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Try growing junipers near retaining walls or in rock gardens as ground cover. Prepare the soil and plant. Dig a small hole in the soil that is roughly twice the size of your juniper plant’s root ball. Carefully remove your creeping juniper from its pot and gently knead the root ball to prepare it for planting.
How far apart should you plant juniper ground cover?
conferta) is a favorite groundcover, which should be planted 5 to 6 feet apart. Plants grow 12 to 18 inches high with a 6- to 8-foot spread.
How fast does juniper ground cover grow?
Most will spread about eight feet. Some extend to 10 feet or more. If they are in a container or on a ledge, they will continue growing and “cascade” over the side. Creeping junipers usually expand their width by one to two feet each year.
When should you plant junipers?
Plant container-grown junipers any time of year. Shrubs with balled and burlaped roots are best planted in fall. Dig the planting hole as deep as the root ball and two to three times wider. Set the shrub in the hole so the soil line on the stem is even with the surrounding soil.
How quickly does ground cover spread?
Some ground cover plants spread more quickly and can cover a 2-foot area in as little as a year. Others can take up to 2 years before they’ll start to spread. It just depends on the particular plant, where it’s planted, and whether or not the plant is appropriate for your area.
How do you plant junipers?
Junipers are usually planted from nursery-grown containers, although larger specimens may be available as ball-and-burlap plants. Dig a hole roughly 1.5 times the width and the same depth as the pot. Gently remove the plant from its pot. Check the outside and bottom of the root ball for circling roots.
How do you dig up a juniper ground cover?
Dig down near each root on a shoot with a pickax to loosen the soil. The roots may be as deep as 5 inches from the surface. Grasp each shoot and pull it from the ground when all of the roots are exposed. Remove each shoot in the same manner on each plant.
Is juniper easy to grow?
Juniper is low maintenance and easy to grow. The plants need full sun and a well drained soil. These drought tolerant plants do not like wet soil. They can suffer, if over watered.
How do you care for a juniper ground cover?
Juniper shrubs are tolerant of most soil conditions, but they need a well-drained soil for optimal growth. If you leave the soil moist, they’ll start to rot out from the roots, and die a quick death. This is especially important when growing juniper in containers.
Do junipers need a lot of water?
Watering. Evergreen junipers are extremely drought tolerant and prefer their soil on the dry side. Junipers need weekly watering for the first summer to develop an extensive root system. After the first summer, most junipers can rely on natural rainfall and fog for moisture.
How do you fertilize junipers?
Fertilize the juniper annually in early spring with a complete, slow-release fertilizer with a formulation such as 12-4-8 or 16-4-8. Spread the fertilizer evenly around the juniper at a rate of 1/2 pound per 100 square feet just before it rains or water it thoroughly after applying the fertilizer.
What type of soil do junipers prefer?
Junipers prefer open, sunny locations in well-drained soils. They will tolerate a wide range of pH levels. They are very tolerant of dry, clay soils and many varieties will grow in sand. Some types, such as Sargent juniper and Shore juniper have shown good salt tolerance.
How do you keep weeds out of junipers?
Sethoxydim, fluazifop and clethodim are all effective treatments for unwanted grasses and are safe for use around juniper. Broadleaf weeds can be controlled safely using halosulfuron or imazaquin. Apply postemergent treatments according to the package directions as frequently as needed and recommended to control weeds.
How do you ground cover a slope?
Do not till steep slopes, because loose soil can lead to even more erosion. Instead, after removing weeds dig a hole for each plant the same depth as the plant’s root ball and twice as wide. Center the plant in the hole and fill with good potting soil that contains an all-purpose fertilizer.
How far apart should I plant ground cover plants?
As a general rule of thumb, most groundcovers do well when spaced 12 to 24 inches (31-61 cm.) apart, but when it comes to figuring the distance between groundcover plants, it’s important to consider the growth habits of the particular plant and how quickly you want to fill the space.
How do I prepare soil for ground cover?
Step 2: Prepare Soil Before planting groundcovers, remove any weeds or turf grasses. If the area was in lawn previously use a sharp spade to remove the grass, roots and all. Then improve the soil by adding as much organic matter as possible (compost, rotted manure, shredded leaves).
How tall are creeping junipers?
Creeping Juniper is a native low-growing shrub that grows up to 1.5 feet high and branches can spread to form a dense mat up to 10 feet wide.
What can I plant with juniper ground cover?
Bamboo species, particularly dwarf bamboo plants, are also good choices for juniper companion plants. Tall bamboo mixes well with tall junipers, while groundcover juniper blends seamlessly with dwarf bamboo. As previously stated, nearly any plant sharing similar growing conditions works well with juniper.
How do you keep junipers healthy?
Junipers need air flow to avoid fungal disorders, so cleaning up around the shrubs and pruning out any dead wood is important. It is also important to keep branches dry during warmer weather, so avoid overhead water or watering too often during the summer.
What is the difference between juniper and cedar?
Eastern Red Cedar is very closely related to the Common Juniper, in fact they are in the same genus. The key obvious difference is that Juniper seldom grows as a tree, whereas Red Cedar nearly always does.
