A carpet made from branches
Long horizontal shoots overlap in visible tiers, covering ground without losing their directional flow.
Juniperus 'Blue Carpet' 13cm
Normal price
€9,00
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Juniperus ‘Blue Carpet’
Hides soil, stones and minor design dramas like a professional 🕵️
- Silver-blue carpet
- Wide horizontal flow
- Evergreen ground cover
- Full sun
Juniperus ‘Blue Carpet’ spreads an impressive silver-blue layer that follows the ground and spills attractively over rocks and low edges. Long, almost horizontal branches overlap in dense tiers, providing rich texture and cool colour throughout the year. It turns a difficult bare patch into a resolved composition and gives a young space an immediate sense of maturity, while retaining enough visible movement to avoid becoming a featureless mat.
It is especially effective on slopes, in rock gardens and across broad front-of-border zones where its characteristic flow has room to develop. Beside upright grasses, dark evergreens or warm-toned stone, the blue foliage appears even clearer.
The RHS Award of Garden Merit recognises Juniperus squamata ‘Blue Carpet’ as a reliable silver-blue spreading conifer in suitable conditions.
What makes it special
Long silver-blue branches travel close to the ground, overlap in layers and turn a bare slope into a cool-toned living carpet.
Clear silver-blue colour
Dense wax-coated foliage creates a cool surface that reads strongly against warm stone.
Edges become an advantage
Branches can travel over low walls and rocks, revealing the layered architecture from the side.
Why you will love it: it resolves broad, difficult ground with year-round colour while still looking like a living network of branches.
In the garden & on the balcony Placement & plant combinations Use a sunny slope or raised edge where the horizontal branches can run freely and spill into view.
Across a slope, not into a corner
Give it full sun and broad horizontal room on a slope, over rocks or at the front of a border, with excellent drainage throughout the root zone.
Blue beside warm stone and upright texture
Vertical grasses and compact dark evergreens make the horizontal silver flow appear more deliberate.
- Stipa tenuissima — fine moving blades rise above the broad blue layer
- Pinus mugo ‘Mops’ — a compact dark mound provides height and tonal depth
- Sedum ‘Matrona’ — warm stems and flower heads contrast with the cool foliage
Care at a glance
Light
Juniperus ‘Blue Carpet’ performs best in full sun; this exposure also keeps its wide silver-blue horizontal carpet clearly defined.
Watering
Water Juniperus ‘Blue Carpet’ thoroughly while it establishes. Once rooted, allow the upper soil to dry modestly before soaking the spreading root area evenly.
Climate & hardiness
Juniperus ‘Blue Carpet’ is a hardy evergreen conifer. It is cold hardy in drained ground; waterlogged winter soil is a greater risk than ordinary frost.
Safety
This groundcover is ornamental rather than edible; wear gloves when lifting or trimming its resinous branches and sharply pointed foliage.
Detailed care Complete care guide Support a spreading silver-blue carpet from first roots to mature reach
Position
Plant in full sun on a slope, by stone or along a raised edge, allowing the silver-blue branches to extend horizontally.
Soil & drainage
For Juniperus ‘Blue Carpet’, use sharply drained soil, especially on a slope or beside stone where the branches will spread. On flat ground, confirm that storm water clears beneath the low branches.
Watering during establishment
In its first season, water across the planted area and just beyond the branch tips whenever the upper soil begins to dry.
Watering once established
Once established, allow a modest dry interval before watering slowly across the complete horizontal spread.
Growing in a container
A broad trough or raised planter displays the long horizontal shoots best. Let them spill naturally, and keep the low crown clear of collected water.
Feeding
Feed lightly in spring only if growth is weak; excessive nitrogen produces soft, uneven extension across the low carpet.
Pruning
Redirect a long leader where possible, or shorten it at a side branch without levelling the varied outer edge.
Seasonal care
Lift fallen leaves from beneath the low branches after winter and remove only damaged or dead inner growth.
Development over time From establishment to a mature wide overlapping horizontal carpet After the centre roots in, long lateral branches travel outwards and begin to overlap, gradually forming the mature silver-blue carpet.
Young spreading centre
The first branches remain visibly separate while the plant concentrates on rooting.
Horizontal layers meet
Long side shoots travel outwards and begin to overlap, closing bare spaces.
Mature silver carpet
A broad 1.5–2m network follows the ground, with layered ends spilling over edges rather than forming a domed shrub.
Mature habit & dimensions
Long-term mature habitHeight 30–50cmSpread 1.5–2mWide overlapping horizontal carpet
A wide horizontal carpet forms as long silver-blue branches travel close to the ground and overlap in successive layers.
Form through time
Two realistic development statesEvergreen structureCold weather may add a muted steel or purplish cast to the silver-blue foliage.
Young establishmentThe first branches remain visibly separate while the plant concentrates on rooting.
Established architectureA broad 1.5–2m network follows the ground, with layered ends spilling over edges rather than forming a domed shrub.
Cold weather can lend the silver-blue foliage a muted steel or purplish cast. Successive horizontal layers become clearer as the longest branches extend.
What to expect after planting: The first branches remain visibly separate while the plant concentrates on rooting. Long side shoots travel outwards and begin to overlap, closing bare spaces.
History & origin Cultivar origin Selected by Jac. Schoemaker at Boskoop around 1962 from ‘Meyeri’
Around 1962, Jac. Schoemaker at Boskoop in the Netherlands selected a low-growing form of Juniperus squamata ‘Meyeri’. The new cultivar arose from mutated growth and was named ‘Blue Carpet’.
It retained the parent cultivar’s intense silver-blue foliage, but changed the way the plant spreads. Its branches grow low and wide, forming a dense, gently undulating layer.
That difference in habit gave the selection its own role as a ground-covering conifer. The name “Blue Carpet” describes both its colour and its low crown, connecting its origins in ‘Meyeri’ with the form it develops in the garden.
Greenleaf for Plant Nerds Science nobody asked for Botanical details for anyone curious about what lies behind the plant’s appearance
Horizontal dominance is the key
Leading shoots extend sideways and their branches overlap, producing coverage through architecture rather than extremely short growth.
The blue sits above green tissue
Surface wax scatters light, so rubbing, deep shade or weather can make a small area appear greener without altering its identity.
Frequently asked questions
Answers for siting, watering and containing ‘Blue Carpet’ without spoiling its flow.
01Where can ‘Blue Carpet’ display its horizontal growth best?
A sunny slope, raised edge or position beside stone lets the long silver-blue branches travel and overlap in view. Sharply drained soil protects that low framework.
02How should I water the young spreading root zone?
Soak the planted area and the soil just beyond it whenever the upper layer begins to dry. This encourages roots to follow the widening branches.
03What changes once the carpet is established?
Allow a modest dry interval, then water slowly across the complete spread. Mature plants need less frequent attention than newly rooted ones.
04Which type of planter suits its long branches?
Use a broad trough or outdoor planter that permits shoots to spill naturally over an edge. A narrow upright pot constricts the horizontal effect.
05Should I clip the perimeter to keep it even?
No. Guide the longest leader or shorten it selectively at a side branch, preserving the varied flowing outline.
06Why can the foliage look purplish in cold weather?
Cool conditions may shift the silver-blue surface towards muted steel or purple. Fresh spring growth restores its clearer colour.
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Individual protection
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