Juniperus horizontalis
Common name: 
Creeping Juniper
Pronunciation: 
ju-NIP-er-us hor-i-zon-TA-lis
Family: 
Cupressaceae
Genus: 
Juniperus
Type: 
Conifer
Native to (or naturalized in) Oregon: 
No
  • Conifer, evergreen, low growing ground cover, with long trailing branches forming large mats, 18 inches (45 cm) by 10 ft (3 m).  Leaves soft textured, mostly scale-like (2 mm long), awl-shaped leaves in opposite pairs, foliage green or bluish green, turning plum purple in winter.
  • Sun. Adaptable, even tolerant of heavy soils.  Sometimes used in bonsai.
  • Many cultivars, including:
    • 'Andorra Compact' (syn. 'Pulmosa Compact') - 18 inches × 5 ft (0.5 × 1.5 m), light green foliage, purplish in winter.
    • 'Bar Harbor' - 1 × 10 ft (0.3 × 3 m), low, fast growing, blue-gray foliage turns purplish in winter, male.
    • 'Blue Chip' - to 1 ft (0.3 m) high, silvery blue foliage, purplish tips in winter, female.
    • 'Gold Strike' - gold/yellow and light green, dwarf, low growing but somewhat mounding.
    • 'Prince of Wales' - to 8 inches (20 cm) tall, medium green foliage turns purplish in winter.
    • 'Wiltonii' (syn. 'Wiltoni', 'Blue Rug') - very low growing, only 4 inches (10 cm) high, dense, short shoots on long trailing branches
    • 'Youngstown' - to 1 × 6 ft (0.3 × 1.8 m), gray-green foliage that turns purplish in winter, male (syn. Plumosa Compacta Youngstown).
  • Hardy to USDA Zone 3      Native from Nova Scotia to British Columbia, south to New York, Minnesota, and Montana.
  • Oregon State Univ. campus: east of the Seed Lab on Campus Way (two cultivars, 'Youngstown' and 'Prince of Wales').
Click image to enlarge
  • plant habit, in habitat

    plant habit, in habitat

  • plant habit, several cultivars

    plant habit, several cultivars

  • plant habit, separate plants

    plant habit, separate plants

  • elongating branches

    elongating branches

  • branchlets with fruit

    branchlets with fruit

  • plant habit, winter

    plant habit, winter

  • branches, winter

    branches, winter