Habitat

• hardy to zone 4
• native to Japan

Habit and Form

• a dwarf, evergreen shrub
• 8" to 12" tall, sometimes 2' high
• up to 15' wide
• stiff, wide-spreading branches
• ascending branch tips
• slow growth rate
• medium to coarse texture

Summer Foliage

• evergreen needle-like leaves
• found in 3's
• pointed apex, concave
• bluish underside with 2 white dots at base
• bluish green leaf color

Autumn Foliage

• evergreen, no fall color

Flowers

• dioecious
• no ornamental value

Fruit

• small cones
• 0.33" in diameter

Bark

• not ornamentally important

Culture

• easily transplanted
• adaptable to most conditions
• full sun
• pH adaptable

Landscape Use

• groundcover
• border
• rock garden
• mass plantings

Liabilities

• Juniper blight and spider mites do cause some problems
• Phomopsis
• not many serious problems

ID Features

• two types of leaves present
• needles pointed, concave
• ascending branches
• blue-green summer color
• spreading growth habit

Propagation

• by cuttings

Cultivars/Varieties

'Greenmound' - This form is a low groundcover reaching 8" tall and 6' wide. The foliage is a fresh light green color.

'Nana' - One of the finest groundcover junipers, this old favorite grows similar to the species, but is more dwarfed. Plants appear as a neat, mounded mat of small branchlets 2' tall and up to 10' wide. The plant mounds on itself with age and develops a slight purple cast in winter.

'Variegata' - This type is similar to the other cultivars, but it features foliage streaked with creamy coloring.