Juniperus scopulorum 'Skyrocket'         

Skyrocket Rocky Mountain Juniper

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Grace Church Lancaster, 911 Rohrerstown Road, Lancaster PA

 

Len Eiserer

 

This gorgeous plant, trimmed into a spiral topiary, is a cultivar that originated in the wild (found and named by Schuel Nursery, South Bend IN in 1949).  Skyrocket is a narrowly conical selection of Rocky Mountain Juniper (sometimes misidentified as Virginia Juniper, Juniperus virginiana).  The plant can grow 15-20 feet with only 2-3 feet of width.  The Grace Church specimen is already 12 feet tall and, with its feathery silver-blue foliage and spiral shape....a stunning tree!

 

This amazing species is drought-resistant, maintenance-free (if not a topiary), pest-free, fast-growing, and ideal where space is limited.