Culture Notes
Mint Julep Juniper grows to about 8-feet-tall, although it is usually seen shorter than this because many people trim it. The mint green foliage makes this a good seller at the retail garden centers. Natural habitat is dry and windy with full sun exposure. This juniper has performed extremely well in the foothill region of the southern Rocky Mountains.
Natural habitat is dry and windy with full sun exposure. It looks best in an open site with no shade during the day. This allows the foliage to dry quickly in the morning and helps prevent foliage disease from thinning the canopy. A well-drained soil is essential for good growth. Wet soil rots the roots and causes plant decline.
This juniper can be used as a specimen planted alone, to block a view, or to hide a landscape structure such as a cable box. It has also been successfully maintained as a hedge for more than 15 years in landscapes throughout the south. When used as a hedge, maintain the top of the plant slightly narrower than the bottom to help it remain full to the ground. Otherwise it often becomes sparsely foliated toward the bottom of the plant.
It looks best in an open site with no shade during the day. This allows the foliage to dry quickly in the morning and helps prevent foliage disease from thinning the canopy. A well-drained soil is essential for good growth. Wet soil rots the roots. Junipers can be challenging to move around in the landscape due to poor root regeneration on cut roots. Place the plant with future growth in mind. Plants tolerate high soil salt - up to 8 mmhos/cm.
Planting and establishing shrubs
The most common cause of young plant failure is planting too deep. Plant the root ball no deeper than it was in the nursery. In most instances, the root flare zone (point where the top-most root in the root ball originates from the trunk) should be located just above the landscape soil surface. Sometimes plants come from the nursery with soil over the root flare. If there is soil over this area, scrape it off. The planting hole should be at least twice the width of the root ball, preferably wider. In all but exceptional circumstances where the soil is very poor, there is no need to incorporate anything into the backfill soil except the loosened soil that came out of the planting hole. Never place ANY soil over the root ball. If a row or grouping of plants is to be installed, excavating or loosening the soil in the entire bed and incorporating organic matter enhances root growth and establishment rate.
Weed suppression during establishment is essential. Apply a 3-inch thick layer of mulch around the plant to help control weed growth. Keep it at least 10 inches from the trunk. If you apply it over the root ball, apply only a one or two inch layer.  This allows rainwater and air to easily enter the root ball and keeps the trunk dry. Placing mulch against the trunk or applying too thick a layer above the root ball can kill the plant by oxygen starvation, death of bark, stem and root diseases, prevention of hardening off for winter, vole and other rodent damage to the trunk, keeping soil too wet, or repelling water. Regular irrigation through the first growing season after planting encourages rapid root growth, which is essential for quick plant establishment.
 Pests, Diseases and Damaging Agents
Pests:Â Mites and bagworms can infest the foliage.
Diseases: Susceptible to root rot and blight.