With blue rug juniper, companion plants are an absolute must to complement this fantastic evergreen shrub of the Juniperus genus!
This bluish juniper of the Cupressaceae family is a popular low-maintenance evergreen ground cover plant, and it’s perfect for adding a splash of color to your garden. But some fantastic plants can accentuate and beautify it even more!
Let’s jump in and see some popular options for your blue star juniper plant.
“A study in Michigan State University indicated that intercropping, a method akin to companion planting, resulted in a 51% increase in land equivalent ratio.”Michigan State University
JUMP TO TOPIC
Blue Rug Juniper Companion Plants List
Juniperus horizontalis is a low-growing evergreen shrub native to North America with a height and spread of up to 12 inches. Therefore, you should go for companion plants that belong to similar habitats.
It is an easy-to-care-for plant that requires minimal maintenance and is very drought-tolerant. This makes it an excellent choice for gardeners who want low-maintenance, evergreen ground spread.
You should plant blue juniper in a shady spot and well-drained soil and consider companion plants that have similar requirements. Naturally, your blue star juniper companion should be a somewhat similar conditions lover. Let’s see what you can add next to it and make this blue-point juniper stand out even more!
1. Blue Hosta
Growing season | Spring to late Summer |
Distinguish characteristics |
|
Specific needs |
|
Common pests |
|
Blue hosta or plantain lily is an attractive small perennial with thick rich and blue leaves. This one grows up to three inches long and will fill in perfectly for the spaces of your juniper. Its compact size and moderate growth make it a perfect subject for your small garden!
This plant performs ideally in a shaded garden which the juniper loves, and will tolerate a wide range of climates, thriving in climate ranges of three to eight.
2. Blueberry Hedge
Growing season | Spring to late Summer |
Distinguish characteristics |
|
Specific needs |
|
Common pests |
|
This bushy and moderately spreading deciduous shrub is a perfect ground plant to go with the blue hues of a star juniper! It will make for a wonderful display of colors too, being dark green in the spring and going to red and purple in the fall.
This plant blossoms a myriad of tiny white flowers, which in late spring give way to round bell-shaped blueberries which ripe well into the mid and hi summer.
In the winter, blueberries will companion your juniper well too — a winter silhouette provides lovely yellow smooth branches that will contrast the still green foliage of your creeping juniper.
3. Agave
Growing season | Summer, Perennial |
Distinguish characteristics |
|
Specific needs |
|
Common pests |
|
Agave is a beautiful perennial succulent that goes perfectly well with juniper. Agave “Blue Flame” is an especially recommended plant in this family that bears flexible rosettes of blue and green leaves.
This is a hybrid plant that got the best of both its’ parents — Agave Attenuata and Agave Shanii.
With its beautiful foliage, it will present a dramatic focal point in the garden and will accent your star juniper like none other. It’s ideal because of its’ height, growing up to just about two to three feet tall.
And the care guide is virtually nonexistent, as this plant won’t require much of anything other than good enough soil! However, you can only plant this one in warmer climates, as it’s winter hardy only in climates of eight to eleven! You should check out some other plants that look like Agave in order to add them to your garden!
4. Blue Bomb Speedwells
Growing season | Early to late summer |
Distinguish characteristics |
|
Specific needs |
|
Common pests |
|
Veronica blue bomb speedwell is a beautiful and compact flowering perennial that goes amazingly well with your bushy evergreens!
This clumpy perennial bears unique purple and blue flower plumes reminiscent of astilbe flowers. This one is blooming from early and late summer with bright flower spikes of hundreds of blue flowers.
These blossoms gradually open from the base to the top of a flowering clump and create an exceptionally long-lasting display.
The foliage of this plant is incredibly beautiful too full of dark green leaves making this plant perfect for your small zone four to eight garden!
5. Lavender
Growing season | Early to late summer |
Distinguish characteristics |
|
Specific needs |
|
Common pests |
|
Lavender is just a perfect companion plant for a blue point juniper and will look great for an entire year! The variety of English lavender ‘Holgate’ is an exceptionally neat growing flowering bush with violet and blue flowers.
This variety will be one of the first to begin blooming, and the blooms will sit perfectly well with the blue and green hues of juniper foliage! Once your Lavender blooms you will be able to start harvesting it!
Lavender foliage has narrow gray and green leaves and will stay evergreen in warmer climates. Lavenders will bring sweet fragrance to the garden too and will be winter hardy in climate zones of five to nine!
6. Dusty Miller
Growing season | Spring to fall |
Distinguish characteristics |
|
Specific needs |
|
Common pests |
|
This plant is ideal for landscaping where you have gaps to fill. But its’ blue-hued foliage just goes perfectly well with that of blue arrow juniper. This is a bushy perennial with blue-silvery dissected leaves.
Dusty miller will remain attractive throughout the season, its’ leaves staying covered with fine, matted hairs. After the first year of growth, this plant bears small daisy-like flowers.
This patchy and low-growing shrubby perennial plant is the perfect companion for juniper, and if you live in climate zones of eight to 11, you can keep it evergreen and grow throughout the year!
7. Heliotrope
Growing season | Summer |
Distinguish characteristics |
|
Specific needs |
|
Common pests |
|
This is a perfect summer annual to go with the juniper! Heliotrope will bloom throughout the summer with showy clusters of soft and bluish flowers, bearing a sweet fragrance throughout the garden!
Equally beautiful is the foliage of this Peru-native flower, with its’ veined dark-green leaves. This plant is just a perfect addition to any border, pot, or accent flower for your evergreen shrubs.
Heliotrope is a highly toxic plant, and you should wash your hands and equipment after working with it. This flowering beauty won’t endure harsh winters, but if you’re lucky enough to be living in zones 10 to 12, you can grow it as a perennial with great success!
8. African Lily
Growing season | Summer |
Distinguish characteristics |
|
Specific needs |
|
Common pests |
|
This African beauty is a wonderful perennial with clusters of trumpet-like bluish and purple flowers.
These flowers grow atop stiff and upright stalks adorned with beautiful narrow green and gray leaves. This foliage will remain attractive throughout the blooming period of this garden’s beauty.
This flower is the recipient of the Award of Garden Merit and is incredibly easy to grow — as long as you plant it in the climate zones of eight to 11!
Conclusion
If you want to accentuate your blue star juniper, companion plants will be your safest bet. This is a popular low-maintenance evergreen, and it’s perfect for adding a splash of color to your garden.
When it comes to companions, they are best selected by the type of soil and hardiness zone you have at home. With the right plants, like blue hostas, agave, or lavender you can make your blue rug juniper pop with no fuss!