Blue Star Juniper Planted - Back Stoop Bed - November 2023

More dwarf conifers.  That's the story for today (and maybe tomorrow) as I've planted a pair of Blue Star Junipers - Juniperus squamata 'Blue Star' to two different parts of our garden.  The first is pictured above and is in the north-side back stoop bed along with a Spring Grove Ginko, that big flush of Angelina Sedum and a Geranium.

My thought here is that by adding some blue - I'd get a nice view of the garden color trinity of green (ginkgo), blue (Blue Star Juniper) and chartreuse (Angelina Sedum) working together. 

And...that this Blue Star Juniper might fight back against the sedum and they'd play nice together.

What is a Blue Star Juniper?  From NC State:

'Blue Star' Singleseed Juniper is a cultivar that is a dwarf conifer, an evergreen, and slow-growing shrub that may reach from 1 to 3 feet tall and 1 to 4 feet wide. The shrub forms a compact, dense mound. The leaves are blue-gray, awl-shaped needles with a white band that overlap and are densely arranged in whorls of three. The fruits are bluish-berry-like seed cones.

This cultivar was introduced in 1964 in the Netherlands. It originated as a "witch's broom" on another cultivar 'Meyeri' of the same species.

This is a Juniper that has been around A WHILE and I think has fallen out of favor.   I'm putting this one in a bed that will force it to NOT spread too far/wide and I think will create some nice texture along with the Ginkgo right off our patio.  

Here, below, is the container showing the $5 price (at 50% off).  I planted this around mid-October, despite posting it in early November 2023. 

My 2023 Fall Planting List - so far - includes a number of new and divided plants.  

Now up to 42 new plants.  3 new via division.  7 Trees.  45 total for 2023 #FallPlanting.  21 of them are groundcover plants.  Five sedums.

• Five divided Everillo Sedges - Carex Everillo - from one sedge with Center rot in the backyard.
• A Sempervivum ‘Hopewell’ - a succulent-looking Chicks and Hens planted down by the sidewalk - IB2DWs. 
• Two Sedum spurium 'Voodoo' - IB2DWs - to attempt to outcompete the Creeping Jenny.
• Split three Elijah Blue Fescue clumps into six - IB2DWs along the driveway.
• A single Burgundy Glow Ajuga along the driveway IB2DWs.  Lots of groundcover IB2DWs, this Fall.
• Eight Ajuga 'Chocolate Chip' planted - five in the island bed.  Three along south front porch bed border. 
• A Cardoon - IB2DWs - that I'm not sure is going to make it.  I'm going to mulch it in VERY heavily this Winter. 
• Two Silver Mound Artemisias planted IB2DWs - close to the current planted bed. 
• A dwarf, fern-like shrub:  Matcha Ball Ash Leaf Spirea planted in the front porch bed. 
• Three Pentsemon 'Midnight Masquerade' dark foliage perennials planted in the new/extended IB2DWs bed.  
• Two Stachys monieri 'Hummelo' plants, in the front yard by the Sweetspire. 
• Three Greenlee Moor Grasses - Sesleria Greenlee Hybrid in front of the Sweetspire shrubs in front.
• A dwarf conifer: Baby Blue Spruce - planted IB2DWs extended down by the sidewalk.
• Two John Creech Sedums - planted by the Little Henry Sweetspires.  Hoping to cover and outcompete the weeds that creep up in this border. 
• Three Ruby Muhlygrasses - Planted at the end of the boardwalk in back.
• A #1 Bird's Nest Spruce planted IB2DWs by the Nepeta Cat's Pajamas, near the driveway.
• A ball-and-burlap Weeping Norway Spruce in the middle of the established IB2DWs bed.
• A second Norway Weeping Spruce Tree - IB2DWs in the new 'Conifer Garden'.  
• A narrow, upright conifer tree - Montrose Charm White Spruce in the 'Conifer Garden' IB2DWs.
• The 2nd Baby Blue Spruce tree planted IB2DWs in the new 'Conifer Garden' closer to the Bald Cypress. 
• A 3rd Baby Blue Spruce tree planted in back by the Lindens - viewable from the Kitchen.
• I'm calling it a tree (not a shrub) - a Royal Purple Smoke Tree planted IB2Dws.
• A true dwarf - Golden Mop False Cypress - planted IB2DWs in the Conifer Garden.
• One of Two Blue Star Junipers - Planted in back stoop north bed with Spring Grove Ginkgo.

As for my #1 2023 item on the list - planting evergreens.  How have I done on that?

According to my late-summer checkin post, I have planted 19 evergreens in 2023:  5 boxwoods in front, 13 boxwoods in back and a columnar scotch pine tree.  That tree has died, however.  Add the Baby Blue Spruce tree from this past week and I'm up to 20 evergreens (so far) in 2023.  With this Bird's Nest Spruce, that's 21 total.  Two Weeping Norway Spruce - that's 22 and 23 for 2023.  The Montrose Charm makes 24.  This Baby Blue Spruce (#2) is 25.  The 3rd Baby Blue Spruce is 26 evergreens for 2023. Golden Mop Cypress is 27.  First Blue Star Juniper is 28 - planted by the back stoop.