Get inspired for spring and attend one of the local garden shows!  RFWP will have a booth and trees for sale in Madison.  We will have an exhibition garden at the Chicago show, and also a booth with trees and hostas for sale to benefit Heifer International.

 

 

Hardy trees that thrive in sunny locations, junipers come in many shapes and sizes.  Juvenile foliage is very prickly and needle-like and adult foliage is softer and scale-like.  An interesting feature of junipers is that some cultivars permanently retain the juvenile foliage, and others have a mix of the two.  Deer tend to stay away from many junipers because of the sharper foliage, but if hungry enough, deer will eat almost anything.  Juniper berries are actually the seed-bearing female cones. 

 

Low creeping forms (Juniperus horizontalis 'Mother Lode')  can be used as groundcover plants, or as accents when they have been grafted higher to form a standard (Juniperus procumbens 'Nana').  The irregular structure of some cultivars (Juniperus chinensis 'Shimpaku') will enhance any garden area.  Upright junipers with a smaller footprint in the garden are available in yellow (Juniperus communis 'Gold Cone'), blue (Juniperus chinensis 'Trautman'), or green (Juniperus chinensis  'Spartan') forms.  A curious weeping form like Juniperus rigida 'Pendula' has a place in the collector's garden. 

 

Juniperus virginiana  'Cupressifolia' topiary

Junipers tolerate careful pruning and can be shaped into topiaries, either formal ones or whimsical characters.  Junipers are also used for bonsai. 
 Try your hand at it or see a show.  Take advantage of
some great resources in the area: Chicago Botanic Garden bonsai classes & Midwest Bonsai Society website. 

Thank you for your interest in our nursery.  We look forward to seeing you at a garden show this spring. Please call us with any tree questions: 815-338-7442.