Shore Juniper

Shore Juniper (Juniperus conferta) is a low spreading conifer that stays around 30cm high and runs out to about 2m wide, forming a soft blue green mat that cascades over rock, brick and retaining walls. It is one of the toughest groundcovers available for exposed ground: salt tolerant, wind tolerant, drought tolerant and at home in poor soil. If you have a bank or a coastal front garden that defeats everything else, this is a sensible answer.

Why you'll love it

• Built for the coast. Salt spray and constant wind do not mark it, which is why it grows naturally on shorelines.
• Holds a slope together. The wide, low, densely branched habit binds loose soil on embankments where turf will not stay put.
• Almost no upkeep. No mowing, no feeding of consequence, no spraying. Once established it is genuinely drought tolerant.
• Thrives in poor soil. Sandy, gravelly and rocky ground suits it better than rich loam, so difficult sites become an advantage.

Where it works best

Groundcover and mass planting. Plant 1m apart for full groundcover. At that spacing the plants meet in two to three seasons and form a continuous mat that suppresses most weeds.

Retaining walls and slopes. Set plants along the top of a wall at 1m centres and let the branches spill over the face. On an embankment the spreading roots do real work holding soil in place.

Coastal gardens and rockeries. A front line performer on exposed blocks near the water, draping between boulders without hiding the rock.

Growing Shore Juniper in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun is essential. In shade it thins out, loses colour and becomes leggy. It suits warm temperate, cool temperate, Mediterranean and arid or semi arid gardens, and it is properly frost hardy for southern and inland conditions. It is not a plant for the humid tropics or wet subtropics, where damp summers bring fungal problems.

Soil. Free draining above everything else. Sandy and poor soils are ideal and need no improvement. On clay, mound the planting area up by 200mm to 300mm and mix in coarse sand, because sitting wet is the one thing that reliably kills it.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer, then only in prolonged dry weather. A light dose of slow release fertiliser in early spring is enough. Rich soil and heavy feeding produce soft floppy growth rather than a dense mat.

Pruning. Very little. Trim wayward stems back to a side branch within the green growth. Never cut into the bare brown wood underneath, because junipers do not reshoot from it and the gap will not fill.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in tubes, 140mm packs of ten and 200mm packs of six. Tubes are the economical option for a large bank and establish readily. The 140mm and 200mm packs give wider plants with more branches, meaning faster coverage and less weeding while the planting closes over.

It is a slow growing conifer, so be patient through the first year while it puts energy into roots rather than spread. From year two the sideways growth picks up noticeably. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Choosing plants for coastal gardens
• Browse the full groundcover range
• Compare salt tolerant coastal plants
• Find plants for retaining walls and slopes

Common questions

How many plants do I need to cover a bank?

At 1m spacing you need roughly one plant per square metre. For faster cover on a visible slope, tighten to 75cm and accept some overlap as the plants mature.

How long before it covers the ground?

Two to three seasons at 1m spacing. Growth is slow in the first year while the roots establish, then the spread accelerates. Keep the area weeded until the mat closes.

Will it grow in a shaded position?

Not well. Shore Juniper needs full sun to stay dense and hold its blue green colour. In shade it becomes thin, open and leggy, and pruning will not fix that.