how about J. h. pancake...

and how much shade ... obviously you wont want anything that is yellow.. else it will just be green .. so whats the point ...???

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Will, Juniperus squamata 'Blue Star' isn't a groundcover.
The same counts for Pinus mugo.

The following ones are also slower growing:
-Juniperus chinensis 'Expansa Aureospicata'
-Juniperus chinensis 'Expansa Variegata'
-Juniperus communis 'Green Carpet'
-Juniperus communis 'Spotty Spreader'
-Juniperus horizontalis 'Blue Forest'
-Juniperus horizontalis 'Golden Carpet'
-Juniperus horizontalis 'Grey Pearl'
-Juniperus horizontalis 'Icee Blue'
-Juniperus horizontalis 'Mother Lode'
-Juniperus procumbens 'Nana'
-Juniperus scopulorum 'Holden Arboretum'

I'm not familiar if these will fit into your climate...

Gents, thanks for the suggestions.

Ken, what has the growth rate been on your pancake?
I hear ya on the gold varieties. They tend to be more lime green, which is ok actually.

Edwin, I was thinking more along the lines of prostrate growing cultivars for P. mugo, for example 'Prostrata' (seen three names after a quick google search). Plants up to 12-18' tall are no problem.

I more or less need prostrate/spreading plants that grow 6" or less in a given year. I have some dry locations that I need lower profile plants that get plenty sun now but will be somewhat shaded down the road. I'd rather plant something a bit more adaptable upfront.

My J. conferta 'All Gold' does better here in part shade - it burns slightly in full sun. It is a tiny bit less gold in the shadier spot but still reads 'gold' in the landscape. It's a pretty plant. I have no idea how this translates to Wisconsin!

Sara

Juniperus conferta 'All Gold' is a fast growing groundcover.
It will reach 5' in 5 years very easy...

Thanks for the suggestion though. I actually came across 'Silver Mist' which looked promising but J. conferta has questionable hardiness in zone 5.

Ediwn, I forget to ask...

Of the Juniperus horizontalis selections, which two appear to be the slowest growing for you?

-Juniperus horizontalis'Blue Forest'
-Juniperus horizontalis 'Golden Carpet'
-Juniperus horizontalis 'Grey Pearl'
-Juniperus horizontalis 'Icee Blue'
-Juniperus horizontalis 'Mother Lode'

That will be the 'Grey Pearl'.
'Blue Forest' will be second...

I might roll with 'Blue Forest' for my blue selections. Fairly avaiable too.

Any ideas why its listed as J. sabina too (mostly)?

Here is a link that might be useful: Blue Forest

i dont understand your need for a slow growing.. groundcover ...

its a bizarre dichotomy to me ...

groundcover conifers are easy to train thru pruning.. to cover any given space you want.. in any design ...

and most are extremely easy to root ... which they do.. if you just leave them there ...

pancake... seems to do about 3 or 4 inches.. without running out there ...

all the pine groundcovers [of which your title doest really ask about ... but are used as a comparison] ... though they cover ground ... not many remain short ... getting height in the ..call it.. 6 to 12 inch range, min .. over the years .... so i am back to wondering.. what you are trying to accomplish.. what is your goal ...???

cover space with a short plant???

or grow a second plant under a larger plant.. perhaps one on a standard ...????

e.g. the pancakes i have..... the intention ...was that they would fill bare space [cover bare mulch.. aka ground] .. and provide a green backdrop.. for looking at the mini collection ... instead of large gaps of 2 to 3 feet between one foot plants ...

on the other hand.. many of the groundcover pines... will eventually.. swallow up a mini on a one foot standard ....

you are asking for suggestions.. based on words that mean different things.. to different peeps.. w/o really telling us you goal ... [which sounds like any hardcore collector.. lol ....because they are a genre i dont have ... lol ]

ken

I obtained my first 'Blue Forest' under Juniperus sabina.
As soon as I saw it with my own eyes I realized very quick that this was not a cultivar of this species.
It's foliage wasn't right and it did miss it's typical smell after cutting some branches off for propagating.

This means that everyone who's selling it under Juniperus sabina has named it wrong...

Junipers are the worst when it comes to alloted space. They overcrowd more than any other plant from what I've seen in the landscape.

I don't want to dedicate 10' to a juniper or spend time pruning it. Simply want to fill in those 5' spaces in between the veriticals, hence the need for a slower grower. Good chance they will be removed or engulfed in 15-20 years, better than 10 years though. At the end of the day its a cheap way to save on mulch.

Edwin, note taken. I always thought of it as a J. horizontalis cultivar but I found a source call it out as J. sabina so I did a search and there where quite a few that called it out as such.

I'm going to stick with 'Gold Strike' for my gold/lime green selection. They are reputed to handle humidty better than 'Mother Lode'.

Now I just need to find a green selection, which there are a couple in your suggested list.

At the end of the day its a cheap way to save on mulch.

==>>> that is exactly why i bought them all ...

i have only one sabina.. if in fact it is properly named ... [i dont recall pointing it out to joy] ... variegata .... or some such ... one of my first.. who knew there were variegated conifers.. lol ...

its a juniper tip blight magnate ... i dont know if i can broaden that statement to include all sabina..

every year i have to take off whole branches.. luckily its the type of squat plant in which that doesnt matter ....

ken

Another option is Microbiota decussata which is my favorite groundcover.
This genus can take more shade then most Juniperus species...

This post was edited by coniferjoy on Wed, Dec 4, 13 at 5:15

Yes, I forget about that one!

I found Microbiota decussata 'Prides' which appears to have been bred for better resistance to tip dieback and has better winter color.

Need to locate a slower growing variety.

Oh, found one! Can you send me (10) 4" pots?

Microbiota decussata 'Filip's Pretty Pride'

This novelty is like a seedling found in 2004 and differs from the wild type microbiota decussata by a more uniform and more compact growth habit.
Summer color is beautiful green grass, while winter a nice brown color is red.
Very severe winters are no problem for this cultivar, because the wild type naturally occurs in Siberia.
At Big green crowns in 2012 with a Bronze Medal.

Will, Microbiota decussata 'Filip's Pretty Pride' is only availlable in Europe yet.
It's a brandnew selection with a beautiful compact growing habit which will fit perfectly for smaller spaces.

Will, depending on the shade, the junipers will grow slower due to that alone. Here is a J. procumbens 'Nana' on the NE side of my garage and shade from a neighbors Black Walnut to boot. It is 10, maybe 12 years old, only 4 feet in diameter and easy to keep under control.

{{gwi:601707}}

My 'Blue Stars' have a similar slow rate in similar shade.

tj