Illustration
Juniper
Juniperus
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 Juniper
Plant it in full sun. It prefers low water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–9. Expect it to reach about 13 ft tall and 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 Juniper
Plant 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 Juniper get?
13 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult5 ftwideSee 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 Juniper
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Juniper about 5 ft apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add 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
Juniper's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags were checked against 8 published sources on July 30, 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.
- Clemson Home and Garden Information CenterClemson HGIC (Growing and Using Juniper (Juniperus spp.): Large Shrubs...height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Clemson Home and Garden Information CenterClemson HGIC (Growing and Using Juniper (Juniperus spp.): Groundcovers...height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical GardenJuniperus chinensis, the speciesheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical GardenJuniperus virginiana, the speciesheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Oregon State UniversityJuniperus chinensis, the speciesheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- The Morton ArboretumChinese juniper, Juniperus chinensisheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionJuniperus, the genus entryhardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- University of Georgia ExtensionJunipers, circular C956, the genussun and trait tags
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Comes in 9 varieties
Same genus, similar care - pick the variety you are growing.
Compare every variety in the Juniper group
Every figure is the variety's own page fact. Tap a name to open it.
| Variety | Color | Blooms | Hardiness | Sun | Size (H × W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Pacific | Foliage | Foliage plant | Zones 6–9 | Full sun | 1 ft × 5 ft |
| Blue Point | Foliage | Foliage plant | Zones 4–9 | Full sun | 11 ft × 5 ft |
| Blue Rug | Foliage | Foliage plant | Zones 3–9 | Full sun | 0.5 ft × 6.5 ft |
| Blue Star | Foliage | Foliage plant | Zones 4–8 | Full sun | 2 ft × 3.5 ft |
| Gold Coast | Foliage | Foliage plant | Zones 4–9 | Full sun | 3.5 ft × 5 ft |
| Grey Owl | Foliage | Foliage plant | Zones 3–9 | Full sun | 3.5 ft × 6 ft |
| Juniperthis page | Foliage | Foliage plant | Zones 3–9 | Full sun | 13 ft × 5 ft |
| Sea Green | Foliage | Foliage plant | Zones 4–9 | Full sun | 5 ft × 6.5 ft |
| Skyrocket | Foliage | Foliage plant | Zones 3–9 | Full sun | 16 ft × 2 ft |
| Spartan | Foliage | Foliage plant | Zones 4–9 | Full sun | 15 ft × 4 ft |
Good to know about Juniper
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.
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
Worth knowing
The blue 'berries' are not fruit but fleshy female seed cones, so only female plants carry them. Common juniper's cones are what flavor gin. per NC State
Hosts cedar-apple rust
Junipers host cedar-apple rust, a fungus needing both a juniper and a rose-family plant. Do not plant susceptible junipers near apple, crabapple, hawthorn, or serviceberry. per UC IPM and Wisconsin
Overwatering causes root rot
Junipers are drought-tough but demand sharp drainage. In wet, poorly drained ground they get Phytophthora root rot, a water mold that cannot be cured once it takes hold. per Clemson
Habit varies by cultivar
'Juniper' is a whole genus: forms range from ground-hugging creeping mats to tall redcedar trees. Habit is entirely cultivar-dependent, so check your specific variety. per NC State
Browning has many causes
Browning foliage can be tip blight, spider mites, webworm, root rot, winter purpling, or salt burn. Diagnose which before spraying, since a miticide will not touch a blight. per Clemson and NC State
What pairs well with Juniper
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
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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.