← Bedfellow

Common Juniper

Juniperus communis

Common juniper is the widest-ranging conifer on Earth, a low spreading shrub of rocky, open ground whose aromatic blue berries flavor gin. Tough, deer-resistant, and superb for dry slopes.

Family

Cupressaceae

Type

tree

Lifespan

perennial

Height

5–15 ft

Spacing

9–12 ft apart

Light

sun

Soil moisture

dry, moist

Soil pH

acidic, neutral, alkaline

Bloom

April

Bloom colors

yellow

Wildlife value

songbirds, mammals, larval host

Caterpillar hosts

~42 butterfly & moth species

Landscape uses

naturalizing

Native states

AK, AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY