Juniperus Pfitzeriana Glauca

Juniperus 'Pfitzeriana Glauca' is a very hardy hybrid juniper, forming a medium-sized bush with a spreading habit and upright and arched branches. It has fine and flexible foliage, with a beautiful light blue-grey colour. This conifer is perfect for colonizing a large slope or filling out a border in a small garden. It produces attractive small fruits that start off red-purple and ripen to a blackish-blue colour, which are appreciated by birds. It prefers sunny locations and well-drained soil, even poor soil that is occasionally dry and chalky.

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

The 'Pfitzeriana Glauca' cultivar stands out for its grey-blue foliage. It forms a beautiful bush with a spreading habit and branches that tend to be upright and arched. It reaches a height of about 1.50m (4ft 11in) and a spread of 3m (9ft 10in) at maturity. It grows slowly when young, but its growth accelerates slightly as it ages. Its thin and flexible branches, with a feathery appearance, are covered with tightly packed small leaves that release a pungent odour when rubbed, which can be perceived as unpleasant. The fruits that form on the female plants are berries called galbuli; they are blackish-blue when ripe and rich in therapeutic properties. Junipers have a shallow root system, which makes them vulnerable to strong winds and difficult to combine with perennials.

The 'Pfitzeriana Glauca' juniper is a 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 work wonders as a standalone plant or in borders, planted alongside conifers with an upright or bushy habit. The true graphic qualities of conifers naturally stand out in the design of a contemporary garden, which favours the aesthetics of shapes, silhouettes, and textures over the dance of flowers. These plants, with their reassuring permanence, provide lasting structure to a border, mark pathways, border terraces, easily replacing the strong presence of trimmed boxwood or holly. They also pair well with wild-looking grasses with a very complementary temperament. They can also be combined with heathers (Erica x darleyensis), lavender, rosemary, or even frugal roses (Rosa chinensis 'Mutabilis'). The key is to play with volumes and colours.