Junipers are found in many parts of the Northern Hemisphere.
Popular juniper varieties for bonsai in the U.S. include Prostrata juniper, San Jose juniper, and Shimpaku. All are named Juniperus chinensis, even though Shimpaku is native to Japan.
Other popular varieties are California juniper and Sierra juniper, which are usually collected, as well as Procumbens and Procumbens Nana, the garden junipers used for ground cover and often for making Shohin (small) bonsai.
Junipers are vigorous growers and easy to maintain. They can survive under a wide range of growing conditions.
Juniper berries can be made into gin, and branches are burned as incense in Tibetan Buddhist temples for their aroma.
Collecting
Juniper is a common landscaping material and can be found in nurseries. Select varieties proven to be suitable for bonsai.
Buy larger plants, as the price difference is well worth the reduction in time needed to develop them into notable bonsai.
Juniper shrubs can often be collected from gardens. Frequently, they are overgrown with a canopy atop long, leggy bare trunks. You must cut down the top growth gradually to encourage shoots to sprout on the trunk below when exposed to sunlight. A trunk without green buds will most likely die off. The deadwood (jin) can become part of your design to accentuate the age of the bonsai.
Environment
Juniper grows vigorously in full sun and thrives with ample water and fertilizer. They can be kept in partial shade but will grow less vigorously.
Juniper bonsai should be rotated to expose all sides of the tree to ample light.
Juniper bonsai can be displayed indoors for short durations. Consider rotating several bonsai to keep individual trees indoors for a week or two at a time.
Styling
Junipers are often styled as Moyogi (informal upright) bonsai and sometimes as cascade bonsai due to their prostrate growing habits.
Juniper bonsai can be shaped using a combination of wiring and the clip-and-grow method.
Start with a conceptual design by cutting off redundant branches so new growth can fill gaps to achieve your design goal. This is the premise of the cut-and-grow approach.
Use guy wires to pull large branches, simulating the drooping effect of their weight. Let smaller branches form pads by "poodling" and filling out to an imaginary outline. Wire small branches to speed up the formation of the pads.
Pruning
Always leave some growth on a branch when pruning juniper to avoid the entire branch dying back.
Juniper wood is very durable, making it ideal for leaving a stub when creating a jin to enhance the aged appearance of the bonsai.
Wiring
Guy wires can be used to simulate the natural drooping of thicker branches. Wire smaller branches to expedite the process of filling out pads if necessary.
The branches of juniper are malleable and can be bent or twisted—even partially cracked—to achieve the desired orientation.
Ensure the wire is sufficiently stiff and wrapped loosely to hold the branch (around 18 gauge) without girdling. Wire should be removed within a few weeks, expecting only slight bounce-back.
Trimming
Traditional branches are wired, and redundant branches are cut short to form pads. This process can be expedited by "poodling," allowing foliage to grow out to fill the imaginary outline of the pad.
In the final stage of styling, remove any growth outside the outline to refine and gradually expand the pad.
Pot and Repotting
Junipers can be repotted at any time of the year, assuming there is no excessive root loss. The best time is in the fall in mild climates or in the spring in areas with freezing weather.
Traditional evergreen bonsai are planted in muted-colored pots, such as the “purple sand” color of YiXing pots. However, rules are made to be broken—choose a pot color and shape that appeals to you. Consider the BH patent-pending pot with water-retaining capabilities built-in.
Reorient the tree after shaping to optimize its presentation. A slight twist in orientation may enhance its appearance. Bonsai trees featured in books often look “perfect” because their presentation has been optimized many times over the years. Bonsai is a timeless endeavor.
The BH standard soil mix combined with the BH patent-pending pot works well for junipers. The built-in retainer well allows the root ball to absorb residual water.
We recommend our proven soil mixture, which is equal parts sandy loam, peat moss or coconut coir, and perlite. Sandy loam can be substituted with topsoil if it is not clay-based.
Watering
A watering routine must consider soil composition, sunlight, and weather conditions. The standard BH soil mix is ideal for junipers because it retains moisture while providing ample pores to supply oxygen to the roots as water evaporates. This mix, combined with the water retention feature of the BH pots, works exceptionally well.
Count on watering at least once a day. Water thoroughly to allow the root ball time to absorb water, especially when the surface of the soil feels dry. You can never overwater a bonsai, as the shallow pots allow excess water to evaporate quickly.
Fertilizing
Junipers respond well to fertilization. Use half-strength fertilizer as recommended to avoid over-fertilization.
Pest Management
Juniper bonsai are relatively disease-resistant and pest-free. Use ant bait to eliminate ants, remove snails manually, and clean off spider webs.
Propagation
Cuttings, including large juniper branches, can root readily when kept in a moist, porous mix because most junipers have adventitious roots (hidden roots visible as bumps at the bark surface).
You can air-layer or ground-layer a large branch to give yourself a head start.
Click here to read general care instructions for most plant species.