Juniperus  Cupressacea   Juniper
Description: Junipers are numbered in legions.  There are about 60 species of these evergreen shrub and trees.  Junipers are evergreen coniferous ranging in size and growth habits.  Shrubs can be bushy and dense while prostrate alpines spread out in an abundance of ground cover.  Trees can be columnar to conical.  J. horizontalis or the Creeping juniper  is a dwarf prostrate shrub.  It has long and sometimes procumbent branches.  Each shrub can form a carpet up to 6 ft or more. 

J. Horizontalis (Creeping juniper)

Bar Harbor, Blue Chip, Emerald Isle, Andorra comp, Prince of Whales, Wilton Blue Rug
Low, creeping evergreen shrub that forms a mat.  Many cultivars are available.  Light blue leaves can be dense, scaly and spiny and mostly cover long, trailing branches and produce waxy berrylike blue cones about 1/4" in diameter.
Foliage: Usually pointed "awl-like" juvenile plant leaves ( actually much more like drawing pens)  changing to scalelike and crowded clinging closely to the stem in most adult plants.  Color ranges from green and yellow to steel blue and gray. J. horizontalis or the Creeping juniper has branchlet that are densely covered with mainly juvenile leaves.  Color is green, gray-green to blue and often turning plum in the winter.
Misc. info: The excellent ground covers come from prostrate varieties. J. horizontalis or the Creeping juniper is one of the best species for groundcover.

Height: same as species1/2-2"

Spread: as species 2-15'

Zone: 4-9
Site: Most suitable for alkaline soils although very adaptable to most soil and situations.  Full sun and tolerates hot dry conditions and heavy and rocky soil.

J. c. Bar Harbor:   Prostrate form with attractive glaucous gray-green color.  It has widespread, ground-hugging branches.
J. c. Blue Chip   Prostrate form with bright blue color throughout the year.
J. c. Emerald Isle   Very low growing  form with bright green color. Forms a very dense carpet.
J. c. Andorra Compact   A dense, procumbent, compact form.  Feathery branches the ascend up to 2 ft high.  gray-green awl-shaped leaves turn to a bronze-purplish foliage in winter.
J. c. Prince of Whales:   Bright green foliage tinged with blue.  A low growing dense dorm.  It can make mats up to 6 ft high.  Purple foliage in winter.
J. c. Wilton Blue Rug:   Flattened, glaucous blue carpets ar formed by long, prostrate branches.  One of the best and most popular forms.