This creeping shrub has a prostrate form and dense, steely blue foliage. The mature height is 1 foot tall. Scalelike green leaves turn a dull purple in winter. Blue rug juniper creates a flat ground cover. It grows 6 to 12 inches per year and bears ovoid dark blue fruit.
Noteworthy CharacteristicsExcellent in a rock garden or on banks to prevent erosion.
CareGrows well in well-drained soil and tolerates a wide variety of types of soils and conditions.
PropagationTake ripe cuttings in late autumn through winter and root in a humid cold frame. Or take softwood cuttings in summer under mist with bottom heat.
ProblemsLeaf miners, bark beetles, scale insects, aphids, mites, caterpillars, Phomopsis twig blight, Gymnosporangium (cedar-apple) rust, dieback and canker, lesion nematodes, brown felt blight, and various heart and wood rots
- Genus : Juniperus
- Plant Height : 1 to 3 feet
- Zones : 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
- Plant Width : 6 to 10 feet
- Moisture : Dry to Medium
- Light : Full Sun to Partial Shade
- Uses : Ground Covers
- Characteristics : Showy Foliage, Showy Fruit
- Plant Type : Shrubs
- Plant Seasonal Interest : Winter Interest