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Submit a photoCreeping Juniper
Juniperus horizontalis
Forms sprawling low mats hugging the ground — often just 20 cm tall but several metres wide — on Alberta's dry eroding slopes, rocky ridges, and sandy prairies. Scale-like leaves on cord-like stems turn purplish in winter. A superb xeriscape groundcover and slope stabilizer. Many commercial cultivars originate from this species.
Quick Facts
Distribution
Prairie, Parkland, Foothills, Zone 2
Light
Full sun
Bloom Time
May (cones)
Soil
Sharply drained sandy, rocky, or gravelly
Water
Very low — thrives in drought
Use Caution— Essential oils mildly toxic to cats & dogs in quantity
Growing & Cultivation
Propagation
Semi-hardwood cuttings in late summer/fall with rooting hormone and bottom heat. Layering of low branches is easier: pin a horizontal stem to soil and wait 1–2 years for roots to form, then sever.
