Nursery and Landscape Performance of Ornamental Junipers in the

VAnJETY TRIALS
Nursery and
Landscape
Performance of
Ornamental
Junipers in the
Southern Rocky
Mountains
John T. Han-ington 1 and
James T. Fishcr2
ADDITION... INDEX IIOIIH. xcri5QIp~,
Junipenu)
l;1~dscaping
SUNIIIAIIY. SupplyinS llndsClpc plants
fur expandillg urban ~ntl:rs ill the
southC:J:n Roder MI)11ftta.ins pnmcles a
501ution to I.Im.iteci·l'eSOurcc pl'l)duc:c~
wi~hing to convert from traciJtloIL11
;agrktl1tural crop5 tQ hlJ;ller value
honicultural crops in this region.
Thirty-ravc: c:ultivul of ornamental
junipers (Jlmipn-us sp.) were pl:mb!:d
in an abandontd ;J~u1tural field in
Mora, N .M., to evaluate their swtabi.l.
ity tor nursery prodUttion In this
region. The pl~lltings were meQsurccl
;iller 4 )'Cl~, and ~dtlv"rs were
rankl!d for nnrsery sultabilfty. l'he
planting wa!: then grown tru an
additional 16 y=n; to examine
1:\lldscapc performance. Nineteen
cultiv:u:s were considered suitable for
nursery prodllction with five cultlvars
being higbly recommended based on
5unrival and growth. Twenty-fiye of
the: C:\11tiv:lrs WCl'e colu:i.dcrc:d suit:.tblc
tOI' .'\llwcape WIt! in th~ foothill
{CgiOIl
rains
of the ~outbcrn Rocky Moun·
the 20-year measure­
b~6ed 011
ment9. Nine: c:u.ltiVU$ w-=re cwslfle:d
as highly I:'Ccoaumcnded. PlOdu~olt
of orIWllCnt:i1l junipers pro1'ides an
eoonomil;:I! aitcrnative 1:0 traditional
agric:\JJtural prodw:tion systr:.ms_
M",,,llc:illm'h C:cn:cr, Dcp;""I1~ntDrAsr()nUlI1~"\:ld
Hnr[:c;J!~"n:, New Mexiw Sllle: Un!v;nlty, I..t!. ~ru;:c:,.
MSOO~
I'M
Tl!i~
,'c\OCJ"h Will funded. in I~II'!, t!uDUs;b 1,,'''11 n'om
MC:licrc,SlCI\J1il ruul th;: New l.lcxLcU A.gria:L!ltur~i
F.x~erim~'" ~l.tiD:'. Tho ~'l'[ rfp1.,bli.hll1!l LhL; papt,
"'n cial',y"oJ. in iJ1rt. by Ihe ~ymc~! (lrl"lllC C!l3Cjp.::'.
Under rl'~'.~ rCKul~jcn'. ,hi' j:Jpcr"",N ,h:rclim:- l...,
bcrcb~ i1wkcd ldlvtil.:mcnt IOlriy [11 ;odiC.1t: thi~'
r'Ct.
'AUUClM P'l"""'''l·.
IProlu...c.".
40
2CO
·c
T
he sOlld:.ern Ro,ky Moun­
t,UIl region has expe1"iel;,ced
significant population growrh
si nce the mid 19705. Most growth has
beell in the foothill and lower slop::
portions of the region in an cit.,,'atioll
range of 1,650 to 2450 111 (5400 to
HOOOft). IuNcv, Mexico, much ofthis
growth has occurred in RIo Arriba,
S<ln MiGud, Santa Fe, ,lila Tao~ couu­
ties of Ilorth cenrral New MeJrico.
1?opl1!ation incrcll~i.tl tl~etie fourcouu­
ties from 1980 to 1990 L".u~gcd frum
J3.2% ill San Miguc:J COUllty to 3 ! .3%
in $Olnt:l. Pe Co wlCy(Univcrsity ot"New
Mcxic:o, 1995). Urb::m :md ~UbLll"b~".ll
centcr. in this resion accounted tor
:nost Clf this growth (University of
New Mexico, 1994, 1995;. The
growth trend is expc,tcd to coutinue
ill these counties over the next several
dcc"dC5 with ~ projected popl1btion
;l1cre~c from ",183,OnO to >284,O{)O
in 2020 (Ul1ivc:r~ity of New Mexico,
.1994).
These mUllicipilIities havc ex.
p;]nd~d illto semiarid reg:onswith lim.
ired !lt~pplies ofur.dergroulld aI"d sur­
he!: water. To satisfjl the increasing
demands Oil the!c watc:rsupplies, most
municip:l.lities have emp.i.oyed various
water conservation meilSure~, includ­
ing the requircd use: ofxeriscape de­
!Iign~ for l1ewr<:~idcntial al'~d corr:mcr.
dot! developments. Entorceme:lt of
these xeriscapc ordiuall,;cli hIlS ehal·
lensed 'andsc::.pers and homeow)1er~
to de3ign and establish lipl.-d.e.s·divcrse
landscapes. Mall), native plants n-tlTTI
the lowcr de"'atiOll Chihuillman and
Sonoran Deserts llsed in xCl'i.5CCIpes
elsewherc in the so\!thwcst United
States are not suIted to rhe colder
c)jmate~ round ilt these. higner eleva­
tions.
Jul1:pel' h&s bec:l' chal'm:teri:.led (1$
one of the tougr.e5t groups of tVer­
greet' I~mlscape plants (Dirt, 1983).
Juniper species are ideally s-uced for
!.Ulds,apbg in rhe foothil! region of
the southo!rn Rocky Mountaim be­
C,U1SC of their ability to toIet'ate p:o­
.longed drought and wide telJlPcr~ture
extremC!s. Junipers, with ,l ,,,ide rans:
of growth forms, can be ust;d in lll\·
merous ways in a landSCflJ?e, from il
grou:1a cove.. to a solitary tree.
In CO~1t:a5t to populatior. growt:,
i:1 urban areas, rural popdatiolls or
tht:3c arld adjaccnt counties hav~ Sl~'8·
llattd, and in some cases decreased,
over the p~t three deca.des ('University
ofNcwMexico, 1995). T1lceconomy
ofth~se rur;lj regions remains hugely
b;1Sed in agricultural entclprises, prl.
marily ranchillg and small agricultural
rtoduction systems. Them.u'Sinal prof­
itability of these enterprises hilS CO.l­
tributcd :0 the overall downtl1.-n in
these nmll econorr:ies OUld the et~ux of
tlleir residents.
The Morl.1. Valley, in north eeml'al
New Mexico, is typical of many of
the~e rl1t'3..l ;\griculrural commun.lrles
in tn:: southern Rodty MOWlWns.
Tradition:l.IIY311 agLict1irur:o.l valley, the
Mora Valley i~ currently charac~rized
by small family owned t.im".. O:1e
opport\lniry to offset the o\'crull eco­
nomic downturn char;lcteristic ofsmJ..lI
agricultural enterprises throllghoutthe
country is to ch;lllge from traditional
crop~ sllch as alf.tlfl. to high value hor­
ticultural crops. However, the: l>hot·~,
l05·d growillg 3USO", the eool dgh t
temperatures, ,1 limited WJ.::er stippiy,
"nd the distance from huge ,omrnet­
c:iaJ marl:ets ,omblne fO exclude: most
alternative horticultural I;rops that car.
be: i'rodl1ced ecor:omic311y in thl:se
arcilS. Onc 50lutiOll 15 to produce
Christmas trca, whkllf'Ol'dccadc:sl:aye
bee:1 h;t.....cstl:d trum native forc~:s Olnd
have prOvided a !\i~ltificant and 0.1[:0­
ing economic enterprise in the Mor;1.
Vailey (Haningtol~, 1991),
A transition f'rom tradition.ll br.d
uses to Christnt;1S [rcc production
wO\lld create ,I more IIUl;tl1i:lable and
protibble e:m:rprisc thall is 3ttainOlbie
wirh trees hill'Veltcd from the torest,
b\~t such 3 transition £lees pan)' ob­
stacles. A primary difficulty with con­
versiun to Christmas tree production
is its slow return on invcumellt
(Gorman et aI., 1989), Produc:ti(m of
marketable Cbrisrmall trees in this val­
ley requi~~ 6 to 9 years~ depending o:t
::h; ~ped.:s iUld management: (10rma.l
et aI., 1989; Hmingtotl, J99{). A
potential solution is to produce ~10
in~erim high vallIe crop, ~uch as orra­
ment;.\1 jlmipen, market:blc !n til, ex­
panding urban and sllburbilll centerl'
of the region. Tuc junipers ,;oLlid be
irlt.!rplanted with thc Chri5tma.~ trees,
providing an interim rctUril on :n.... c.:.:;t­
mem in 5 to 4 years. 11lve.mncnt ill
hnd would rem~in unChanged, how­
ever, plant materia! costs would be
increased. Irrig;t1on COStS would reo
main sim:IiU', as most of thi.!i area is
t100d irri,!!:ated from surface W:lrer
so LlW::S.
The objective. of this study were
~\'owins sc~~on (Augu.st 1976) into
.:I.S-L (I-gal) pots cont",wling a (:;'y
to 1) examine the feclsibiliLY (b~cd on
survival and growth) of commercial
production ofjunipers ill north central
New Mexico tbr lands~ape <1ppika­
tions and.2) evruLlate the pcrtonnancl!
ot'these juniper cultlv<1l's over 20 years
in the landscape.
Materials and methods
volume) mixture ofl compostcd saw-
105 d, The soilsofthe planting 5; te are
dwt (mixed fit and pine) : 1 soil: 1.
a BryCl1n 100m (line, loamy, mixed
c:umulich..ploboroll). Following ?lam­
s;md. Plants were grown ;md o\'cl~Ninteredinalaruhousethroughthe ..pring
.md transplanted into the field in Junc
1977. PJant~ were fertilized weekJy
through tbe end of the gro.....Ing sea
sons witl1liq'lid ti::rtiiiZlct (75N-llP29K). At the end ofSeptember, plant:!
were fertilized with one ;;J.pplic:l1tiotl of
1ON-12~-15 1<.
p
TIltr:y-nvc cultivars of jl.lnipcr~,
reprcscntingsevenspecies, wereev:ULlated Cfa.ble 1).APlants, ori;inally root:td
3
into 6.25-cm (0.4-inch ) rose pors,
were: tr.m5planted at the end of ,he
l'er, Is located ac =2,200 m (7200 tt)
nnd hu an avcrDge frost-fi'eeper:odof
the planting Kite, New Mexico
State Uniycrsi:y~!$Mort\ Research Cen'
illS, piants were irrigated once: ",very
Ttll;mth tOr the fil"llt
KOng,
three gto\\ing sea-
1-0 examine h1.ndsc,~pe pertor•
manel: (survival I1J1d growth), no fur·
ther irrigll.tiol1 was p.rov[ded tTo:n the
throllsh IS'i' srmving sCS.!Ions.
The experimental deslSU was a
randomin,'c. complete block design
with six blocks. EoIC.h cLJhivar WlIS n::p­
resented by J 3 plants per block. Tree
4th
TabJe 1. Sunlval, mean h:ight i.Uld. MCU1 apread. of 5.cJd. grcn.n ....,..ental juoiper l:Ultiwrc after three growing 1IIQII0h$ It
Man, N.M, .&om 1'" tJu:2!tab Spring 1980 (;I;rwubrd error),
Cn1tlTu
(%) 'ArmStfODg'
45
83
J. "OjIU iurltln J. ds-ru ri~" J. l'i1'JfinilultJ :tSE
18 ± 1.0
'.Mint]ulep' 'l'Jiucri;.na Glflut::l'
"aJ.' 5ugcntii 'GIaut:t'
7C
'Bar Harl-tor'
<En:trnld ~'Pl'I!aciC1"
60
77
33±2.8
30 ± 1.0
35 ±4.8
18 ± 1.9
18 :!:2.6
\5 ± 1.~
Sj:lrcadcr'
40
'Emcnon', C-c:cl'er'
'Hughes'
'Nana'
•AtcllCtia'
'Bloadmoor'
R3
90
77
78
20::t 1.5
<TUrqUDi$1:
[. /lrtJtumbens
I··ralliH(/. "'18
~8
'Buff.llo'
75
85
'Skandia'
(i0
\'ar lammiscitbli1
'Tabletop Blue'
'J.{xpalUa'
var pr05tri1~ 'Silver Spreader'
HI±I).A
1.3:1::2.1
13:t:Ll
40 ± 1.5
15 ±2.1
15 ± 1.9
19 ± 3.8
16:t 0.2
16: c.4
19::: 1.6
18:: 6.7
14:: 2.6
11 :Q.6
=
lO±Ui
211 ± 2.S
3Ui: 1.1
20 ±O.9
15 4.7
18:; ~.7
l7::: 0.0
19:t:2.i
20:t 1.ll
llU;O.7
13 ± I.~
lO±l.J
2.0 ± 1.7
19± 0,2
a-l'
33.:t.O.7
b-f
30 ± 1.(1
30: l.i
l3:t 1.7
is :2.1
18 :3,9
12± i..9
20±2.0
1\2
92
92
42
Scmiprostratc/Scmi.l!!rect
r. cht'IUn.<U
'Fntiti~ndii'
'Hc:t7,i GI;auc::<1.'
·P6tr.cri:iu\a'
J. fSUi,,",
PynmldaJ/Cprlght
J. chi.n(;m1., ·P;;t7.cn:llU Aurea'
\!~r !targcl'ltii '\'iri di!!'
'l~bc
Dant'be'
't.'old Cout'
'UI3auw'
'1\Iue l'()int' 'SP:lrt,U)'
'Kctcletrl '
'Mottc:tii'
68
75
82
68
ft-15
18:!; J.O
16 :: OY
J7tH·
33 i: 1.4
21:1: 0.4­
;is
2.1 ± 1.6
55
40±2.5
a8 ± 1.6
70 ± 1.3
14:t:2.7
II ± 0,2
14, :: 3.3
88
4a
77
68 ± 1.8
55 ± 1.2
1:: ± 4.2
lUI ± 0.9
53 ± 1.4
J6±3A
It1 ± 5.3
Hi±2.7
15 ± 4.1'1
65
503 ± 2.8
1{1±5.6
60
a3 ± 1.6
17±4.6
'M:um"tt:tn Blue'
70
80
41
'Sky 'Rt)cket'
'lAkey."OOd Globe'
'PllthAnd<:r'
J. lIirgiuianfJ 73
63
Cohmll\1l.t
J. vl'1!in~'111 Globe
J. I(;OpukJmm
~ ';:mu~Li'-Ml\n:h 1999 9(1) 'tol
VARIETV TniALS
spacing WdS I n~ (3 fr) withiulOws and
1.2 m (4 ft) betwct:n rows. Survival,
height, :Uld ';[own lIPread were mea­
sured in the field in the sprinS of the:
founn growing SCaiion (May 1980).
The pla1lts were kept in the origi­
nal planting for the ntxt 16 years, to
cxDT.'lille suitability fur UStl in the la:td­
scnpe. Duling this time, no supple­
mental water or fertilizcn were 'AP­
plied. Twi;ccachycar, weeds growing
within plot bordersweJ."e mowed, TI1ree
rimca during the 16 years, pocket go­
phers Iud to be: removed to prevent
d~mage to the: junipers. Pocket go­
pher.; were removed berore: any visible
aboveground. l..mc~s.
Mter 16 years, survival, heIght
and crowl1~pre;1d were rnclillured.
Crown spread measurements were
raken }:Ierp~ndicular to the planting
For spre~ing v-,\1'ictic." with ir­
regular crown pcrimctcclI, crown spre;1.d
I·OW.
Jr.e4!llred to outermost line par.li­
ld to tht row of plallts where a con­
tinLlOtiS canopy exlsted_
Survival data were analyzed using
anaiy&is ofvariance followed by:t means
~eparatioll procedure (PROC GLM
WBI>
(I.~n)
of SAS (SAS Institute, CaI)',
N_C.). All a1ialyM.~ were ,onducteci at
the S'J!, signiflcance leveL The large
variability in crown form of the culti­
Vjlrs negated tnc utility of t~ditiom.\
statistical analYlIis. TIlcrcfore, height
\lnd crownsprad:uereporred:l5meao
values with an alIliociatet;i :.tandnrd er­
ror.
Results
NUIIIIRnUnUIIJTT. Overall, early
(4·ycr) study-wide survival was var:­
able:: both within Ilnd berween species
(Table 1). The large variability associ·
ated with blocking restricted the util­
ity ofthe mean comparison proccdL:re
\l~cd. Early survival ranged from 40~
for J. horiztmralir tMoench.) ','ur­
quoise Spreader' to 92" forJ. da'Purira
(l'arl.) 'Expansa' (non: this cultivar is
aborcmTcd toasJ. .rpa.IM'~(J..amb.)
'l'moni' Whlzcomb. 1983) and J.
JCflpuI.tJrHm (Sarg.) 'Table Top Blue'
(Table I). TIle J chinensis (L_) cuiti·
vars had til': BTcatest r.tl1gc ofsurviwI
or any Spt'ic~ tested, with 8Ur>;vru
ranging from 4';" for the 'Sp;u-ran'
c\1ltivar to 88% for th<: <Blue point'
eultivlIr.
Five spreading ::ultivar:l cvallliltcd
had high [>85%) survival, inc.JudinSJ.
scoputorultt 'Table: Top Blae:" ].
dal'ut'iea".E,.,pansa' ,and], hor-iZDnWiJ
gOO 'd
'Hughes', all having mrvival in cxcess
of90% (Table I). Four ofthe j'em3in­
Again, block \la.rillbility limited rhc
ing spreading ctdtivan eyaluated had
excrell1{;:ly poor survival. with the worst
.!IurviYal bcinS 40" tbr J. hot'iomeaJil
'Tltrql1ois,c. Spreader.'
C\'OWn vridth of 5prtadinS culri­
""aT$ afb:r r:.'-1ree grOWillgSeasCru ranged
rrom 10 to 20 cm (4 to 8 inches) ~l1d
was ,lOt related to mrvival (Table: 1).
Ju.,J ipt:r".4J Jilbina (L.) •Skandiil' h~d
the: greatest crown gft.\wtb, blu poor
surt-ival In contrast, the three spre<ld­
ing cllltivars "'itb thc highest survival
had the sm.tllest crown width atb:r 3
years in the field. Ovtrall, aU spl:'Cllding
ci.1ltiVIU'$ of J. chi,.,nm, J. pro/:u.m!:Jcns
[(El'ldi.) Sic:b. et Zucc.],J. sabin,..., Iltld
J pirBlniana (1",_) had good latcrnl
crown growth af.cr :hree growinS ~ei1­
50n5 in the field.
Survival for the: ~cmipl'O!tl"l\te .:tnd
selniere.;t I;\llti\,;.rli ranged from 58%
for J. ~incrlsiJ 'He:tZi Gla\lca' to 82%
for J. Ilhimmsi,; var. s..",gentii (Henry)
'viridis' ('rablc: 1). Crown height Val'­
ied from Hi to 33 em (7 to 1g inches)
after three: growi ng scasOn:!l in thc £el<i.
Juniperus rahinfl. 'Bhle Ollnube'
achiC\'Cd the greatest crown ~iz:c Qt the:
cndofthenum:rytrial.]fl.1ftperuJt:.hin­
(.1/.1;S IFruitlandW and 'Pfiueriana'
achieved the srel1test crO\\'Tl si~ oftbc
five], chinr;nns c::ultivars cvaluated in
this crown fbrm category.
Smvival ''llried considembly tor
dure used. For example, a cultiv:l!' witll
the pyramidal ruld llpriaht cultivan,
ranging f.om 42% for J. vir.giniiltm
'Manhattan Blue' to 88% for J dJin.n­
sis 'Blue Point' (Table 1). Five of the
ninc cultlV'.u's in thj~ caU!gory had <60%
~urviva.1, Includin!; four of the l'ix cuI.·
tivar5 of
J.
chin£mts and the
J.
Yirginianacul rivarthllt W<1S evaluated,
Fill;ll crown heights were acceptable ill
all but two of the six 1- eH'nennrcultl­
Val'S in this category _ Juniperus
S'f)PJl~TU/1l. 'Pathfinder'
iUld]. .hi:,,,,,,,­
lis 'Spartan' :L.'ld 'Kctclcc:ri' had [he
grcatc.~t growth. a.chieving .linal meall
hcie;htli ofB3, 70, and 68 cm (3S, 28,
27 i:1cht:s), r~pecri\'cly (Table: 1).
The co1\lmnllr culdvl1r J.
11i"2~ni:m(f,. 'Sky Rocket' olI,d the globe:
ct.:.ltlvu 1- scUPUlO"fU"4 'Lakewood
Globe' had poor survival after three
growing seasons in rhe field. Slln-ivors
ofthese two cultivare did achi.eve rr.:I.t­
ket.lble size ;at the end of the ZlUrI>C:ry
portion of thiHtudy.
LAlnMcaPE SUlT&IILITY. Survlval
,'uried tren1cndouslv between ctl!tivarli
;.lnd bloeb in thix portion of the stlldy.
utiUty of the means comparisoil proce­
51% survival wa~ considered no differ­
;l eulth~ with 74% sur'/fvll.1
(T(!b1c 2)- Twenty ye;:tr Cll1tivar !lur­
'*<11 ranged from 14% fc~ J chinrnris
'Gold Coast' to 7.. 91; for ]. Jabin4
'Arc:tdJ,,' (Table 2). Nin~ cultivars h:ld
~un'iv<11 rates of gl't:'l1ter than 60CKI, in­
ciuding 7 cultlvan; '.. i. th !;prleadil1S
crown forms, one with a scmiprostr:lte
form. and one wir..' m llprigl1t crown
form (Table 2). Eleven c:\,ltivllfli in
I:hree o:rhc four crOWll C3tI:SOriC.'l ha.d
between 50% .:tnd 59% stlrvival. S~~­
ent thall
ere! mrvivaJ dEfen:rH::C$ c:thibited 110
Pl'rtem.
A" would be expected., 20-)'car
nc::isht gl'O ylth and lateral growth var­
ied widely (TJok 2). Overall hcig:ht
growth t11.11~d from <20 em (81.1c:bc$)
for J. horimntRw'E:ncr5011'!! Sprc:ad.er'
to near 3.25 m (10.6 f[) for J.
scIJjlUil1nnn 'Moffi.:t:ii' ioUldJ. pirainilr-na
·M..ulhm~n Elue.' Oflhc. seven pyra­
mid forms cvalu3.ted, 1- ,Mn,,.,si,
't<.eteleeri,']. rCfipuLJrum. •Moifctii' and
'Pathfinder: andJ. rir..t#n"'"tIt ·M....n­
hl1ttall :Slue' aU 'Wc!1e ",,3.0 m (9.8 fe) In
height "dtcr 20 year! ill the field.]lIni­
pt'tur clnnmlb 'BillC Point' and 'Spar­
tnn' wen: -2.5 In (8,2 ft) tall and
eultiv<1r '(inld Coast' W1L~ slightIy >60
em (2+ inc:hcs) t~lI at the end of the
stl~dy. 1'wenty-year height (or The
scmicn:::ctjU11ipcr t;\dtiYIU'JriUlged !Tom
1.lm(3.9 ft)(J-sabina 'BJ ue Danubl:')
to 1.8 III (5.9 ft) ~J. thmelf.1" 'Het:2i
<.;lauclI') witb I thinenli. 'Pflul!riana
Aurea' f.1.IlinS between. Final beignt
also varied considcrably for The:
5cmIpro~tratccuJtiyar~ tyaluated, raJl~­
ins from 60 CI11 (24 inches) for f­
chj,ncmi.! var_ sI:J'lI'"J,ii "Viridis' to l-3
m (4.3 tt) for 'l'fituriana' (Table 2)­
Spl'cadins c:ultivilr height growt;'
ranged from <10 em (8 inches) for J.
#,miwn:mu'Emcrak! Sl'readc:r'oo >2.3
m (7.5 rl:) tOr J. $(lIp1dtmlm 'Table Top
Blue' (Table 2). All]. ho,.is;uJn~iscul­
byarS and J. prtJc,umbens 'N(!na' re­
mained dO I.:In ':16 inches) tall after
10 year~ 111 the '1cld. The spreading
cl,lltivlll'S ofJ. l.bintJ, J. da'l:u~·ica., alld
,. llir,ginmna.hau 20 ytar hcighrl'Jl-ar:g­
from 45 to 100 em (18 to ~9
inches) (Table: 2\.
C,'own spread fOr spreQdlllS c;u!ti­
varli 1'1Ilged frum 1.4 to nearly 3.7 m
(4.6 to 12.1 ft) (Table 2). CrO'Nn
spread for rhe four spl'(<<ding Cultiv,:u-8
it',
0
of). chlnemirrar,ged :rom 1.7 tl1 (;,.6
Sf: SOH SHSV
'rablc:: .2. Sun:lval,.mcao },dght Ilttd m~ crown !!prQICl aftCl" 20 yt:II.1& for eoitiv.tr8 ot]~ dd'll4UU., J 1M:Jrm~
~ Z s~-"l: ~l: ~M. and 1: l l it,dnilmtt aomined In this !lto~ (:l:modA:rd
No.
of
Speck,
CuJuvar
ett'O!'l'
Mea:a.
Itt
Snrri_1
pLauti
('*'}
19
28
S5
50
j-l
:1-1
b-j
55
.i!1
64
A6
S4
"-Ill
(em)
:1:0
{LSD.:L
J
''
Mea.a
Ipread
(CIII )
±n
Spl"l':;ldillll:
J. chiflnIJU
J £Ol'izor.tali.l
'Al'mscroni'
'Mi;ll]ulc?'
'l"fi::zerian,' (1iaLlta'
VlIl' S'~rgclltii 'Glall<::I'
18
'B:lr HuboL'!
'H'11Cl"olhi .Spreader'
'Turquoise SpfQlc:lcr'
. 'EmJ:~ol\'s Creeper'
29
'l-hlghc~'
). two.HI"lmu
J. rdina
1. iel'pl/IoN",.
J. lilJ'lluril:tl
J. 1,j'=!Ji,,",lI.l"
'N;\l1a'
'Arc.1dia'
'Broadmoor'
.BufF-Lb'
'Skandia'
Vel' ta:nariscitollll
T;\blcrop Blue'
•E;<pansa'
V;11'
23
23
30
30
20
30
pmstatll 'Silver Spr:.'ldcr·
Sem.lprostmt.e/Scmierca
J. chi,lCruu
'F!"Lutlan.;iii'
'Hetl:i Glau.:a'
'Ptlt:/:en:1l1'l'
'P!lt7..1;:nana Aure~'
J.J~'himf,
28
25
i2
37
F-I
:L-C
121.H: 5.6
19a.5;1;1.1
11:19.7 :1:9.5
85.0± 7.5
::n.4:t 1.9
18.8:!; 1.6
f-!
26.4:1;6.7
364.1 ::t: 3.2.0
180.1 :!: 18.3
153.7:: 11.6
181.1 ;!; t 1.4
146.3 :t7.a
:l-h
24.3:1:4.1:.1
37.7:1;3.3
138.1 :1::8.2
215.3:t 7.11
.,..b
,:"l
30
74
68
i\-\:
30
7i
~-b
22.8:1: 1.8
87.3:1:2.9
;1
170.0 ± 12.6
391.2 ± 13.1
115.4:1: 11.0
.223.7:1: 15.4
204.3 ± 11.2
213.7 t 9.9
247.2 ± 13.4
25
58
a-g
3U
30
64­
67
44­
:t--<:
46.9±4.1
47.3:1:2.3
79.2 ± (1.1)
65.1 ± 2.8
a-..~
237.5:: 13.2
240.., :!: 12.9
1.'1-:..
29
i-I
59.5:: 2.4
99.3;1;9.1
198.7 ± 2:.4
22
22
ZS
41
29
28
S9
55
I':-k
a-I"
,l-g
21
45
c-lt
vnr ul'gcmii 'Viridis'
27
62
'DIlle Dl1l1ube'
26
54
'Gold Coue'
'Blanuw'
'Blue: Pt-";.,t'
11
14
12
26
15
56
a~
l06.5 ± 5.6
J86.7 ± 4.0
126.3:!: 3.9
135.7± 3.4
6':U t 1.1
~-
117.2 ±.1'!.3
n-ll
143.1:':: 9.8
172.0;j; ~.6
267.J ::: 9.0
17.6
301.Gin.S
lSS.llt 140
;Jt.b:9.a
276.6:1:9.5
4~2.2:t
PyrnmidalfUpright
J. cl;inensis
! . .fCfJpu./Qyum
f
l';1'nitl~tl"
'Sp:ut::ll'l'
23
31
h-J
'Kettleeri'
'Metredi'
28
21
51
5t!
918:!: 11.8
03.6:1: 5.<4­
86.6 == 5.l
234.8± lO.6
269.8:: Jl.!
62.7:1:5.0
171.9:\:9.7
224.4± !0.9
299.2t4.U
275.1;1;9.5
'l)athfindc:~'
15
71
'Manhatt;'\;'1 Blue'
10
23
lI-j
a-i
a-b
k-l
'Sky Rod:.:t'
25
56
II-I;
376.6±4.S
267.2 ± 7.4
'L\I!;(;\\,ood Globe'
20
as
g-l
27US±S.6
237.8±611
324.9 ± 10.3
195.4:!:6.9
291.8 ± 8.6 S,(i{UI.6 229.8 7.1
~24.6± 14.2
318.8 ± 12.1
=
CoIIlJl1J'llU'
J. l.'i1$inillM
Globe
J. u:o{Juif11"u",,"
".'10 rcim tv
p"ll'WiiC com;ml!cf.lIIS Orll.lm,,1 wi.l! cuit:iv'n h,,"in8Ih~ ';\Me iotl<;J' .\'" ..,.ilill "fIldi~\Ll~ :I'6l:r~N.
ft} fel' 'At-mstrO!!g' ~o 3.6 m (11.8 ft)
·Pfit:l(.'~rian... GIl:. 1.1';<1. ' lunip~ru$
hOt'jzo~ttf,li:.'cu!rivarli were ICill v:ariablc
for
in t:rown spread, ranging from 1.4: m
to nearly 2.3 r.1 (4.6 ft 1'0 nearly i.5 ft).
1h~ r:l.l1ge in crown spread is compa­
t".l.blc to thespno:adingforms Of,.14f1i'~n,
J. dallu-rita, lnd J. vtrgini.a.nlll.
Among erect tbrm!. ev,thla.tcd,
crow n spread r',ulsc:d ii-urn <:;GO I;:m (24
inches) (J. ,hiner/sir 'Bluuw' to ::.4.0
rn (13.1 ft) for J. .:hinmJ·tJ'Torulos.,'
(TBble2). CrownsprcQd forpyrll.mid..u
tbrms rnr:scd frOIl: <1.0 In (3.3 ft.) I}.
~binc,.si.'·C.'oldCoa$t')to >8.2 m (10.5
lbiximog,. . Jnnl.l;.ry-M~r.:h 1999
9(1)
ft) for J. v;',yin;'g,na 'Mil.nhatt.m BIl,c.'
The sClniprostmtll forms ufJ. r;h'"tnsi.r
('Fruirlandii,' Pfitzcriar.a; and Vllr,
ml';{Jttltii 'Viridis') l~ngcci In (:~OWI1
spread f.-om 2.0 to 3.0 m (6.6 to 9.8
ft). The sc:mierec: cultiv:l!s eV;lhlilted,
,. cl1i.ne'llIis' Hetzi Gla;o.Jca.· 'Pfit7..crillL'I.il
Al.m:a,' und J. JaJ...ina 'Blue DilnLlbe'
had crown spread ranging /Tom 2.,7 m
to m:arly 4.0 m (.3.9fttOllC21'ly le.l f\:)
(Table Z).
cl~lt:ivllr!i
evaillated. The 19 culriv:l!s
,vith adcql1i\tc .scrlliv~l (>70r.) and
growth for nursery prociw;rion In &Js
region include: 11 CultlVilr~ with~pleild·
ing growth forms, four ccltlvar~ with
pyrl1.mi<ial $ftlwth form~, three cuiti­
v"n; u;irh stmiprostrati: growth forms.
and on: .::uitivarwitb So .~cmierect';'l'own
Discussion
term. These onl~mcnt:U jUlliper culti­
vars c:.,.ruJci provide 11 billlis for a o-yea:
n~lnery crop srown excbsivdy or,
pos~ibly ilS interim crops for Christm.lS
tree prod...cerl' in thislegion.lfaChr:st­
OVCt:\.!!. 4·'!car survival ilild
growth were fuvo~h.lc for many ofthe
row:; with a 2 :n (6.6 ft) spacing. <uld
ma~
tree producer planted trees in
43
VARIETY TmALS
jnt~1~1tedjt1njpcrwitha 1 m (3.3 ft)
1Vithu1 row ~pacing, the grower could
produce ..,5,000 junipers/hi!. (2,049
Junipers/acre). GiVClll a 70'1(, tu 90%
Sllrvival rate, the producer could har­
'lest between 3,500 and 4,500 juni­
p:::rs after three ~ng SCa.lon.., in the
tidd. Wbile not as rapid as container­
ized production, the pro?osed PI'O­
duction sys~cm does provide: a poten­
rial to: illcrca<ling the short-term re­
mrn on investment fbr a limited reo
SOtll'CC Christmas tree prodll ccr rypical
ofth~ Mora Valley area. This partial
!'cmrrJ en inv(:$tment may provide a
sufIicient cash flow to allow" grower
roconvcrtrrom a. marginally profitnble
agriCLllt'llresystem to highervaiul! I'lur·
tlcull1:ral crops sur;h as Christmas t:"'Cc.'l,
For example, IlsinS a budget ~chedule
proposcd by Gormall .and others
(198;J) for Chrl:.llnas tree producers
in this rt~on, uae of intercropping
junipers will provide revenue 2 to ~
yearN before the tim Christ.'nas tree
harv~s.t. Revcl'me generated by rile ju­
niper sales, could be ll!lCCi to offset a
l'omoll Ot'h7 initial costs ofestablish·
ing me pt,,··, non.
Th,'
.
44
~ili ty ofj LI1lipcr~ fi:>r mini·
is.;:a.pc:s is demon!'ltrated
through the: 2O-year lik of the ~fuciy.
The research plot from growing sea­
50n$ fOur through 20 had no IlIlPple­
mcnt:tl water or ferrilizer applJed. rn
addition, many cultivars were planted
at densitiell much higher than appro­
priate. These factors provide an ev..lu­
.loon oftbe culrivars' perform:mcc:: in i1
poorly mall(lgcd landscape, common
in mlmv ttrlJan and !!uburbll1l al'tlU.
This tiSht spacing l'Csulted iI' many
culrivnrs with pyramidal, uprigh t. and.
eemicrec:t srowth forms failing to
achieve normal crown spread. Height
growth was a! expected 111 most cultl­
varll. The failmc of II. given Cll) tivar to
achic\'e design hcisht Is likely due to
rhe: im:cnse competition for water and
Ilutnellts gellel';ltccl by the dense ?Iant­
ing.
Twenty-one cultlv~r. had ad­
c:q'J.atc survival (:>50911) and growth,
lUlder admittedly I1cBfccted drcum­
stances, rut la.tld!.;apc: use ill the re­
gion. Thc.~1! 21 cultiVllr5 represent a
wici( range of crown fonns, size, foii­
age color, acd fOliliSc dellsley. This
broild spectrum of 3uitable juniper
~LtI dvars ;llows landscapers nnd home­
owners to develop landsc:apes that arc
acceptable to ::lndOWneIS and consis­
tel.1twith most xc:riscapereql1if<:mcnOl.
Literature cited
DIrr, M.A. 198,'- M:lllwl cfwoody hind·
~"'pc
plants. Their idetlt-in.:ation, orna·
mcnlnl I:hmc:tcrisDaI, (ldtl.'ln:, ptopaga·
lioll and uses. Stipes Pub!.. Chrll:rll:~lli!91,
Ill.
('orman. W,D.. R.B. Gl'IWbc-rgc:r, J.T.
Pl!bcr, J.O. Menl, G_It.. wclsb, T.
Cc:;vetlger, andB.lt L1nsiOrd 1989. Eco­
nomic l5eSSmet"t of growing 6-7 year
scots pine and white fir pi;nC:1.tio.l Chriat­
mIlS IrCCS in New Mexico. 'Nu\l. State
Uuiv. Aer. i!.lCl~Uita.BuI. i41i. LasCruces.
HarrinitOn, J.T. 1994. Growing eMU­
1lW5 t-recs III Nc'w Mexico. N.M. J. Sci.
~.:80-88. Lnccb.uk l'ub.,Stillw:1tct. Olda.
Unlvcrsity I'IfNc\\' M=.'ti;;o 1994. Populi!'
~Oll pro.icetiol1 for the state ofN eW Mexico
Or
111::"1:
~con.
and sell. 199(1-2020. Bur. t\us.
Rc::lI., Ut'liv, N.M., Albuqu.erque.
UniVl:r<iicy of New Mexk.'O. 1995.
",e
New Mexko. Vol IV; S(lc:iJ.i and
economic clt:1r3CtCristia to,. the: stlltc :1.00
l:C"ftWi in
COl.l(1tieR
from the 1980 and 1990 Cr::I'\,~US,
nur. Bus. :&:011.
au., Umv. NM., Albu·
quc:rqul:.
WJ.Jtcol'l'lb, C.B. 1983. KJ1QW It 0J.nd grow
it 'J1'. Lac:cbark Pl,lbl., StillW!lr:cr, Olda,