Common Name: Chinese juniper
Type: Needled evergreen
Family: Cupressaceae
Zone: 4 to 9
Height: 1.00 to 1.50 feet
Spread: 6.00 to 8.00 feet
Bloom Time: Non-flowering
Bloom Description: Non-flowering
Sun: Full sun
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Suggested Use: Ground Cover
Leaf: Evergreen
Other: Winter Interest
Tolerate: Deer, Drought, Erosion, Dry Soil, Shallow-Rocky Soil, Urban Conditions
Culture
Easily grown in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun. Tolerant of a wide variety of soils including clay. Intolerant of wet soils. Tolerant of some drought once established. Also tolerant of many city air pollutants.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Juniperus chinensis, commonly called Chinese juniper, is a dioecious evergreen conifer that is native to China, Japan, Mongolia and the Himalayas. It is often seen in the wild as a conical tree to 50’ tall and 20’ wide, but also appears in much shorter shrubby or spreading forms. Foliage is dark green. Brown bark on mature stems peels in strips. Although species plants are rarely sold in commerce, a large number of cultivated varieties ranging in size from large trees to large/small shrubs to low-growing groundcovers have become popular ornamental landscape plants. Chinese juniper leaves come in two types: scale-like (adult) and awl/needle-like (juvenile). Cones (pollen and seed-bearing) appear on different plants. Male plants produce catkin-like pollen cones. Female plants produce fleshy, berry-like, whitish-blue seed cones that usually acquire violet-brown tones as they mature over two years.
Genus name comes from the Latin name for the juniper.
Specific epithet means of China.
'San Jose' forms a tough, low-growing ground cover that rises to 1-1.5' tall but spreads by rigid stems somewhat irregularly to 6-8' wide. Sage green foliage (foliage on young plants is mostly needle-like, but foliage on mature plants is a combination of needle-like and scale-like). Foliage is attractive throughout the year.
Problems
Junipers are generally susceptible to tip and needle blights. Cedar-apple rust and related rust diseases spend part of their life cycle on junipers. Root rot may occur, particularly in wet, poorly drained soils. Canker may attack bark or main stems. Occasional insect pests include aphids, bagworms, webworms and scale.
Uses
Evergreen foliage provides good winter interest. Excellent low-growing evergreen ground cover. Dry rocky banks. Slopes. Rock gardens. Containers. Topiary for small gardens. Bonsai.