Wilton's Creeping Juniper (Juniperus horizontalis 'Wiltonii')

Source: ShrubBucket (NY)

Size shipped: #2 pot (measured ~2' wide; no one cares about height for this one)

Planted: In ground, March 2021

First flowering: Who cares?

Buy one at PlantingTree.com (affiliate link; supports this website)


(This plant stayed behind when I moved in 2021; therefore, the following text will receive no further updates.)

Bought as a groundcover to cover up most of the big dirt mound out by the street that resulted from the removal of a tree-of-heaven and three pin oaks, which had grown up as volunteers on the ground-out remains of the arborvitae at the end of our hedge after it had fallen over. I had to make sure to get one that was known to be resistant to cedar-apple rust, so as not to exacerbate the crabapple's issues, and 'Wiltonii' (also known in the trade as 'Blue Rug') fit that profile. Also, to be out by the street, it needed to be tolerant of road salt, which all creeping junipers tend to be.

Sunset describes it as an "intense silver-blue" and similar to 'Bar Harbor', but of a tighter habit and rarely exposing limbs with age like 'Bar Harbor' is known to do, which sounds great for a groundcover I intend to suppress weeds. Stoecklein estimates it puts on 7" of horizontal growth each year, so it will take a while, but it will eventually fill the space (the various mature width estimates I've seen range 8-12').

There were no issues with teasing the outside roots loose before planting this one, so that's another data point in ShrubBucket's favor.