Shore juniper

Sun

Full sun; tolerates light shade but becomes less dense.

Water

Water regularly while establishing; established plants tolerate drought but dislike persistently wet roots.

Soil

Well-drained sandy, gravelly or loamy soil; tolerates poor soils and a range of pH levels. Avoid waterlogged clay.

Height

0.5-1.5 ft (0.15-0.45 m)

Spread

6-9 ft (1.8-2.7 m)

Foliage

Evergreen. Stiff, pointed green to blue-green needles in groups of three, each with a pale stripe on its upper surface. Foliage may bronze in cold weather; female plants can bear blue-black, berry-like cones.

Growth

Moderate, spreading mainly sideways.

Care needed

Low

• Deer resistant
• Drought tolerant
• Heat tolerant
• 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 (0.08 m)

2. After 1 year

   0.5 ft (0.17 m)

3. After 2 years

   0.8 ft (0.26 m)

4. After 3 years

   1 ft (0.3 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

• Water deeply during dry spells in the first growing season, letting the soil surface dry between waterings.
• Plant with the root flare at soil level and choose a site where water drains freely.
• Allow room for its mature spread rather than planting close to paths or small shrubs.
• Keep a thin layer of gravel or organic mulch between young plants, clear of their stems.
• Avoid routine heavy feeding; apply a light, balanced feed in spring only if growth is weak and soil is poor.

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

Spring

Plant when the ground is workable, water thoroughly and check that the root flare remains exposed.

Late spring

Remove winter-damaged growth and lightly trim shoots that are reaching paths.

Summer

Water newly planted junipers during dry spells; check browning foliage for mites or drainage problems.

Late summer

Take semi-ripe cuttings from healthy shoots if you want more plants.

Autumn

Clear fallen leaves from the foliage and water before freezing weather if the soil is dry.

Winter

Keep de-icing salt runoff away from the roots and avoid walking on frozen branches.

• Cover sunny slopes with a low evergreen carpet that helps protect the soil once established.
• Let branches trail over retaining walls or soften the edges of raised beds.
• Use in coastal gravel gardens with ornamental grasses and other salt-tolerant plants.
• Plant beneath widely spaced upright conifers for contrasting forms and year-round structure.
• Replace lawn in sunny, well-drained areas that do not need foot traffic.

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

Plant it with: Sea thrift, Lavender, Blue fescue, Creeping phlox, Russian sage and Mugo pine.

Wildlife: Dense branches provide low shelter for birds and small animals. Birds may eat the fleshy cones on female plants; the wind-pollinated flowers offer little value to nectar-feeding insects.

• Root rot in wet soil: improve drainage or move the plant; avoid frequent watering and sites with standing winter water.
• Juniper tip blight: prune out dead shoot tips in dry weather, clean tools between cuts and avoid overhead watering.
• Spider mites in hot, dry conditions: check for fine webbing and stippled needles; rinse foliage thoroughly and use a labelled treatment if an infestation persists.
• Brown, bare centres after shading or hard pruning: keep surrounding plants from crowding it and prune only into leafy growth; replace badly bare plants.

Do not eat the needles or berry-like cones, or use them as culinary juniper. Juniper foliage and cones contain oils that can cause stomach upset in people, cats and dogs if eaten; larger amounts may cause more serious illness. Toxicity to horses is not well documented for this subspecies, so keep it out of grazing areas. Prickly foliage and sap can irritate skin.

• Creeping juniper (Juniperus horizontalis)

  Usually has small, overlapping scale-like adult leaves rather than shore juniper's conspicuous, stiff needles in groups of three.

• Common juniper (Juniperus communis)

  Also has needles in groups of three with a pale stripe, so low forms can be difficult to distinguish. Shore juniper generally has longer needles and larger fleshy cones;

• Temple juniper (Juniperus rigida)

  The typical tree form develops an upright trunk and drooping branchlets, unlike the low, spreading shore subspecies; their needle foliage is very similar.

The common name refers to its coastal habitat, while the Latin conferta means crowded, referring to its densely arranged foliage.

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 is slow and unpredictable, and seedlings will not reliably match a named cultivar.

Accepted botanical name

Juniperus rigida conferta

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