Taylor juniper

Sun

Full sun; shade makes the growth thinner and less upright.

Water

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

Soil

Well-drained sandy, loamy or clay soil, including alkaline and relatively poor soils. Not suitable for waterlogged ground.

Height

15-25 ft (4.6-7.6 m), sometimes taller with age

Spread

3-5 ft (0.9-1.5 m)

Foliage

Evergreen. Dense blue-green, mostly scale-like foliage on tightly upright branches; may turn bronze or purplish in cold weather.

Growth

Moderate, often 1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m) a year when young and well established.

Care needed

Low

• Deer resistant
• Drought tolerant
• Cold hardy
• 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

   7 ft (2 m)

2. After 1 year

   7 ft (2.2 m)

3. After 2 years

   8 ft (2.4 m)

4. After 3 years

   9 ft (2.6 m)

5. After 5 years

   10 ft (3 m)

About 20 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

Mildly toxic: may upset a stomach

Native to

the US and Canada

Growth rate

Moderate

• Plant with the root flare at soil level, leaving enough space for the mature width.
• Water deeply during dry spells for the first two growing seasons; let the soil begin to dry between waterings.
• Apply 2-3 in (5-8 cm) of mulch over the root area, keeping it clear of the trunk.
• Do not routinely fertilize; feed lightly in spring only if growth is poor and a soil test indicates a deficiency.
• Stake only if the root ball moves in wind, using flexible ties and removing the support once roots hold it firmly.

Pruning. Usually needs little pruning; remove dead, damaged or competing upright stems in late winter or early spring. Shorten stray shoots only into leafy growth, because bare old wood rarely produces new shoots.

Late winter

Remove broken branches and check for stems pulled apart by snow; do not knock ice from frozen branches.

Spring

Plant when the ground is workable, water thoroughly and renew mulch without covering the trunk base.

Late spring

Check for orange rust growths and browning shoot tips; remove affected growth during dry weather.

Summer

Water young trees during dry spells and inspect for bagworms or fine mite webbing.

Autumn

Water thoroughly before the ground freezes if autumn has been dry, especially for recently planted trees.

• Plant in a row for a narrow evergreen screen, allowing room for each tree's mature width.
• Use matching specimens to frame an entrance or mark the ends of a path.
• Add vertical structure behind ornamental grasses and sun-loving perennials.
• Use as an evergreen focal point in a gravel garden or small formal border.

Garden styles it suits: Architectural minimal, Formal, Contemporary minimal, Small-space, Low-maintenance and Winter interest.

Plant it with: Little bluestem, Purple coneflower, Black-eyed Susan, Catmint, Russian sage and Stonecrop.

Wildlife: Dense evergreen branches provide shelter and nesting cover for birds. The species supports juniper-feeding insects, and female trees can produce berry-like cones eaten by birds; do not rely on this cultivar for a substantial cone crop.

• Cedar-apple rust: swollen twig galls develop orange gelatinous horns in wet spring weather. Remove accessible galls before they release spores; nearby susceptible apples and crabapples may suffer more serious damage.
• Bagworms: caterpillars carry hanging bags made from foliage and can strip branches. Hand-pick bags before eggs hatch, or treat very young larvae with an appropriately labelled product.
• Spider mites: foliage becomes stippled, dull or brown, especially in hot, dusty conditions. Check by tapping a branch over white paper; rinse foliage and use a labelled horticultural oil if needed.
• Root rot and decline in wet soil: improve drainage or move the tree to a better-drained site. Extra watering or fertilizer will not correct oxygen-starved roots.

Not a culinary juniper. Foliage, berry-like cones and especially concentrated oils can cause digestive upset if swallowed by people, cats or dogs; foliage may also irritate sensitive skin. Horse-specific toxicity information is limited, so prevent browsing and do not put prunings in paddocks.

Where it spreads. The species spreads aggressively into grasslands in parts of the central United States, particularly the Great Plains, including Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas, where fire is excluded. This is native woody encroachment rather than a non-native invasion; seed-producing garden trees can contribute.

• Brodie eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana 'Brodie')

  Usually forms a broader column with greener foliage. Young plants can be difficult to distinguish reliably without a label.

• Skyrocket juniper (Juniperus scopulorum 'Skyrocket')

  Also very narrow, but usually has more distinctly silvery-blue foliage. Colour overlaps, so nursery identification is more reliable than shape alone.

• Italian cypress (Cupressus sempervirens)

  Typically has darker green foliage and rounded, woody cones rather than the small, berry-like cones of junipers; it is also much less cold-hardy.

The cultivar name refers to Taylor, Nebraska, where the original narrow-growing tree was discovered.

Propagation. Propagate by semi-ripe cuttings, usually with rooting hormone under controlled nursery conditions. Seedlings do not reliably retain the narrow form of 'Taylor'.

Accepted botanical name

Juniperus virginiana

In the US and Canada

Native in Canada and the lower 48 states.

Native range

Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Kansas.

Measured

Soil pH 4.7 to 8. Average height 820 cm.

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