Cutting creeping juniper »This is the best way to proceed

Cut regularly

Creeping junipers should be regularly subjected to smaller topiary prunings. Start cutting the shoot tips with young plants. This gives you the uniform and mat-like character of the ground cover without stressing it through radical cuts. The less you have to prune, the better the creeping juniper will thrive. There are varieties that hardly grow out of their shape and do not need to be pruned regularly.

These are ideal ground cover:

• Carpet juniper with a silvery-blue color: Juniperus horizontalis 'Glauca'
• Creeping juniper with slow growth: Juniperus communis 'Repanda'
• Creeping heather juniper with a mat-like shape: Juniperus communis 'Hornibrookii'

time

Juniper isn't just as tough when it comes to extreme weather conditions. The wood does not have any special demands on the time of cutting. You can prune creeping junipers throughout the growing season. The ideal date is the spring shortly before the shoot, so that the shrub sprouts and develops dense branches. You can also prune the low wood between August and October. Choose an overcast and cool day with no blazing sunshine or rain falling.

Cut properly

Only remove green branches, as creeping juniper cannot cut back into the old wood. The bushes only grow on the green shoots. If individual branches disturb the overall picture, you can cut them off at the branch fork. Do not leave stumps behind, because these are an ideal entry point for pathogens and fungi.

Tips for conservation pruning:

• clear from the inside every few years
• completely remove dead and bare branches
• Shorten shoot tips regularly
• in the spring Pear grid check and remove infected shoots

bonsai

If you want to shape a creeping juniper into a bonsai, you should constantly prune the shrub and avoid radical prunings. You can achieve dense branching with regular shoot cuts. Make sure that the cut is uniform so that the wood sprouts fresh in all places. You can clip off fine tips with your fingernail.