Juniper (Blue Star)

How to plant and care for Juniper (Blue Star)

Juniperus squamata 'Blue Star'

🌳 Tree 🔁 Perennial

A slow, low, spreading conifer with striking silver-blue needles all year. Ideal for rockeries, gravel and winter pots.

Growing Juniper (Blue Star): what it needs

Light
Full sun · 6+ hours a day
Watering
Drought-tolerant once established
Soil
Fertile, well-drained soil · pH 6.0–7.0
Spacing
1 m
Height
50 cm, spreading 1 m
In pots
Grows well in containers
Feeding
No feeding needed
Hardiness
USDA zones 4–8

Step by step

  1. On planting day

    Plant the Tree

    Plant at the same depth it grew in its pot, in a hole twice as wide as the root ball, 1 m from other trees. Firm and water well.

  2. 0–2 days after “Plant the Tree”

    Water In Deeply

    Soak the root area with a full can, then keep the soil moist (not wet) for the first few weeks.

  3. 7–21 days after “Water In Deeply”

    Mulch the Base

    Spread 5–8 cm of compost or bark mulch in a 1 m circle, keeping it clear of the trunk.

Every year

  • April
    Light Trim

    Only trim the tips lightly if needed — junipers do not regrow from bare wood.

More trees to grow

Photo: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)