Juniperus pfitzeriana Compacta

The Juniperus pfitzeriana 'Compacta' is a very hardy hybrid juniper, forming a compact bush with a spreading habit and erect and arching branches. It is adorned with fine and flexible foliage, of a beautiful silver-green colour. This conifer is perfect for covering a slope, filling out a bed in a small garden or for adorning a border with its evergreen foliage. Honey-bearing, it produces pretty small fruits, initially reddish-purple and then black-blue when ripe, appreciated by birds. It prefers sunlight and a well-drained soil, even poor, occasionally dry and chalky.

The Juniperus pfitzeriana or Pfitzer juniper is an old hybrid variety, very popular in the early 20th century. It owes its name to Wilhelm Spitzer, the 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 Cypress family.

The 'Compacta' cultivar stands out for its more moderate growth. It forms a beautiful bush with a spreading and compact habit, with branches tending to be erect and arched. It reaches about 1m (3 in 4 ft) in height and 1.50m (4 in 11 ft) in spread at maturity. It grows slowly when young, then its growth accelerates as it ages. Its thin and flexible branches, with a feathery appearance, are covered with very tight leaves and release a penetrating odour when rubbed, which can be perceived as unpleasant. The foliage is of a beautiful silver-green colour. The fruits that form on the female plants are berries called galbulus; they are black-blue when ripe and rich in therapeutic qualities. Junipers have a shallow root system that makes them fragile in the face of strong winds and difficult to plant with perennials.

The compact Pfitzer juniper is a hardy small conifer that has proven its vigour and robustness on slopes and in large rockeries, among rocks. If you want to add a plant to your garden that looks good all year, consider one with moderate growth and grey-blue foliage. You can plant it alone or in beds, and it pairs well with conifers with a conical or bushy shape. These plants look great in modern gardens that value shapes, textures, and silhouettes over flowers. They provide structure to a garden bed for a long time and can border pathways or terraces. They can replace trimmed boxwood or holly. Pair them with wild grasses, heather, lavender, rosemary, or low-maintenance roses for a beautiful contrast of colour and volume.