juniper procumbens ‘nana’

The Dwarf Japanese Garden Juniper ‘Nana’ is a cultivar that is an evergreen, conifer, low-growing shrub that may reach from 6 inches to 1 foot tall and 5 to 6 feet wide. The cultivar, ‘Nana,’ forms a dense compact mat with branches that tend to intertwine and spread out in sprays. The leaves are prickly needles that are bluish-green, linear to lanceolate, awl-shaped, spiny, pointed, 1/4 inch long, and appear in whorls of three. In the winter months, the needles have a slightly purplish hue. The plant can become wide-spreading over time if space permits or will mound upon itself if space is limited. It grows up over obstacles such as low walls or rocks. This plant has a slow growth rate, and it is frequently used for bonsai.

Dwarf Japanese Garden Juniper ‘Nana’ was introduced in Japan in 1922. It is a member of the Cupressaceae or cypress family.

The genus name, Juniperus, is Latin for juniper. The specific epithet, procumbens, means low growing or prostrate.

This plant needs full sun and open space. It is tolerant of a variety of soils, thrives under adversity, and is easily transplanted, It is deer, drought, erosion, heat, and dry soils tolerant.

The Dwarf Japanese Garden Juniper ‘Nana’ is a versatile, sprawling, and cascading ground cover that may be used for bonsai or in the landscape as a border, in a rock garden, or in mass plantings.