Juniperus Virginia Gray Owl (Grey Owl)

Juniper Virginia Gray Owl – evergreen perennial shrub with bluish needles, grows in the mountainous regions of North America Appeared as a result of crossing junipers Glauka and Pfitzeriana. Thanks to the unusual bluish color of the needles, it has become very popular with landscape designers.

Dignity of the variety: high decorative effect, unpretentiousness, frost and drought resistance.

Appearance. A low-growing shrub with a short trunk and spreading funnel-shaped crown. Bush Height –  1.5-2 m., diameter – 4-4.5 m. Annual growth in the volume of 15-20 cm, in height – 8-10 cm. By the age of 10, it reaches its maximum size.

The branches are strong, long, grow horizontally to the ground, densely arranged along the trunk, chaotically. The branches of the first circle touch the ground

Needle – dense, attractive bluish-green or bluish tint. Needles – long, up to 7 mm, trihedral, soft.

Cones – small, with a bluish bloom, as they mature, change color from light blue to dark blue. Important! Juniper fruits are toxic to humans, not suitable for human consumption and are purely decorative.

Destination. Juniper Gray Oul will decorate any location, both as a tapeworm (single planting) and in a group composition. The plant is ideal for landscaping slopes, shores of artificial reservoirs, rock gardens, rockeries. They make out the foreground of the rabatka, the lower tier of stepped compositions.

Virginia Juniper blends beautifully with natural stone, flowering plants, blue spruces and firs. Often Gray Oul is grown next to pyramidal thujas to hide defects in the bark of boles.

Growing conditions. Virginian juniper – extremely unpretentious and can grow on stony soils. The plant is not afraid of winds, droughts, severe frosts (up to – 40 ° C). In Russia, it is planted in almost all regions, from southern latitudes to Siberia and the Far East.

The plant needs periodic pruning to maintain its decorative shape.

Beware of fakes and infected planting material, purchase Gray Owl juniper seedlings in specialized nurseries.