Illustration
Blue Rug Juniper
Juniperus horizontalis 'Wiltonii'
Also called blue rug creeping juniper
Blue Rug Juniper is grown for its foliage rather than flowers, giving the garden structure and color all season long.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Blue Rug Juniper
Plant it in full sun. It prefers low water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–9. Expect it to reach about 0.5 ft tall and 6.5 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 10 years (not yet checked).
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not, and each fact above says which. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Blue Rug Juniper
Plant Blue Rug Juniper in spring once the soil is workable, or by very early fall at the latest: an evergreen needs its roots down well before the ground freezes. In zone 6, the middle of its hardy zones 3 to 9, that is March to May, or August on the fall side.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 6, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 6 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Blue Rug Juniper get?
0.5 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult6.5 ftwideSee Blue Rug Juniper in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Blue Rug Juniper
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Blue Rug Juniper about 6.5 ft apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Blue Rug Juniper to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Blue Rug Juniper's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags were checked against 11 published sources on August 1, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- myperfectplants.comPerfect Plants Nurseryheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionJuniperus horizontalis 'Wiltonii'height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionJuniperus horizontalis 'Blue Rug'height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- Purdue ArboretumExplorerheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- scenichillfarmnursery.comScenic Hill Farm Nurseryheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- Clemson Home and Garden Information CenterHGIC 1107height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finderheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- plantdatabase.uconn.eduUConn Plant Databaseheight, spread, hardiness zones and sun
- Chicago Botanic GardenPlant Finderheight, hardiness zones and sun
- conifersociety.orgAmerican Conifer Society Conifer Databaseheight, spread and years to mature size
- Oregon State UniversityLandscape Plantsheight, hardiness zones and sun
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Good to know about Blue Rug Juniper
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Safety
Toxicity depends on the species. Savin (Juniperus sabina) is dangerous: its oil can cause miscarriage and liver damage. Common junipers show no such effect. Never use juniper oil internally. per Molecules
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Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.