Find the perfect types of juniper shrubs for your garden with these expert recommendations.
Lynn Karlin
Juniper shrubs are getting a second look as homeowners search for carefree greenery with year-round appeal.
Some have good salt tolerance, which is important if you live in the North or along the coast.
Credit:Lynn Karlin
Along with junipers popularity, the selection of cultivars continues to grow as well.
While there are more than 50 species of junipers, less than a dozen are grown as ornamentals.
They can be either upright and pyramidal or shrubby or groundcovers.
Credit:Kristsada
They vary in height from rug-like forms 2 inches tall to full-sized trees up and over 100 feet tall.
Here are the most popular options available.
Generally, this pop in of juniper requires very little pruning.
Credit:Marty Baldwin
These low-growing junipers arepopular groundcoversbecause theyre low maintenance and eventually eliminate the need for mulching.
Shearing into a box, meatball, or tuna can is not my cup of tea, he says.
It is a bad look!
Once these varieties are mature, they require very littlepruning or shearing.
These vertically growing junipers are used asprivacy screensand backdrops for other ornamentals.
Sometimes they are focal points.
