Common Juniper 'Meyer'

Common juniper 'Meyer' (Juniperus communis 'Meyer') is a dense, prickly shrub veiled in a bluish haze. The branches rise vertically while the side shoots fan out softly, so the plant is full right down to the ground and keeps its crisp graphic outline without any pruning at all.

This is evergreen structure that carries a planting all year: in a conifer group, on a dry sunny slope, in a rock garden or in city planting. It takes drought, poor stony soils and frost to -45 °C, and deer pass it by; only heat and humid air give it trouble.

Key characteristics:

• What makes it special: The needles sit in whorls of three, each one concave above with a broad grey stomatal band - that band is what gives the shrub its bluish cast.
• Hardiness: Exceptional hardiness - it withstands -45 °C (USDA zone 2).
• Light: It is happiest in full sun.
• Soil: It takes evenly moist, well-drained soil readily and copes with poor, stony, dry ground; the one thing it dislikes is standing water.
• Watering: Moderate watering, and once established the plants stand drought well.
• Care: Pruning is usually unnecessary; in wet springs keep an eye out for dieback at the shoot tips.
• Landscape use: Evergreen structure in plantings, rock gardens, dry sunny slopes and urban landscaping.