All About the Sky Rocket Juniper Tree



Posted: Thursday, September 24, 2009

by Dennis Sons
tn nursery

The sky rocket juniper is a very tall and slender ornamental evergreen tree that is derived from the species juniperus scopulorum. Many people use this as an alternative to other trees when height is desired, but they do not have the room for a wide based tree. It is so named sky rocket' because of its tapering and narrow shape. Thusly, it resembles a rocket or when viewed upside-down it has the potential to be seen as the fire from the rocket's engine.

This tree is very easy tree to maintain, requiring no pruning or trimming. It will stay in its natural shape by itself. It is best kept in a full or a partial full sun drenched area. The soil should be well drained and filled with nutrients in order for the sky rocket juniper to flourish to its maximum potential. On the other hand, it will do well in poor soil conditions. It does not tolerate boggy or water soaked soil and will accept drought conditions readily. It is also tolerant to temperature extremes, including the cold. It is a relatively small tree, compared to many others, reaching approximately 15 feet in height and roughly two feet wide when mature, somewhere in the range of 10-15 years. That equates to an average growth of about one foot a year. The oldest of any tree that closely relates to the sky rocket juniper has been dated back to between 1,500 and 2,000 years old.

The sky rocket juniper contains very fine blue-green foliage with just a hint of grey to it and, no matter the season, the color will not fade. When grown under optimal conditions the trunk of this tree will not be seen, but in a less than ideal environment the trunk may show due to the scarcity of the branches and foliage. The seed cones resemble berries which are a dark blue with a very light blue over-lay and usually carry two seeds each, rarely holding three or even one. They mature roughly at 18 months. The pollen cones are shed early each spring and are only seen on the corresponding tree; this tree is dioecious, meaning that only one sex is found per tree.

Due to its low width stance, the sky rocket juniper is by far an excellent solution when looking to add a tree to your landscape, and you do not have to sacrifice the space you normally would have to. This tree goes beautifully with many other common shrubs and ground cover. Placing it among other, similar, plants and bushes will look wonderful. But if you are looking for something a bit out of the ordinary planting this tree among smaller, varying colors of scrubs and flowers will truly make it stand out and will give you a naturally unique and attractive landscape for your home. Planting several along side of each other will give bring upon a sense of natural privacy and protect you from the harshness of some elements, namely wind.

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