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Blue Lagoon Juniper

Juniperus conferta (jew-NIP-er-us kon-FER-tah)

Family: Cupressaceae Unknown Shrub (3-15 ft)

'Blue Lagoon' is a cultivar o f j. conferta. It is a broad leafed evergreen that grows in a compact, low growing habit forming a tight mat, which makes it an excellent choice as a ground cover. This variety of juniper is the easiest to grow, is more residual and will adapt to more harsh planting sites than other junipers. The plant is also grown as an ornamental because the medium bluish-green summer color of the foliage is transformed in winter to a beautiful plum hue. This sturdy plant meets most of the challenges of some of the most difficult garden areas. This cultivar was created at the Aritaki Arboretum, Saitama Prefecture, Japan and cuttings of this plant were brought back to the U.S. National Arboretum and propagated. The plant was named ‘Blue Lagoon’ and released in 1992 'Blue Lagoon" does well in sandy or poor soils, and tolerates drought and high salt levels. Avoid planting in areas of excessive moisture or in poorly drained soils. It grows best in full sun but will tolerate partial shade. 'Blue Lagoon' has a low growing, spreading habit of 8 to 10 inches a year making it an excellent choice for erosion control, especially in sandy locations along coasts or dunes, and for retaining walls where it will cascade over the wall. It forms a tight mat at maturity and is extremely drought- and salt-tolerant. Insects, Diseases and Other Plant Problems: No serious problems. It has shown immunity to rodent damage. See the "Pests of Conifers" fact sheet to the left. The Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center has a factsheet on common juniper diseases and insect pests. More information on Juniperus conferta .

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 41 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 3 - Shrub (3-15 ft) Optimal soil pH Acid (<6.0); Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Often confused with Juniperus conferta
Fills a similar niche Juniperus horizontalis 'Mother Lode' Juniperus horizontalis 'Wiltonii' Thymus serpyllum

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Ground Cover; Shrub
USDA zones
5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Occasionally Dry
Available space
3 feet-6 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 0 ft. 6 in. - 5 ft. 0 in. | Width: 0 ft. 8 in. - 0 ft. 10 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Cascading; Dense; Horizontal; Prostrate; Spreading
Foliage
Needled Evergreen
Leaf color
Blue; Green
Leaf type
Needles
Leaf feel
Prickly
Leaf value
Fragrant
Leaf size
< 1 inch long
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Medium bluish-green awl-shaped needles with a single white stomatal band on each small, awl-shaped needle. Foliage turns a plum color in winter.
Fall color
Purple/Lavender
Flower detail
Junipers do not flower.
Fruit color
Black
Fruit detail
Berry-like cones turn a silvery bloom when mature. Male clone; no seed is produced.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Wildlife value
Attracts birds.
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Coastal; Patio; Pond; Slope/Bank; Walkways
Landscape theme
Drought Tolerant Garden; Rock Garden
Design feature
Border; Mass Planting
Garden tags
#evergreen #deer resistant #drought tolerant #salt spray tolerant #air pollution tolerant #groundcover #erosion control #prostrate #fragrant needles #low growing #poor soil tolerant
Problems & Resistance
Insect problems
Pests of Conifers
Resistant to
Deer; Drought
Particularly resistant to
This plant is seldom damaged from deer. Drought and salt spray tolerant.

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.