Juniperus horizontalis ‘Wiltonii’ Blue Rug

Creeping juniper is a procumbent evergreen shrub that is native to Canada and the northern U. S. where it typically occurs in sandy and gravelly soils, sand dunes, rock outcroppings, slopes, prairies and stream banks. It forms a low ground cover that generally rises to 6-18? tall but spreads by long trailing branches with abundant short branchlets to form an often-dense, 4-10? wide mat. Foliage is primarily scale-like (adult) with some awl-like (juvenile) needles appearing usually in opposite pairs. Foliage is typically green to blue-green during the growing season, but often acquires purple tones in winter. Fleshy seed cones (dark blue berries) generally mature in two years, but are often absent on cultivated plants. ?Wiltonii? is a female cultivar noted for its excellent, dense, prostrate form, typically growing to 4-6? tall and spreading to 6-8? wide. It features silver blue foliage that acquires purple tones in winter. This cultivar is synonymous with J. horizontalis ?Blue Rug? and sometimes commonly called blue rug juniper.