February Tree of the Month-Taylor Juniper
Picture the rolling golden hills of an Italian landscape painting. You know, the kind with the sun-kissed stucco facades, olive trees, and the occasional cart pulled by a donkey. Now, what else do you envision? Plant geeks will say Italian Cypress trees that stand like erect soldiers, right?
Wouldn’t it be great to grow Italian cypress in St. Louis? To sit in their shade next to a fountain on a summer day, sipping some fine Italian wine while gazing over your Italian-inspired palazzo paradise instead of staring at your neighbor’s ugly shed while you swat mosquitos and keep picking gnats out of your wine glass.
Sigh.
Well, I can’t help you with the mosquitos or the gnats. Even worse, the Italian cypress will not survive in St. Louis. But before you lose all hope, I have good news. Something that will conjure the same visions of Italy you dream of…AND block the neighbor’s trash cans or shed. It’s called the Taylor juniper. (Juniperus virginiana ‘Taylor’)
The Taylor juniper is a cultivar of our native red cedar. (Even though it’s not a true cedar!) That means it can tolerate our crazy St. Louis soils and even crazier St. Louis weather. The red cedars are those evergreens you see along the highways and popping up in recently cleared fields. It’s considered a ‘pioneer species’ that moves in and helps pave the way for other succession species that follow in its footsteps. The Taylor cultivar has an extremely narrow, upright habit that mimics the Italian cypress but can withstand our area like a champ.
Taylors can reach up to 20′ or more in St. Louis but only spread 3-4′ wide, making it a great tall hedge or screen option in tight spaces. Full sun is a must, and well-drained soil. It’s extremely drought resistant once established.
As with most junipers, the main problem is Cedar-apple rust and bagworms. The Cedar apple rust galls erupt into a fascinating orange blob that sends spores to the other host plant-apple trees. In a unique crossover pattern, the afflicted apple trees send spores back to the cedars, forming the round galls. The fungus damages apple trees the most, causing fruit lesions and leaf blotching. For the junipers, it’s only an aesthetic problem.
On the other hand, bagworms can defoliate an entire tree or shrub, leading to death. The good news is that rust galls and bagworms can be manually picked or pruned off; no spraying is necessary! You purchase beautiful art to look at and admire. Your garden landscape is like a painting, look at it often, and you’ll spot any issues before they turn ugly.
What I love about this plant;
-It’s not an arborvitae!
-No messy fruits!
-The evergreen foliage and winter interest.
-Deer resistant!
-Relatively fast growing.
-It’s a cultivar of our native red cedar.
-Tolerant of poor soils and a variety of conditions
-Drought resistant once established.
-The narrow, pyramidal shape that’s great for hedges and screens (or mimicking the Italian countryside!)
What’s not so great.
-The dreaded bagworms and cedar-apple rust galls.
Be vigilant about checking for both and prune as needed. Your neighbor with apple trees will thank you.
Words and photos by Jo Batzer
© Jo Batzer, garden-lou.com, All rights reserved.
