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Calgary Carpet Juniper

Juniperus sabina (jew-NIP-er-us sah-BY-nah)

Family: Cupressaceae Unknown Groundcover (<1 ft)

Calgary Carpet Juniper is a low-growing, spreading evergreen shrub with an arching or weeping form in the cypress family. At maturity, the plant can reach a height of 6 to 9 inches, but it will spread 6 to 10 feet wide. The attractive foliage is soft and green and the hardy plant can tolerate heat, cold, drought and full sun. This cultivar was introduced by Monrovia Nursery in 1978 and the name, Calgary Carpet Juniper, is a registered trademark of Monrovia Nursery. Calgary Carpet Juniper does well in a wide range of medium moisture, well-drained soil types, thrives in full sun, and is easy to grow. However, it will not tolerate wet conditions. The plant will tolerate some drought, once established. It's low height, wide spread, and hardiness make it an excellent ground cover, especially for use on slopes for erosion control, along walkways, in borders or in rock gardens. Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: Susceptible to tip and needle blights. Root rot may occur in wet, poorly drained soils. Occasional insect pests include aphids, bagworms, webworms, borers and scale. The Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center has a factsheet on common juniper diseases and insect pests.

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 39 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 5 - Groundcover (<1 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 x pfitzeriana
Fills a similar niche Ceratostigma plumbaginoides Juniperus sabina 'Skandia' Thymus x citriodorus

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Ground Cover; Shrub
Life cycle
Perennial; Woody
USDA zones
3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
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; Shallow Rocky
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Occasionally Dry
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 0 ft. 6 in. - 0 ft. 9 in. | Width: 6 ft. 0 in. - 10 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
5 - Groundcover (<1 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Arching; Dense; Horizontal; Mounding; Prostrate; Spreading
Texture
Fine
Foliage
Needled Evergreen
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Needles
Leaf arrangement
Whorled
Leaf feel
Soft
Leaf value
Showy
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Sabina juniper leaves come in two types: scale-like (when mature) and awl/needle-like (when first established).
Flower detail
Junipers do not have flowers.
Fruit color
Black
Fruit detail
Cones (pollen and seed-bearing) usually appear on different plants. Male plants produce catkin-like pollen cones. Female plants produce fleshy, berry-like, bluish-black seed cones.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Rock Wall; Slope/Bank; Walkways
Landscape theme
Rock Garden
Design feature
Border; Mass Planting
Garden tags
#evergreen #deer resistant #needled evergreen #groundcover #hardy #spreading #low growing #heat tolerant #drought tolerant
Problems & Resistance
Insect problems
Juniper Webworm; Juniper Pest Management Calendar; Juniper Tip Dwarf Mite; Pests of Conifers
Resistant to
Deer; Drought; Heat; Urban Conditions

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.

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