A tough little Plant

Common Name:  Blue Star juniper, flaky Juniper, singleseed juniper
Botanical Name:  Juniperus squamata ‘Blue Star’
Form:   flat to mounded, groundcover, spreading
Family:  Cupressaceae
Genus:  Juniperus
Species:  squamata
Cultivar: Blue Star
Plant Type: conifer, evergreen
Mature Size:  1’-2’ x 2-3’
Growth: slow
Origin:  Himalayas, China, Afghanistan
Hardiness Zone: 4 to 8
Foliage:  small, bluish green, sharp needles-like scales in whorls around stem
Flowers: inconspicuous
Fruit: glossy, black cones that resemble berries
Stems: yellowish-brown, fissures
Exposure:  full sun
Soil:  dry, well drained, rocky
Uses:  foundation planting, containers, drought gardening, xeriscaping, small gardens, ground cover, winter interest, massing, slopes, borders, urban gardens and bonsai
Maintenance: low
Invasive Tendencies: no
Tolerates: drought, deer, erosion, rocky soil
Propagation: softwood cutting
Pruning:   usually not necessary
​Problems:  squamata aphids, leaf miners, rust, scale insects, caterpillars
Awards: Award of Garden Merit of the Royal Horticultural Society
Comments: 
The Blue Star juniper, Juniperus squamata ‘Blue Star’, is a low growing, ground hugging coniferous evergreen with bluish-green needles. Like most junipers, the blue star thrives in dry, rocky gravelly soil in full sun. What makes this little guy so special is that it needs very little care, survives drought conditions, doesn’t need to be pruned, is low growing, compact and doesn’t grow out of bounds.  
 
It's many attributes make it the ideal plant for numerous uses in the landscape. Because it is a neat little plant that prefers arid conditions and poor soil, it’s ideal for planting around the foundation of the house, if it receives 8 hours of direct sun per day. Blue Star grows slowly but eventually reaches 2 feet in height with a width of 3 feet at maturity, but it grows slowly so it takes a while to do so.
 
The Blue Star juniper is suitable for rockeries, small gardens, courtyards, waterwise gardens, xeriscaping, bonsai and containers. Add to the front of borders, grow them as an evergreen ground cover and brighten up winter gardens with their colourful foliage and neat habit.
 
Blue Star junipers bear little, sharp green needles with a bluish tint. The many horizontal stems are densely packed with needles that whorl around the stem. The whorled arrangement of needles resembles a star, hence their common name. Their flowers are borne in spring and are inconspicuous, however, the resulting fruit is a type of cone, which resembles small dark blue berries. Inside is a single seed, that’s why it’s referred to as one-seeded juniper. It’s other common name, flaky juniper, refers to its peeling papery bark.

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