What is Shore Juniper?

Shore juniper is a dense, evergreen, spreading shrub native to Japan and widely available elsewhere as a garden plant. Its Latin name is Juniperus conferta, and it got its English name because it is a very salt- and drought-tolerant plant, able to thrive even in seashore landscapes. Shore juniper grows to a height of only about 12 to 24 inches (about 30 to 60 cm) but can spread out to 6 to 10 feet (1.8 to 3.1 m). It has needles that are half an inch to 1 inch (1.2 to 2.5 cm) long, are soft with sharp tips and are greenish blue in color, with new growth being a lighter green shade.

Like all junipers, it belongs to a division of plants called conifers that also includes cedars, pines and yews as well as many other trees and shrubs, all characterized by being woody, cone-bearing plants. The cones produced by shore juniper are round, covered with a waxy coating and very small in size, only about half an inch (1.2 cm) in diameter. They can vary in color from silver to bluish black and are sometimes mistaken for berries or fruit.

As a garden plant, shore juniper can be grown in containers and rock gardens where its color and cascading growth make for a striking display, but it also is valued as a low-maintenance, versatile ground cover. It can form roots almost anywhere its low-growing stems touch favorable ground, and the resulting mat-like spread of growth can help prevent soil erosion, such as on steep slopes, embankments or terraces. The plant also can be used to stabilize dunes and other sandy terrain on or near ocean beaches, an environment that is very prone to erosion but often difficult for many other plants to tolerate.

This plant can be grown in full sun to partial shade but grows best in full sun, and it cannot survive temperatures below minus-13 degrees Fahrenheit (minus-25 Celsius). It is drought-tolerant but prefers somewhat moist conditions and can be grown in almost any kind of soil, as long as that soil is well drained. Shore juniper does not grow well from seed, and the best way for it to be propagated is for cuttings to be taken when the plant is dormant. These cuttings will develop roots quite easily and can then be planted. There are many different varieties of shore juniper, and two popular cultivars are blue Pacific, which grows to a height of only about 1 foot (about 30 cm), and emerald sea, which can tolerate colder temperatures than most other varieties of this plant.