Will not tolerate shade once foliage reaches adult form. Missouri BG claims best drought tolerance of any eastern N.A. native conifer. Roots inhibit underplanting and turf, and USDA also claims allelopathy.
Dove/Woolridge are the outlier this time in claiming deer sensitivity; NCSU, Missouri BG, and Rutgers say this species has decent deer resistance, which is more in line with the other Juniperus spp. Branch strength is also debated.
Cultivars vary in disease resistance. Susceptible to juniper webworm and bagworm.
'Corcorcor' (Emerald Sentinel) is a PHS Gold Medal Award winner, a female with tight habit (despite being one of the fastest-growing cultivars) and dark green color holding in winter. 'Grey Owl' is another PHS Gold Medal Award winner and may be a hybrid. 'Brodie' is a grass-green female. 'Burkii' is a bluish male with purple tint in winter. Note to self: 'Canaertii', a dark green female, could be a good substitute for Leyland cypress, as it has a similar look with perhaps a hint of Cryptomeria 'Black Dragon', and it can also get denser with pruning. 'JVBP3' (Providence) is dense with a root system superior to most. 'JVADR' (Tapestry) is very dense with a root system far superior to most. 'Taylor' is a narrowly columnar sage-green female, bronzing in winter, that acts as a hardy substitute for Italian cypress.
Sources: White Oak, Sunset, Dove/Woolridge, NCSU, UFL, Rutgers, JerseyYards.org, UConn, Missouri BG, Dirr, Cal Poly, USDA, Dirr/Warren.
Buy the cultivar 'Grey Owl' at PlantingTree.com (affiliate link; supports this website)
Back to the previous page