Juniper

Juniper (Juniperus sp.)

Juniper has a long history with man. In the Bible's Old Testament, a Juniper with an angelic presence sheltered the prophet Elijah from Queen Jezebel's pursuit. Similarly a later apocryphal biblical tale tells of how the infant Jesus and his parents were hidden from King Herod's soldiers by a Juniper during their flight into Egypt.

In Dutch, Juniper is called "geniver," from which came the name "gin". Gin is flavored with Juniper berries. In the nineteenth century Highland Juniper bushes were prolific enough for their berries to be collected by the bagful and taken to the Inverness and Aberdeen markets to be exported to the Dutch gin distillers. The berries are also used to flavour other alcoholic beverages such as a Swedish health beer and a French beer-like drink called 'genevrette' made from equal amounts of Juniper berries and barley. But Juniper is not only good for making martinis. Its berries (actually not berries at all, but a portion of the cone) were used by the Zuni Indians to assist in childbirth, by British herbalists to treat congestive heart failure and stimulate menstruation, and by American nineteenth-century herbalists to treat congestive heart failure, gonorrhea, and urinary tract infections.

Juniper Species Summary
Species of CedarSizeBasic Requirements
Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana)Tree. At 20 years height is 15' with a spread of 4'. Mature height is 40 to 50' with a spread of 8 by 20'. Growth rate is medium at 12 to 15 inches per year.Zones 2 through 9; Full Sun; tolerates dry soils; clay or sand; acid or alkaline; prefers soil that is well drained;
Chinese Juniper (Juniperus chinensis) Tree or Shrub. Mature height is 50 to 60' with a spread of 15 to 20'Zones 3 through 9; Full Sun; tolerates dry soils; clay or sand; acid or alkaline; prefers soil that is well drained;
Rocky Mountain Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum)Tree. Mature height of 30 to 40' with a spread of 10 to 15'Zones 3 through 7; Wants Full Sun; tolerates dry soils; clay or sand; acid or alkaline; prefers soil that is well drained; Not good in the South
Singleseed Juniper (Juniperus squamata) Small Tree or Shrub. Mature height of 5' with a spread of 15'Zones 4 through 7 (8); Full Sun; tolerates dry soils; clay or sand; acid or alkaline; prefers soil that is well drained; Better in southwest than in the southeast.
Japanese Garden Juniper (Juniperus chinensis procumbens)Groundcover. Mature height of 12" to 24" with a spread of 10 to 15'Zones 4 through 9; Full Sun; tolerates dry soils; clay or sand; acid or alkaline; prefers soil that is well drained;
Savin Junipers (Juniperus sabina)Groundcover and Shrub. Mature height of 4 to 6' with a spread of 5 to 10'Zones 3 through 7; Full Sun; tolerates dry soils; clay or sand; acid or alkaline; prefers soil that is well drained; Not good in the South
Shore Juniper (Juniperus conferta) Groundcover. Mature height of 1 to 2' with a spread of 6 to 9'Zones (5) 6 through 9 (10); Full Sun; tolerates dry soils; clay or sand; acid or alkaline; prefers soil that is well drained; tolerates salt
Creeping Juniper (Juniperus horizontalis) Groundcover. Mature height of 1 to 2' with a spread of 4 to 8' Zones 3 through 9; Full Sun; tolerates dry soils; clay or sand; acid or slightly alkaline; prefers soil that is well drained

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