Digging deeperPlant Library

Wichita Blue Juniper

(Photo courtesy of NetPS Plant Finder)

Other Names:  Colorado Redcedar

Description:

An upright, pyramidal evergreen growing into a tall conical shrub, with soft textured stunning blue foliage all season long and showy blue berries, excellent choice for difficult landscape situations, makes an effective evergreen hedge

Ornamental Features

Wichita Blue Juniper is a dwarf conifer which is primarily valued in the landscape for its distinctively pyramidal habit of growth. It has attractive silvery blue evergreen foliage. The scale-like sprays of foliage are highly ornamental and remain silvery blue throughout the winter. It produces silvery blue berries from late spring to late winter.

Landscape Attributes

Wichita Blue Juniper is a multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a distinctive and refined pyramidal form. It lends an extremely fine and delicate texture to the landscape composition which can make it a great accent feature on this basis alone.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub. When pruning is necessary, it is recommended to only trim back the new growth of the current season, other than to remove any dieback. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Wichita Blue Juniper is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Vertical Accent
• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use

Planting & Growing

Wichita Blue Juniper will grow to be about 15 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 6 feet. It tends to be a little leggy, with a typical clearance of 2 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 70 years or more.

This shrub should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers dry to average moisture levels with very well-drained soil, and will often die in standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selection of a native North American species.