Juniperus Chinensis Blue Alps Chinese Juniper

Juniperus Chinensis Blue Alps (Chinese Juniper Blue Alps) is an evergreen conifer with striking blue-green foliage. It’s an excellent shrub for landscaping and low maintenance gardens. It can also be used as hedging. 

Juniperus Chinensis Blue Alps was discovered in Austria in 1968. It’s prized for its blue-toned foliage and suits UK gardens so well the RHS have given it their Award of Garden Merit. while there are several blue-toned junipers, Juniperus Chinensis Blue Alps is one of the most striking with a steely hue to its prickly foliage that’s held on partially arching branches. New springtime shoots are slightly weeping on the tips but overall the shrub is dense and upright. It bears typical juniper-type brown fruits later in the year.

One of the most distinctive features of juniper is the scent and Blue Alps has a strongly aromatic scent that’s especially strong if it’s grown in full sun or when its foliage is rubbed.

Height and Spread of Juniperus Chinensis Blue Alps
Chinese Juniper Blue Alps is a fast grower but it doesn’t get so large that it outgrows its welcome. It’ll reach a maximum height of 4 metres and spread across 4 metres in a thick, dense bush.

How Hardy Is Juniperus Chinensis Blue Alps
Chinese Juniper Blue Alps is extremely hardy and will cope with British winters if its roots are well-drained. It’s drought tolerant once established and able to deal with pollution.

How To Use Juniperus Chinensis Blue Alps
This is a really eye-catching shrub for rockeries, gravel gardens and standalone shrubs in the lawn or border. As it is dense, fast-growing and tolerant of pruning, it is a good candidate for eye-catching hedging plants. 
It’s a good grower on embankments or difficult areas easily covering the soil with its lower branches. Because it grows quickly it protects soil and covers bare areas without fuss. Its tough nature makes it suitable for road facing front gardens, wildlife gardens and low maintenance spaces too.
Blue Alps is tolerant of pruning and brings structure and evergreen colour all year round even in those difficult places.

How To Care For Juniperus Chinensis Blue Alps
Barely any care is required for Chinese Juniper Blue Alps. It will grow in nearly all types of soil that’s not waterlogged and although it prefers full sun it will grow in partial shade too.
There’s no need to prune this handsome conifer if growing as a stand-alone specimen, but you can restrict its size and shape during the winter months. A thick layer of mulch around its roots in spring will help preserve moisture and provide nutrients for the growing season.
Lack of water is the biggest killer of young shrubs, be sure to water it well until it’s established.