Dwarf Japanese Juniper

Light Needs

Full Sun

(At Least 6 Hours Of Direct Sunlight)

Mature Height

6-18 Inches

Mature Spread

5-6 Feet

Growing Zones

4 to 8

Enjoy year-round color with little care when you plant the versatile Dwarf Japanese Juniper. This evergreen shrub, also known as Juniperus procumbens 'Nana,' has trailing branches that reach out from the center and create a mat of greenery. This shrub can be planted to as a groundcover or trained for an upright habit. Its mature blue-green foliage has a winter purple tint that makes it stand out. This beauty will remain handsome even when left unpruned.

New growth for this Juniper is a bright green, as it matures it turns to a blue green. In the winter it takes on a purple tint. This beauty makes a beautiful groundcover as the spreading branches naturally radiate out. Use this shrub on slopes or uneven ground, and it is excellent for erosion control. The foliage will complement a rock garden or provide some color as a foundation planting. Deer do not favor this plant, so you can count on the greenery to last all year. Dwarf Japanese Juniper grows as a perennial in USDA zones 4 through 8.

This dwarf plant is easy to care for and resistant to pests and disease. Once established this plant is drought tolerant. This one will thrive when used as ground cover in various spaces including rocky slopes. It reaches a height of one foot and has a spreading growing habit and can reach six feet in width. It is a great choice for city gardens, rock gardens around features. It can be trained like a bonsai for small topiary purposes. This evergreen is native to Japan.

Dwarf Japanese Juniper Care

Care for your Dwarf Japanese garden Juniper by planting in full to part sun. It prefers four to six hours of sun per day.  This shrub is easy-going and can handle varying Ph levels and poor rocky soil. The soil should drain well though. Let the soil dry out before watering each time. This plant has low to average water needs, so give it about an inch of water weekly for the first year. Once established, this shrub is drought-tolerant.

Trim the plant as needed to maintain the shape. This shrub grows slowly, so heavy pruning is not generally necessary. Prune to keep topiary forms when necessary. Pruning when planted as a ground cover is not necessary. The blue-green needles densely cover the branches and can be prickly, so handle with care. This plant is less aggressive than other varieties of Juniper, so it will take some time to fill in, but it will not require consistent maintenance.

Feed this Juniper using a balanced, slow-release fertilizer in the spring before the new growth appears. New growth for this Juniper is a bright green, as it matures it turns to a blue green.

Dwarf Japanese Juniper Spacing

The Dwarf Japanese garden Juniper should be spaced properly to ensure proper growth, healthy roots and air circulation. This charming Juniper will reach 6 to 12 inches tall, and the reaching branches will spread out 5 to 6 feet. Space plants 4 to 6 feet to create a lush carpet of greenery along an embankment or in a rock garden.