Moonglow Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum ‘Moonglow’)

Moonglow Juniper sounds so mysterious right? But, honestly, this outdoor tree earns its name as it is a majestic tree you can grow in your garden. A fact is that with its upright-pyramidal shape, it shows its silvery-blue foliage that looks like the moon is shining on it at night. So, if you want to add some charisma to your garden, this cultivar is ideal and works in most gardens.

I. Appearance and Characteristics

Junipers are native species of the northern regions of America. The tree is a cultivar of the Rocky Mountain Juniper known by its botanical name Juniperus scopulorum. The tree fashions a compact branching habit with needle-shaped foliage in a blueish-silvery-green color.

The silvery hue that reflects on the dense foliage gives it the mystical name of Moonglow Juniper, creating a magical appearance. It is a hardy tree that can withstand urban pollution and is deer resistant.

You can grow the Moonglow Juniper tree in shrub form with its slender width and grows at a moderate rate. Therefore, you can expect this tree growing in northern areas to reach 20 feet tall. But with pruning, you can control the height and shape.

Moonglow Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum 'Moonglow')

Though left to their own devices, they can reach up to 40 feet tall. Still, even growing tall, it remains with a narrow width of 3 feet to 10 feet but can reach 15 feet wide. For this reason, when grown in its specimen form, it fits nicely into smaller spaces in the landscape.

You can grow smaller shrubs around it as it has a non-aggressive root system. So add this slow-growing evergreen to the landscape today for a magnificent display.

II. How to Grow and Care

Sunlight

When we think of it, there are few places the Moonglow Juniper tree will not grow happily.

But the best spot is in full sun. So if you grow your plant indoors, provide it with bright direct sunlight for at least six hours.

It is a sun-loving plant, but even if they find themselves in a spot with partial shade, they will not make a fuss. Still, full shade can be detrimental to your Moonglow Junipers’ health.

While you need not do anything further where lighting concerns this, tree-the Moonglow Juniper can do numerous things for you.

So, you can grow them as a noise buffer or for privacy screening as a windbreaker and help control erosion. Or grow your tree as a topiary at the entrance of your home. Best of all, you can grow them under powerlines in full sun.

Temperature

Moonglow Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum 'Moonglow')

The Moonglow Juniper tree is hardy in the growing zone 3 to 9 to withstand temperatures down to -30°F (-34.4°C). So regardless of the region you live this tree will mostly survive.

But it also depends if you have a lot of rain or snow. So while it is cold hardy in cold regions, it will need a bit more attention.

With the combination of cold temperatures and water, it can get an ice covering and only tolerate those conditions for up to two days. We recommend covering your trees in colder regions.

Watering

Okay, while the Moonglow Juniper is tolerant to drought, it does not mean it does not need watering.

The Moonglow Juniper tree will not need to be watered regularly when rainfall is present. Instead, the water will be enough to keep the root system hydrated.

Yet, for young trees not established, you must provide supplemental watering about once a week. Also, it is only needed if you have no rain showers.

And additional watering will need to be done for the first two years of young trees.

Soil

Moonglow Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum 'Moonglow')

Whether you grow your tree in a container or the landscape, the most important thing has well-drained soil.

The shrubs are not picky about the soil type they grow but prefer acidic to alkaline soils. The specific plant can even tolerate clay-based to loamy or compacted ground. The important thing is drainage.

The Moonglow Juniper tree is a drought-tolerant species. Nonetheless, it does not enjoy wet feet and does not take it well when the roots are soggy the whole time.

Fertilizing

For maximum hardiness and health, fertilizing your Moonglow Juniper is essential. Yet, we do not recommend using chemical fertilizers during the summer months. It will cause damage to your tree’s roots.

Preferably use a plant flood balanced with extended-release properties like a slow-release fertilizer. So, choose a feed to provide your Scopulorum Moonglow with added acid. If you want to use a chemical fertilizer, we recommend using it in early spring.

Alternatively, use an organic feed like compost or manure as it benefits the tree and improves the ground. A slow-releasing fertilizer can be applied once a year during the growing season.

Refrain from feeding your Moonglow Junipers in the fall to winter as they enter the dormancy period. Fertilizing at this time will lead to new growth that is too weak to handle the cold.

Planting Instructions

Site your juniper in soil that drains well and receives at least six hours of sun a day. Unpot the sapling and tease out any encircling roots, which can girdle the tree and slowly kill it. Dig a hole that’s as deep as the root ball and twice as wide. Place the tree in the hole, spreading out the roots. Holding it upright and steady, fill in around it with topsoil, tamping down as you go to eliminate air pockets. Water thoroughly. Apply a 2- to 3-inch layer of organic mulch, such as bark chips, around the root zone, being careful that it doesn’t touch the trunk to avoid rot.

Pruning

Monitor your juniper for dead, diseased, or damaged limbs, and trim these out whenever you see them. The tree needs little regular pruning, and will naturally grow into a tall, thin pyramidal form. If needed, it accepts light pruning to neaten up the shape, but shouldn’t need heavy annual pruning.

Pollination

Moonglow Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum 'Moonglow')

As conifers, Moonglow junipers don’t have flowers. They produce seeds through cones, which are either male or female. Female cones produce small ornamental berries, which contain the seeds. They are very attractive to songbirds and other wildlife.

Propagation

If you do not want to keep purchasing plants, propagation is a great way to ensure you always have these trees. As per Clemson University, propagation is best done through cuttings from mid-fall to mid-winter.

So, what will you need to propagate Moonglow Juniper:

  • A 6-inch pot with drainage holes and a slow-releasing fertilizer
  • Finely chopped bark with peat moss and rooting hormone
  • A plastic bag with a rubber band and pruners
  • Some garden soil and sand to make a well-draining soil

Steps to propagate your Moonglow Junipers

  • First, prepare your pot with fertilizer at the bottom and fill it to the rim with a potting mix of equal parts chopped bark and peat moss.
  • Next, cut a six-inch stem from your shrub using a clean pair of pruners. Preferably cut a firm to green stem and pinch the side shoots at the bottom 1/3 of the cutting.
  • Now, dip the cut end into the rooting hormone and plant in the pot 1/3 to one-half of the total cutting length in the soil. Water lightly, allowing the soil to settle around the root zone.
  • Cover the container with the plastic bag and secure it with the rubber band. Then slit small holes to provide air circulation.
  • Place the container in bright indirect light and check it weekly to water if it feels dry.
  • The roots develop in late winter, and new growth begins until early summer.
  • You can transplant the cuttings you placed a few inches apart into individual containers with well-draining soil and drainage holes. Use two parts of garden soil, with one part coarse sand and one part peat moss. Please place them in partial shade for up to five days before moving them to direct sunlight.

After a year of growing in the containers, you can plant them in a sunny spot, and if it does outgrow the container before a year, transplant them to a larger container.

Pests and Diseases

Moonglow Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum 'Moonglow')

The Moonglow Juniper is relatively pest- and disease-free, but that does not mean it can get its fair share of problems. The Moonglow Juniper trees attract two pests the Bagworm Caterpillars and Juniper Webworms.

These insects damage the branches and the foliage. Therefore, it helps to check your tree periodically to remove the diseased and dead branches to prevent the spreading of the infestation.

Furthermore, the Moonglow Junipers are susceptible to Twig Blight, Cedar Apple, Hawthorn, and Quince Rust, all forms of tree rust.

Other diseases to look out for are canker and Phomopsis blight.

III. Uses and Benefits

Moonglow Juniper is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a narrowly upright and columnar growth habit. It lends an extremely fine and delicate texture to the landscape composition which can make it a great accent feature on this basis alone.

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