Star-like shoot tips
Short branches radiate into dense, irregular points that explain both the name and the lively outline.
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Small, rounded and always elegant 🌿
Family: Cupressaceae · Pot diameter: 17cm · Height: 20–25cm

Juniperus ‘blue star’ resembles a small silver-blue sculpture that becomes richer as it matures. Very short shoots open into irregular star-like tips, building a compact rounded mound with a crisp outline and remarkable texture. Its cool colour lifts green planting and provides permanent presence without the scale or severity of a large conifer, making it especially valuable where every plant must earn its place.
It looks complete on its own in a handsome pot or repeated among stone, gravel and low perennials. Slow, naturally compact growth keeps the planting in scale, while slight asymmetry makes it feel alive rather than mechanically clipped.
Juniperus squamata ‘Blue Star’ holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit for dependable garden performance in suitable conditions.
Short radial shoots gather into silver-blue stars, building a compact mound with an appealingly irregular outline.
Short branches radiate into dense, irregular points that explain both the name and the lively outline.
Waxy foliage catches the light and gives the crown a cool tone from every viewing angle.
Slow extension and close branching maintain a small, full form without routine shearing.
Why you will love it: it delivers permanent silver-blue colour and genuine conifer architecture in a slow-growing scale suited to small gardens and pots.
Use in full sun at the front of a border, among gravel and stone, or alone in an outdoor pot where its complete outline remains visible.
Broader leaves and fine grasses make its short radial texture appear even sharper.
Juniperus ‘blue star’ performs best in open full sun; this exposure also keeps its compact star-like mound clearly defined.
Water Juniperus ‘blue star’ thoroughly while it establishes, then let the upper root zone dry modestly before watering again; protect the compact roots from continuous saturation.
Juniperus ‘blue star’ is a hardy evergreen conifer. The compact crown is cold hardy, although a pot needs protection from repeated freeze-thaw saturation.
This conifer is not edible; gloves help protect sensitive skin when working among its short, sharply pointed silver-blue shoots.
Place in open full sun, where even light and free air movement can keep the compact star-like mound dense and clearly defined.
For Juniperus ‘blue star’, use a mineral, freely draining mix that does not collapse around the fine roots. Mineral structure should remain open even after repeated winter wetting.
During the first season, water the compact root zone thoroughly whenever the upper soil begins to dry, then let surplus moisture drain away.
Once established, water thoroughly after the upper root zone has begun to dry, allowing excess moisture to drain fully between soakings.
A frost-resistant pot just wider than the crown suits its slow growth. Generous drainage holes protect the fine roots during wet freeze-thaw weather.
A light balanced spring feed is sufficient if growth appears weak; rich feeding can stretch the short shoots and loosen the tight mound.
Remove a problem shoot at its point of origin or at a hidden side branch, preserving the irregular star-like surface.
After winter, tease debris from between the short shoots and remove only genuinely damaged growth.
The young plant is tight and low, with short shoots pointing in several directions.
Repeated side branching closes gaps while preserving an irregular, living outline.
The crown gradually reaches about 60–80cm high and 80–100cm wide without becoming a perfect sphere.
A compact, irregular mound forms from short radial shoots whose silver-blue tips gather into the cultivar’s characteristic star-like tufts.
Winter often gives the silver-blue foliage a cooler, steelier cast. The star pattern sharpens gradually as short shoots multiply.
What to expect after planting: The young plant is tight and low, with short shoots pointing in several directions. Repeated side branching closes gaps while preserving an irregular, living outline.
In 1950, an unusually dense cluster of short shoots appeared on a Juniperus squamata ‘Meyeri’ at A. Hoogeveen’s nursery in Reeuwijk, the Netherlands. This distinctive growth, known as a witches’ broom, became the starting point for ‘Blue Star’.
The small form retained the silver-blue foliage of ‘Meyeri’, but gathered its needles into short, crowded, star-like shoot tips. It formed a low, compact mound instead of elongated branches.
Propagated separately, it entered the nursery trade in the mid-1960s. A change on one plant had acquired its own name and a separate place in gardens.
In the small radial tufts, the pointed leaves retain the awl-like form of juvenile foliage. They arise in groups of three around the shoot; successive groups alternate, making six rows in total.
Waxy surfaces and white stomatal bands scatter light above the green chlorophyll.
What to know about the light, pace, watering and winter colour of ‘blue star’.
Open full sun provides even light around the short radial shoots and keeps the mound compact. Heavy shade weakens both colour and definition.
No. Its appeal lies in an irregular rounded mound whose short shoots end in distinct star-like tufts.
This is a very slow-growing selection. Root establishment comes first, and the dense silver-blue surface builds gradually over several seasons.
Water thoroughly when the upper root zone has dried modestly. Do not keep the fine roots continually saturated.
Yes, provided the pot is frost resistant, only slightly broader than the crown and generously drained. Prevent water from lingering during repeated freeze-thaw weather.
Lower temperatures can cool the silver-blue surface towards a muted steel tone. This normal seasonal response eases with spring growth.