Evergreens with tiny leaves and woody stems make excellent alternatives for topiary style. Juniper bushes (Juniperus) are one such plant and may be utilized in both containers and as landscape plantings. Juniper grows in all of the Environment Zones of Sunset, and are hardy to minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit; but you will find numerous types, and picking a healthy, disease-free specimen from an area nursery is the first stage. Beyond that, the crops are simple to care for, requiring treatment and minimum vigilance.
Light
Junipers need a sunny place; putting them on a porch or close to the home where they obtain shade that is continuous can destroy the plant. Sunlight that is full stops certain kinds of b Light on junipers that may occur when the soil does not dry up and the roots stay too moist. Choose an area where the juniper will obtain at least six to eight hours of sunlight each day.
Soil
Junipers prosper in sandy soils that are well- dry and drained. In the event the topiary is in a container, great quality planting medium needs to be used together with the with the help of of compost and an ever-green- fertilizer every 2-3 months. For planted juniper topiaries, the soil needs to be enhanced, or “amended,” before planting. Add compost–such as kitchen scraps or manure –and loosen the soil throughout the planting hole to permit the roots to disseminate effortlessly. Mixing in soil and compost amendments–such as humus or peat –makes the soil lighter, which is required for for juniper wellness. A fertilizer in the first spring prior to the plant begins putting out new development to supply nutritional elements that are essential, if the plant contained or is in the floor.
Water
Whether the topiary is in a container or the floor, it has to have excellent drainage; should they sitin standing water following a rain or comprehensive watering roots can rot. This ever-green is really drought-tolerant; enable the s Oil to dry up totally between waterings. Water the s Oil throughout the plant, and a void watering the trunk of the topiary or the juniper leaves. Water in frequently, but give a watering as an alternative to a surface application to the plant.
Pruning
Pruning doesn’t commence before the junipers are several years outdated, unless a tiny stray branch requirements trimmed sporadically. When junipers attain a peak of 4-feet, spiral models are developed. Plants are generally perhaps not marketed till they’re 6 to 8 years outdated and happen to be pruned right into a form that was educated; from there proprietors simply require to prune to keep wanted peak of the topiary and the shape. Even though a mild pruning might be achieved in summer pruning is most readily useful for junipers. Pruning a-way any or dead dis-eased branches might be performed through the entire year. Topiaries can effortlessly reunite with their natural shape, if no pruning is completed.