumn

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

• Cover sunny banks with broad, overlapping drifts to reduce exposed soil once established.
• Plant among large rocks and gravel, where its layered branches soften hard edges.
• Use at the front of spacious shrub borders for a low evergreen framework beneath taller deciduous plants.
• Pair with upright conifers and drought-tolerant flowering perennials for contrasting shapes and textures.

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

Plant it with: Lavender, Catmint, Russian sage, Yarrow, Blue fescue and Mugo pine.

Wildlife: Dense evergreen branches provide shelter for small birds and invertebrates. Female plants may bear berry-like cones eaten by birds, but cone production should not be assumed for every planting.

• Root rot in wet ground: improve drainage before planting, avoid frequent irrigation and replace badly affected plants rather than replanting into the same wet conditions.
• Juniper tip blight: prune out dead shoot tips in dry weather, disinfect tools between affected plants and avoid overhead watering.
• Spider mites in hot, dry conditions: look for fine webbing and stippled foliage; rinse foliage thoroughly with water and use a labelled horticultural soap if needed.
• Pear-juniper rust: orange, jelly-like growths can develop on infected branches in spring. Remove affected branches where practical; this juniper can host European pear rust, so avoid planting it near pears where that disease is established.

Toxic to people, cats, dogs and horses if eaten. All parts, including the foliage and berry-like cones, contain harmful compounds; ingestion can cause severe digestive upset and potentially serious kidney or other organ injury. Concentrated savin oil is especially dangerous. Sap and foliage may irritate skin, so wear gloves when pruning; never use this plant as a culinary substitute for common juniper.

• Creeping juniper (Juniperus horizontalis)

  Usually forms a flatter, ground-hugging mat with long trailing branches; 'Tamariscifolia' develops a more raised, layered framework. Cultivars vary, so habit alone is not always conclusive.

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

  Has conspicuously sharp, needle-like, silvery-blue leaves throughout, rather than the mixture of fine scale-like and juvenile foliage found on 'Tamariscifolia'.

Juniperus is the Latin name for juniper, sabina refers to the ancient Sabine region of Italy, and 'Tamariscifolia' means tamarisk-leaved.

Propagation. Take semi-ripe cuttings with a small heel of older wood in late summer or early autumn and root in a free-draining medium. 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.