Juniperus pfitzeriana

Juniperus pfitzeriana is a very hardy hybrid juniper, forming a medium-sized bush with a spreading habit and erect and arched branches. It is adorned with fine and supple foliage, of a beautiful silvery green colour. This conifer is perfect for colonizing a large slope, or filling out a bed in a small garden. Honey-bearing, it produces pretty little fruits that are first red-purple and then black-blue when ripe, appreciated by birds. It prefers sun and well-drained soil, even poor, occasionally dry and chalky.

Juniperus pfitzeriana or Pfitzer juniper is an old hybrid variety, very popular at the beginning of the 20th century. It owes its name to Wilhelm Spitzer, head of cultivation at the Späth nursery in Germany, where this cultivar was born in the 1890s. It is said to be a cross between J. chinensis, the Chinese juniper, and J. sabina. It is a very hardy and highly ornamental conifer belonging, like its parents, to the Cupressaceae family.

It forms a beautiful bush with a spreading habit, with branches that tend to be erect and arched. It measures about 1.50m (4ft 11in) in height and 3m (9ft 10in) in width at maturity. It grows slowly when young, then its growth accelerates a bit as it ages. Its thin and supple branches, with a feathery appearance, are covered with very tight leaves and give off a penetrating odour when rubbed, which can be perceived as unpleasant. The foliage is of a beautiful silvery green colour. The fruits that form on the female plants are berries called galbulus; they are black-blue when ripe and rich in therapeutic properties. Junipers have a shallow root system that makes them vulnerable to strong winds and difficult to associate with perennials.

The Pfitzer juniper is a small hardy conifer that has proven its vigour and robustness on slopes and in large rock gardens, among rocks. With its moderate growth and its grey-blue mantle and foliage all year round, it will do wonders when planted alone or in beds, planted alongside conifers with a conical or bushy habit. The real graphic qualities of conifers naturally impose themselves in the design of a contemporary garden, which prefers the aesthetics of shapes, silhouettes, and textures to the dance of flowers. These plants with their reassuring permanence structurally define a bed, mark the paths, border the terrace, easily substituting for the strong presence of trimmed boxwood or holly. They also go well with tousled grasses with a very complementary temperament. They can also be combined with heathers (Erica x darleyensis), lavenders, rosemary, or even frugal roses (Rosa chinensis 'Mutabilis'). The key is to play with volumes and colours.