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Blue Vase Juniper

Juniperus chinensis (jew-NIP-er-us chi-NEN-sis)

Family: Cupressaceae Non-native Shrub (3-15 ft)

Blue Vase Juniper is a needled evergreen shrub in the cypress family originally found in Asia. It has an upright spreading habit giving it a vase shape and grows 3-5 feet tall and 2-4 feet wide. The steel blue foliage holds it's color year-long. Plant in average, moist, well-drained soils in full sun to partial shade. It is tolerant of most soil types, even clay, but does not grow well in poorly-drained ones. Use the shrub as a specimen, in foundation gardens. It is tolerant of urban conditions and drought once established. Details of Juniperus chinensis follow, many of which apply to Blue Vase. The Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center factsheet on common juniper diseases and insect pests. More information on Juniperus chinensis .

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 40 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 3 - Shrub (3-15 ft) Optimal soil pH 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.

Fills a similar niche Juniperus chinensis 'Angelica Blue' Juniperus chinensis 'Old Gold' Juniperus chinensis 'Sea Green'

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Shrub
USDA zones
3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil pH
Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 3 ft. 0 in. - 5 ft. 0 in. | Width: 2 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Dense; Vase
Texture
Coarse
Foliage
Needled Evergreen
Leaf color
Blue
Leaf type
Needles
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf feel
Prickly
Leaf value
Showy
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Dense, steel blue scale-like foliage.
Flower detail
No flowers, but cones are large and brown and fall apart upon maturity. Females' cone of light blue, fleshy "berry"
Fruit detail
No true fruits, but female cones are blue, fleshy "berry" looking and edible, often used as a seasoning.
Bark detail
Ridged and fissured peeling in strips
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
China, Mongolia, Japan, Himalayas
Play value
Colorful
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Lawn
Landscape theme
Asian Garden; Rock Garden
Design feature
Border; Foundation Planting; Specimen
Garden tags
#salt tolerant #evergreen #deer resistant #rocky soils tolerant #evergreen shrub #air pollution tolerant #dry soils tolerant #low growing #low maintenance #specimen #shrub
Problems & Resistance
Other problems
Cedar Apple Rust
Resistant to
Deer; Drought; Pollution; Salt
Particularly resistant to
Resistant to deer, air pollution, drought tolerant, salt tolerant
Propagation
Stem Cutting

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.