Golden Acre Home & Garden Centre's Plant Library

Description:

A very interesting accent shrub featuring gray-green needle-like foliage on sprays of widely arching branches, wide growing; ideal for use as an accent groundcover in sunny dry locations, commonly used for bonsai

Ornamental Features

Shimpaku Juniper is a dwarf conifer which is primarily valued in the garden for its cascading habit of growth. It has attractive grayish green evergreen foliage. The scale-like sprays of foliage are highly ornamental and remain grayish green throughout the winter. It produces powder blue berries from late spring to late winter.

Landscape Attributes

Shimpaku Juniper is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a shapely form and gracefully arching branches. It lends an extremely fine and delicate texture to the landscape composition which should be used to full effect.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. Deer don't particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Shimpaku Juniper is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• General Garden Use
• Groundcover

Planting & Growing

Shimpaku Juniper will grow to be about 3 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 6 feet. It tends to fill out right to the ground and therefore doesn't necessarily require facer plants in front. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 40 years or more.

This shrub should only be grown in full sunlight. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist growing conditions, but will not tolerate any standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.