Cossack juniper - beauty and poison rolled into one. Differences between common juniper and other types of juniper What is better to plant - tall juniper or thuja

Cossack juniper - beauty and poison rolled into one. Differences between common juniper and other types of juniper What is better to plant - tall juniper or thuja

Owners of garden plots treat their plots not only as a means of obtaining food. For many, this is an opportunity to show their design skills by planting not only fruit but also ornamental plants. Choosing to decorate your dacha among coniferous trees, sometimes people wonder what to prefer, and what is the difference between thuja and juniper.

Thuja and juniper

Both conifers belong to the same family - Cypressaceae, therefore they are very similar in appearance. This similarity is what confuses inexperienced designers. But if you look closely at the needles, they may differ in adult plants. In juniper, the leaves remain needle-shaped, but in thuja they change with age, turning into scale-like.

Based on the shape of the crown, it is also difficult at first glance to figure out where the junipers and thujas are - both members of the family can be cypress-shaped or spherical. Among these plants there are varieties: from indoor to park.

All Cypress trees are among the most ancient representatives earth flora. Shrubs and trees have a long lifespan, estimated in centuries. That's why it's used so often beautiful plants in landscape design.

Thuja and juniper

Cypress trees are also valued for their healing aroma. Where these trees grow, the air is particularly clean. Conifers are valued for useful composition, which is almost identical in junipers, thujas, and cypresses.

Distinctive features

Despite the external similarity, there are differences between representatives of conifers. Knowing biological features plants, it is easier to navigate in choosing a particular tree or bush.

Thuja

The tree-like thuja grows quickly, sometimes reaching a height of 70 m with a girth of 6 m in diameter. But most often in garden plots you can find a pyramidal or spreading shrub, up to 7 m high, with branches located in the same plane. This variety is called thuja occidentalis. It is cultivated in any conditions, but, despite its frost resistance, does not take root in the Far North.

The trunk of thuja is smooth, usually gray. By old age, the bark becomes longitudinally fibrous and peels off in narrow strips. The scaly small needles are tightly pressed to each other. On short branches, oblong (7-12 mm) cones are formed, bent to the bottom. They usually contain 2 seeds.

Thuja blooms from April to May. Already from June to September, fresh branches can be harvested for medicinal purposes.

Each element of the plant contains useful components:

  • in the needles - resins, essential oils with a pleasant smell and yellow tint(thujone, tsinene, cardiophyllene, pinine, etc.); tannins and flavonoids;
  • in seeds – essential oils in high concentration;
  • in wood – toxifolline, aromadendrin.

Thuja preparations are used in homeopathy, oriental medicine. Domestic healers introduce it into recipes for the treatment of cystitis, prostate, rheumatism, and urinary incontinence. Thuja is recommended for worms, papillomas, and warts. Funds for coniferous based help resolve scars and tumors. Infusions cleanse and whiten the skin, treat inflammation in the hair follicles.

Juniper

The first difference between thuja and juniper is that the latter is much shorter in stature. Trees on average reach 3 meters, although there are also individuals 5 times higher. There are also low-growing shrubs that almost creep along the ground. It is by these that one can distinguish juniper - such individuals are not found in thuja.

Note! The plant has a highly branched trunk. The branches are dotted with sharp, hard, awl-shaped linear leaves, collected 3 pieces in each ring.

The flowers are dioecious, axillary and differ from each other:

  • men's resemble earrings;
  • female ones are spherical cones.

Juniper blooms in May, and begins to bear fruit in October-November of the following year, producing a fleshy cone berry. It is small, with a bluish coating, and contains 3 seeds inside. Most varieties have edible fruits.

IN wildlife juniper is found not only in forests, but also in mixed forests, on the slopes of mountains, dry hills, near rivers and sometimes in moss swamps. Cultivated everywhere in Russia.

IN decorative design The plant has been used for a long time; juniper was used as a medicinal raw material by the ancient Egyptians, Romans, and Greeks.

Juniper

The plant actually has a very powerful composition:

  • in fruits – up to 40% sugars, 10% resins, 2% essential oils; contains acids (formic, acetic, malic), vitamin C, camphor;
  • needles are rich in ascorbic and rhodiumic acids, which provide a powerful bactericidal effect.

This property is the main one distinctive feature juniper essential oils, which no other plant can compare with.

Additional Information. For example, a juniper forest occupying an area of ​​1 hectare can improve the health of the air in a metropolis within a day.

The medicinal smell is one of the factors stimulating to plant this plant on your site. There is no area of ​​medicine in which juniper berries would not have an effect. It is used in fresh, dried, made medicinal tinctures, decoctions, syrups. A small bottle of essential oil can be purchased at a pharmacy. IN Food Industry The fruits are used as a spice in the production of vodka and liqueurs.

Landing Features

In Cypress, the growing conditions are almost no different from each other.

Regardless of the shape of the crown, the height of the thuja cypress and juniper plants are planted taking into account the same requirements:

  • seedlings are purchased exclusively with a clod of earth so that the roots do not dry out, otherwise the plant will disappear;
  • Before planting in a hole, the earthen ball must be watered;
  • the planting hole is made larger in diameter and depth than the size of the clod - a man’s palm should be placed between it and the earthen wall;
  • when placing the plant in a recess, try to ensure that the root collar is at ground level;
  • the air gaps in the pit are filled with a special soil mixture (see table below).

Each plant will feel good if planting is carried out taking into account the requirements of the species.

Individual requirements of Cypress

*When choosing a soil mixture for junipers, take into account varietal characteristics:

  • Siberian prefers sandstones;
  • Cossack – calcareous soils;
  • Virginia - clayey.

Note! Most junipers settle on soils that contain coal. Therefore, it is recommended to add several pieces of this rock to the bottom when planting.

Care

There is not much difference in the process of growing thuja and juniper. Both representatives of the Cypress family need watering in the absence of precipitation for a long time - at least 5 liters of water are needed for each plant.

Feed trees and shrubs once a year, in the spring. During loosening, complex fertilizer is applied to the soil. Monitor regularly to surface layer the earth was not covered with a hard crust. Conifers need weeding only for the first 2-3 years after planting.

Juniper care

As for pruning, only sanitary pruning is required, which is carried out as necessary in the fall or spring. There are no schemes for regulating fruiting even for junipers. The formation of the crown is carried out exclusively for decorative purposes.

Diseases and pests practically do not bother conifers. But Cypress trees themselves become good protection for the plants neighboring them.

What is better to plant on the site

Both members of the family fit perfectly into the landscape of any site. Therefore, the difference is small, what to choose if not special requirements. It is better to pay more attention to choosing a place, taking into account the size of an adult plant.

It is also worth knowing that thujas develop rapidly and live for about 100 years. Junipers, on the contrary, grow very slowly and are real long-livers - their average age is 500 years.

Possessing healing properties, both varieties will be appropriate for garden plot. But juniper is more profitable in the sense that it is also a good fruit bearer with edible berries. But thuja seedlings are cheaper and more profitable to buy for hedges.

A few words about design

Having figured out how to properly plant thuja boxwood and juniper on the site, they decide the following question: for what purpose is this being done. If thuja is used as green space around the perimeter of the territory, then juniper is planted either in small groups or alone. The flower arrangement of an alpine hill looks great, where the central place is occupied by a creeping juniper bush.

The question is quite complicated, because both plants belong to the same family - cypress - and are in many ways similar to each other.

How to distinguish thuja from juniper

How to distinguish thuja from juniper is, in general, not a question, because their needles are completely different visually and to the touch: those of juniper are needle-shaped and prickly, while those of thuja are flat and soft.

You can distinguish them by their fruits: juniper has a fruit in the form of a round berry-like cone-cone of blue color, and thuja has fruits that are elongated brown cones, which consist of lignified scales, between which there are flattened seeds with narrow wings.

If you compare thujas and junipers in appearance, then:

  1. Today, breeders have developed many different varieties of thuja and juniper, and they have similar shapes. For example, the thuja Columna, as straight as a column, can be compared with the Blue Arrow juniper, which also has a clear and even silhouette. The ideal cone of thuja Smaragd can be effortlessly repeated and reproduced on Strict juniper with the help of a haircut.
  2. Unlike juniper, thuja has a lot of perfectly spherical varieties (of different heights): Globoza, Woodwardy, Teddy. A sort of perfect balls, which, of course, because of their shape, are most often used in landscape areas regular style. But such coniferous balls look great in landscape style, if they are correctly entered into environment. Not to mention crayfish and mixborders, where the beauty of small spherical conifers can always be enhanced and shown in contrast with the shapes and colors of other perennial plants.
  3. But the junipers huge assortment spreading and creeping crowns: Cossack, Virginia Hetz, Blue Carpet, etc.
  4. both plants can now indulge in a variety of colors: green, yellow and blue flowers. For example, Thuja Miriam is green with golden tips, and a juniper called Blue and Gold - blue and yellow - looks absolutely wonderful with its bright yellow branches among the main greenery of the crown with a tint of blue.

Arborvitae and junipers in landscape design

How to use thujas and junipers in landscape design:

  • junipers are usually planted either as single plants (tapeworms) or in small loose groups: several plants are planted in a certain order with a distance from each other (therefore the group is called loose). Most often, three junipers form a small uneven triangle, which is then lined in the lower zone with creeping forms (Kazatsky) and decorated with stones. Junipers are very rarely used for hedges because they grow much slower than thujas.
  • Thujas make magnificent hedges. Thuja Braband, Smaragd, Columna create a dense beautiful wall. Braband and Smaragd are almost the same height, up to 5 m, only Braband has the shape of a wide column (1.5 m), and Smaragd has a conical crown shape. There are other differences, so you need to carefully choose the variety of thuja for a hedge on your site, taking into account climatic and soil conditions, whether the plants will be trimmed regularly or will be allowed to “ free swimming" and so on.
  • if you need to secure slopes or slopes on the site or decorate alpine slide and rockery, it’s better creeping forms You won't find juniper. There are about 60 varieties of different creeping (horizontal) forms. Moreover, there are literally creeping ones, the height of which does not exceed 10 cm, or even less: Prince of Wales or Wiltoni. And there are a little higher (up to 40cm): Blue Forest, Blue Chip (blue), Andorra Compact, Limeglow (yellow), Plumosa (multi-colored), Icee Blue (blue), Hughes (green), etc.

What is the difference between thuja and juniper when grown?


How does thuja differ from juniper in appearance, cultivation and care?

What is the difference between thuja and juniper, if you look at it from the point of view of growing conditions:

  • Thuja tolerates smoke and gas pollution very well, which is why it is most often used in urban landscaping. Junipers suffer from dirty air, grow poorly, get sick, but feel great in suburban areas
  • junipers are very frost- and drought-resistant, not demanding on soil, since they have a very powerful root system, going to a depth of 10 m or more. From there (from the depths) the plant gets everything it needs. nutrients, so it does not require any feeding or water.
  • thuja, although it is considered light-loving plant, but can also grow in the shade. However, in the shade it will “turn green” if the variety has a multi-colored color and the crown grows looser. Also, although thuja is considered an unpretentious plant, it is demanding on soil and water. If the soil is sandy and poor, then you will have to constantly feed the plant, at least in the first years. Since thuja is very moisture-loving, it can grow even on soils with high level groundwater. If, on the contrary, there is little moisture in the area, then you will have to water the thuja. She also really likes to be sprayed with water on her needles.

As you can see, according to the growing conditions, thujas and junipers require a little different conditions growth. These features must be taken into account when planting seedlings and in the first years of plant growth, when the root system is still small and cannot yet support itself independently.

Caring for thuja and juniper

Both thuja and juniper are fairly unpretentious plants; they won’t require special care if they are old enough.

Some care is required for young plantings, when the root system is not yet sufficiently developed:

  1. regular watering, especially in dry summers
  2. shading in extreme heat and in very bright sun, which can be especially merciless to the needles in the spring, reflected from the snow: twigs can burn and change color from green to rusty
  3. shelter and insulation of the soil trunk circle for the winter if the winter is harsh in your region, since the shallow root system may freeze

At the age of 4-5 years, the need for winter shelter and watering will disappear completely: the plants develop independently and extract from the soil everything they need for their life.

Caring for adult plants comes down to clearing the so-called needle fall and trunk in late autumn from fallen needles, which can accumulate in the dense crown in wet nests in the branches of the stem branches from the main trunk, which can lead to its rotting. Junipers especially need this, since they are the ones who suffer the most from the death of needles for various reasons:

  • when planting densely and juniper branches coming into contact with other powerful plants, metal walls tanks or corrugated sheeting, the coniferous shrub suffers and “scorches” appear: the needles die and fall off
  • in early spring, when the sun is already “burning” and there is still snow below, the plant is still “sleeping” - it does not have sap flow, as a result of which it can get burns. During this period, some experts recommend watering the plants well. warm water to saturate the ground with the moisture necessary for the conifer during the period spring awakening to balance the above-ground and root parts.

Actually, needle fall is the natural process of needles dying off over the course of a year and being replaced by new ones. This can be compared to the regeneration processes of human skin. It is characteristic of all conifers. Therefore, in October, when the “red” (dead) needles are very easily cleaned by simply stroking the branches with your hand, we clean the entire crown: branches and trunk.

Well, of course, trimming plants should be quite regular, especially in the first years of life, when you are forming the crown. Then, when the plant matures, you can only do a maintenance haircut, but still, this needs to be done a couple of times a season. There are varieties that are self-sufficient in this regard, but they also need to be cut off, at least 1 cm, from the tips of the branches in order to stimulate the growth of unawakened buds in order to obtain a perfectly lush crown.

And also, regular pruning helps to cope with the natural processes of regeneration of needles: the dying off of old ones and the regrowth of new ones. If you don’t want to encounter large red bald spots in the crown of conifers, trim them in spring and autumn.

The benefits of thuja and juniper on your site

All conifers have the amazing healing property of enriching the air with phytoncides. It’s not for nothing that doctors recommend that all recovering patients take walks in pine forest. But! Coniferous forests (pines, spruces) release about 5 kg of phytoncides from 1 hectare, and juniper plantings or thickets - 30 kg. Junipers are considered record holders for their medicinal properties, even among other conifers.

It is impossible within the framework of this topic to dwell in more detail on all medicinal properties these conifers, but even just the healing effects of volatile phytoncides are invaluable for humans, because the largest human organ is the skin and the most vital organ is the lungs, which absorb and pass through a huge mass of surrounding air. So let it (the air) be healing! Plant thujas, junipers and pine trees on your site!

Experts on coniferous plants say that thujas live 100 years, and junipers - 1000! Choose for your site conifers, focusing on your own preferences, because both are good, each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages, various shapes and colors, which can be used quite effectively in the design of a site, combining and arranging them with each other in single and group compositions.


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pharmaceutical camomile

About beneficial properties chamomile, or peeled chamomile(Chamomilla recutita), many people know. In the wild, it is found only in abandoned fields where it was specially grown. But many look-alikes grow everywhere - the so-called chamomile-like plants, which have baskets with white edged flowers. This and dog daisy (navel) (Anthemis cotula), And chamomile (chamomile) perforated or three-rib odorless(Matricaria perforat a), and known to everyone common cornflower, or popovnik (Leucanthemum vulgare). They do not contain the valuable biologically active compounds bisabolol and chamazulene, which are contained in chamomile essential oil and have strong antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and chamazulene also has anti-allergic effects.

in the photo there is chamomile

In scientific medicine, only use is allowed pharmaceutical chamomile . When similar plants are used externally - for rinsing hair, washing - there will be no harm, but also the desired effect. But when taken orally, we not only do not get the desired therapeutic effect - side effects may also occur.

How to distinguish chamomile

They have larger single inflorescences, and the leaves are solid, jagged, and not pinnately dissected into narrow linear lobes.

nivyanik in the photo

Dog chamomile (navel) and odorless three-rib.

They can be distinguished by two characteristics:

  • Chamomile inflorescences have a strong, very pleasant, slightly apple-like aroma. The rest of the “daisies” either do not smell, or smell unpleasantly, rather harshly.
  • If you cut the inflorescence of a plant crosswise into two parts, the receptacle of chamomile is hemispherical, and at the end of flowering it is conical, and on the cut you can see an empty cavity inside. In other species the receptacle is more sloping and complete.


in the photo there is an odorless three-rib

Elecampane

Scientific medicine recommends elecampane tall(Inula helenium), popularly called “nine-sil”, “divosil”. Preparations based on it are a good expectorant for chronic and acute diseases respiratory tract, also help with peptic ulcers in combination with other plants.

Amateur herbalists often confuse it with or beautiful (Telekia speciosa) - ornamental plant, in some places even becoming an annoying weed. These plants are similar in appearance. Both are tall - they grow up to one and a half meters or more, with golden-yellow flowers collected on the tops of the stems in large inflorescences-baskets.

in the photo elecampane is tall

Rhizomes and roots contain essential oil (up to 5.7%) and inulin (up to 44%), many other valuable compounds. Biologically active substances - sesquiterpenoids isolated from them - are used in scientific medicine for the healing of long-lasting non-scarring ulcers of the stomach and duodenum. The underground part of telekia contains several times less essential oil, inulin and biologically active sesquiterpenoids.

How to distinguish a real elecampane

leaves elecampane oblong-elliptical, with a narrowed base turning into a petiole, densely pubescent below, velvety gray-felt. And telekia The leaves are broadly ovate with a heart-shaped base, light green below. Elecampane fruits have a flying tuft that is twice their size, while telekia fruits have fruits without a hairy tuft.


Telekiya is beautiful in the photo

Horsetails

Difficulties often arise with collecting horsetail (Equisetum arvense). This species has two types of shoots. Spring ones are spore-bearing, light brown, unbranched, 7-25 cm high, withering after the spores ripen. And summer ones are green, branchy, 20-25 cm high, similar to a small Christmas tree. They are the ones approved for use in scientific medicine - as a diuretic, in the treatment of various internal bleeding, respiratory diseases, metabolic disorders and many other diseases.

horsetail in the photo

There are similar species that are not approved for use in medicine: horsetail (Equisetum sylvaticum), horsetail (Equisetum pretense), horsetail (Equisetum palustre). They differ both externally and biologically in content. active substances and places of growth.


horsetail in the photo

How to distinguish real horsetail

In twin species, the spore-bearing stems do not die after the spores ripen; green branches appear on them. However, you also need to know the diagnostic signs. If plants lack the upper spore-bearing part of the stem, they can be distinguished by comparing the stems, lateral branches and stem sheath teeth.


horsetail in the photo

Junipers

Common junipers (Juniperus communis) And juniper cossack (Juniperus sabina) vary greatly, but are often mistaken for the same plant.

Common juniper- an evergreen coniferous shrub or small tree up to 6 m high (less often and higher), with a cone-shaped crown. The spiny needles are 1-1.5 cm long, needle-shaped, awl-shaped, collected in whorls of three needles and deflected from the branches.

The fruit is a fleshy bluish-black coneberry with a waxy coating, with pleasant aroma and sweet-spicy taste, ripening in the second year after pollination. Since the fruits are formed from three fertile scales, they have a triradiate groove at the top and 3 (rarely 1-2) seeds. Thanks to the essential oil and terpineol included in its composition, they are recommended as a diuretic for edema associated with renal failure and circulatory disorders.

in the photo is a common juniper

As disinfectant used for chronic pyelitis and cystitis, urolithiasis. Together with other herbal remedies, they are used for chronic diseases of the respiratory tract (tracheitis, laryngitis, bronchitis) to thin mucus and facilitate its expectoration.

Juniper Cossack- a squat evergreen coniferous creeping shrub, up to 1.5 m high. It is found in nature to the south of the previous one, but is more often used in urban landscaping and is sold in garden centers as more resistant to urban pollution and easier to grow. Therefore, most people encounter it more often.

in the photo is Cossack juniper

The fruits and needles of Cossack juniper are toxic and contain many toxic compounds: sabinene, sabinyl acetate, sabinol. Even small doses of fruits or infusion of pine needles can cause severe poisoning, resulting in damage to the kidneys and central nervous system. nervous system. The victims begin to experience bloody diarrhea, and in women, in addition, severe uterine bleeding and convulsions. IN severe cases paralysis and then death are possible.

How to distinguish real juniper

The Cossack juniper has scaly needles, arranged crosswise in pairs, pressed against the shoot. They are significantly shorter (3-8 mm) than those of common juniper and have a pungent odor. The fruits are round, 6-8 mm long and 5-6 mm wide, brown-black with two (less often 1-4) seeds.

What happens if you mistakenly accept a double?

If by mistake instead of the required medicinal plant use its non-poisonous counterpart, then in most cases you will not experience any significant harm or benefit. What to do if poisoning occurs? You must immediately call a doctor or take the patient to medical institution. If there is no medical worker and the emergency occurred far from settlements, the victim needs the first health care: induce vomiting if he is not unconscious; then rinse the stomach (give a weak pink solution of potassium permanganate to drink) and then induce vomiting again. Do this procedure several times. Give activated charcoal and saline laxative for more quick removal poison from the intestines.

Photo for the material: Shutterstock/TASS, Andrey Tsitsilin, drawings: Natalia Shevyreva.

Today you no longer need to worry for a long time about what to plant in the garden. The shops are full of all kinds of flowers and shrubs, the types and varieties of which allow you to completely recreate the imaginary picture. And evergreens are increasingly found in this picture. Many people want to see elegant, tall tree with small dove-blue needles for planting hedge or low-growing shrub with small branches as accents in flower arrangements. And as soon as you come to the store, juniper and thuja immediately claim the role of such a plant. They look very similar, but each has its own characteristics.

Similarities between thuja and juniper

And they belong to the same cypress family, so they have no special external differences. These plants have the same scale-like needles. Although in some cases it is already possible to distinguish them by this factor. Young thuja and juniper shrubs have needle-shaped needles. But thuja needles always become scaly over the years, and in some types of juniper they remain needle-shaped. Both of these plants can please you with an unimaginable number of varieties of various shapes and shades.

Differences between thuja and juniper by cones and sizes

Thuja and juniper can be completely indoor plants, and can grow several meters in height. The tree-like thuja reaches up to 70 meters in height with a trunk diameter of 6 meters. Juniper grows a maximum of 15 meters. True, such specimens are extremely rare. History speaks of at different ages such plants. Thuja can please you with its appearance up to 100 years, while juniper is hundreds. But if it concerns only them decorative properties, these facts do not matter. The difference between thuja and juniper can be found in the shape of the cones: in juniper they are spherical, while in thuja they are oval.

How does thuja differ from juniper in shape?

Modern breeding technologies have made it possible to bring to the market a lot of plants of similar shapes. Both thuja and juniper simply amaze with the choice of varieties. But, nevertheless, they cannot be called completely identical. Some types of thuja can acquire a perfect spherical shape, which cannot be said about juniper. But if you need a creeping plant, then the latter is what you need. Why they land also plays a big role. Many people look for juniper, but in reality it is not as good for this as thuja. It is usually planted either as a solitary specimen or in small groups. In addition, a hedge made of juniper will be more expensive than one made of thuja, since more plants will be needed. And juniper takes longer to grow.

Conditions for the growth of thuja and juniper

Thuja and juniper are unpretentious plants, although even in this there are differences. Thuja can grow luxuriantly in a smoky, gas-polluted environment, while juniper will not thrive in such conditions. That is why in big cities Thuja is more common, and on summer cottages– juniper. But thuja is demanding on the soil. It is best to plant it in rich, moist soil in an open area. sun rays place. Juniper is resistant to drought, frost and can grow in poor soils.


Juniper or thuja - which is better?

Few plants have such beneficial properties, like thuja and juniper. Differences in such plantings can be supplemented by another criterion - the amount of phytoncides. These elements kill bacteria in the air and give that enchanting pine aroma that is characteristic of these plants. There are more of them in juniper, so the smell will be brighter. But it’s clear to say that Thuja is better or juniper is impossible. They are beautiful in their own way and are great for any garden. So, if you need to make a choice, you need to proceed from where, how and why such a plant will be planted.

Of all the junipers, the Cossack one is considered the most poisonous. But at the same time it is one of the most spectacular shrubs among all types of juniper and one of the most unpretentious. Everything in it is poisonous - the stems, foliage and berries, but this did not at all affect its popularity in Russia. Just when growing ephedra you need to follow simple rules security.

Cossack juniper (Juniperus sabina) - description

  • In Russia it is found in the mountains of the Caucasus, Crimea, southern Urals, Kazakhstan and Altai, in Siberia.
  • This creeping shrub, semi-creeping forms are often found, which rise above the ground to a height of 1-1.5 meters. It quickly grows in width, since the shoots in contact with the ground take root well on their own and form extensive dense thickets.
  • Although it grows very slowly, for example, in the Moscow region, in 1 year of life it adds only 6-8 cm.
  • Trunks dressed in red-brown bark with peeling scales.

  • On young plants needles needle-shaped with a pointed tip. Their length is 4-6 mm. The upper side of the needles is bluish-green and soft with a distinct vein in the middle.
  • In mature individuals, the needles are scale-like and hard. If you rub several needles in your palm, the resulting pungent odor will prevent you from confusing the species with other junipers.

  • Bloom occurs in April-May.
  • Berries very small and almost spherical, 5-10 mm in size. They look like brown-black beads with a bluish coating, scattered in blue-green pine “cotton wool”. Distinguish them from edible berries Common juniper is very simple. The Cossack-type berry contains only two seeds inside, while the common juniper has three.

  1. Cossack juniper tolerates winter cold well. It is tolerant of drought and the harsh conditions of the city - smoke and gases. Loves sunny places and is not at all picky about the composition of the soil.
  2. Only young plants during the period of active growth require regular watering. Adult plants are not demanding of humidity.
  3. In early spring it needs feeding. Very fertile soils may lose its typical crown shape.
  4. Shelter will be required for the winter if the bush is tall and large. And this is only necessary so that the branches do not break from the snow, especially in the spring, when it swells with moisture.
  5. It survives pruning painlessly.

Juniper berries and oil are toxic!

Ephedra shoots are endowed essential oil- sabino. We must not forget about the toxicity of the plant.

Even in ancient times, one of the founders of botany, Dioscorides, mentioned the ephedra. Interestingly, sabinol oil, contained in the branches and cones of the plant, has an abortifacient effect.

There is a legend that the species got its name from the name (Sabina) of the riotous woman who discovered this property. In some countries, a ban has even been imposed on planting the species in public places.

Severe uterine bleeding is also caused by Cossack juniper berries. Poisoning with berries can cause convulsions and even paralysis. Therefore, it is strictly forbidden to eat them, unlike common juniper berries, which are used in preparing dishes and drinks.

Place on site

  • The plant is perfect for hedges.
  • It will be an addition to the arsenal of plants in a rocky garden.
  • Crowded group plantings can be placed on a spacious green lawn.
  • Coniferous bushes are sources of not only extraordinary beauty, but also a real storehouse of benefits for the site. Drooping branches take root well and form a kind of reinforcing net for the layers of soil. If planted on slopes or near groundwater, the plant's roots will greatly strengthen the soil, which will prevent erosion.
  • Plants can be used to create wide borders along paths and paths.

No matter how beautiful it is, if there are small children growing up in the house, it is better to choose one. Because of its berries and stems, Cossack juniper is included in the group of 15 most toxic garden plants. And among the huge selection of juniper species, you can always find the one that suits you perfectly.