Lakeshore Garden Centres Plant Finder

Description:

A stunning small evergreen tree for home landscape use, featuring steel blue foliage which takes on a purplish tinge in winter; extremely adaptable and hardy; an excellent accent plant for entranceways or patios

Ornamental Features

Blue Rug Juniper (tree form) is primarily valued in the landscape or garden for its highly ornamental weeping form. It has attractive silvery blue evergreen foliage. The scale-like sprays of foliage are highly ornamental and turn plum purple in the fall, which persists throughout the winter. It produces blue berries from late spring to late winter. The rough gray bark adds an interesting dimension to the landscape.

Landscape Attributes

Blue Rug Juniper (tree form) is a dense evergreen tree with a strong central leader and a rounded form and gracefully weeping branches. It lends an extremely fine and delicate texture to the landscape composition which can make it a great accent feature on this basis alone.

This is a relatively low maintenance tree, 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.

Blue Rug Juniper (tree form) is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Blue Rug Juniper (tree form) will grow to be about 4 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 feet. It tends to be a little leggy, with a typical clearance of 2 feet from the ground. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 30 years.

This tree does best in full sun to partial shade. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist growing conditions, but will not tolerate any standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for xeriscaping or the moisture-conserving landscape. 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 selection of a native North American species.

Blue Rug Juniper (tree form) is a fine choice for the yard, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its height, it is often used as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden. Be aware that in our climate, most plants cannot be expected to survive the winter if left in containers outdoors, and this plant is no exception. Contact our experts for more information on how to protect it over the winter months.