Daub’s Frosted Juniper
Juniperus x pfitzeriana 'Daub's Frosted'
Daub’s Frosted Juniper
Juniperus x pfitzeriana 'Daub's Frosted'
How are the heights measured?
All tree, and nothin' but the tree! We measure from the top of the soil to the top of the tree; the height of the container or the root system is never included in our measurements.
What is a gallon container?
Nursery containers come in a variety of different sizes, and old-school nursery slang has stuck. While the industry-standard terminology is to call the sizes "Gallon Containers", that doesn't exactly translate to the traditional liquid "gallon" size we think of. You'll find we carry young 1-gallons, up to more mature 7-gallons ranging anywhere from 6 inches to 6ft.
How does the delivery process work?
All of our orders ship via FedEx Ground! Once your order is placed online, our magic elves get right to work picking, staging, boxing and shipping your trees. Orders typically ship out within 2 business days. You will receive email notifications along the way on the progress of your order, as well as tracking information to track your plants all the way to their new home!
Why are some states excluded from shipping?
The short & sweet answer is: "United States Department of Agriculture Restrictions." Every state has their own unique USDA restrictions on which plants they allow to come into their state. While we wish we could serve everyone, it's for the safety of native species and helps prevent the spread of invasive disease & pests. We've gotta protect good ole' Mother Nature, after all.
About Me
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Daub’s Frosted Juniper is a colorful spreading evergreen bush, growing just a foot or two tall, but reaching 3 to 6 feet across. It has brilliant yellow young tips, and lime-green older foliage, which creates a colorful contrasting effect. This bright plant is ideal for the foreground of mixed shrub beds, or among the plants around your home. Its low height is perfect below deep windows, or beside steps and paths. It is also ideal for sloping parts of the garden, or along a driveway. Very hardy and drought resistant, this easy plant will bring lots of color all year, but it needs no significant care.
- Superb contrasting gold and lime-green foliage
- Gold color never burns in summer sunlight
- Spreading form is ideal for foreground planting
- Easily grown and drought resistant
- Hardy everywhere
Daub’s Frosted Juniper is not scorched by the summer sun, as many other golden evergreens can be, and it is very hardy, thriving in all the zones from 4 to 9. It is also hardy in zone 3, but some temporary winter damage is possible. It grows best in full sun, and in any well-drained soil, from sandy and rocky soils to clay soils. Do not plant in areas that are shady or often wet. This plant is normally not damaged by rabbits or deer, and it has no significant pests or diseases. The spread of older plants can be controlled by removing stem tips, so as not to destroy the attractive arching form of this plant.
- Plant Hardiness Zones 3-9
- Mature Width 3-6
- Mature Height 1-2
- Sun Needs Full Sun
To create a rich, stable garden scene, it is important to use a good quantity and selection of evergreens, both conifers and broad-leaf, as their year-round foliage and structure frames the changing display of flowering trees and shrubs. For the best effect these plants should be used in a range of sizes and foliage colors, to give variety and avoid a flat, blank green background. As well, by using plenty of different forms and colors, we can reduce our reliance on flowering plants, which often need a higher level of care. Always use evergreens generously in your garden, and for great color and contrast on a plant with attractive form, Daub’s Frosted Juniper is unbeatable.
Growing Daub’s Frosted Juniper
Size and Appearance
Daub’s Frosted Juniper is an outstanding color form of spreading juniper, with striking brilliant yellow new shoots, which gradually turn light lime green. For much of the year this creates a great contrast of yellow ‘frosting’ on a lime green plant, sparkling in the light and highlighting your planting arrangement. Besides color, this plant has beautiful form, with the branches arising from the center at about 30o and then having slightly pendulous tips. This creates a lovely, graceful look, and because it spreads wide, but stays at a lower height, this plant shows off in the foreground, without blocking plants behind it.
Daub’s Frosted Juniper will grow to between 1 and 2 feet tall in ten years and spread between 3 and 6 feet wide in that time. The growth rate depends on location and soil, but this plant always grows steadily and reliably. It will continue to grow throughout its life and if untrimmed it will in time become significantly larger. The sturdy branches grow out from the ground, and older plants may develop a strong trunk at their base. The young tips of the foliage droop over slightly, creating a graceful form. In spring the new growth is bright yellow, with a sparkling look. As summer passes and the new shoots mature, they turn lime green. Since new growth is continuous throughout spring, summer and early fall, there are always yellow tips, which creates the ‘frosted’ look of this unique plant. It is a male plant, so although older plants may produce some pollen in spring, no juniper berries are produced.
Using Daub’s Frosted Juniper in Your Garden
Use Daub’s Frosted Juniper as part of the foundation planting around your home, where it is perfect for planting beneath low windows, or on either side of a set of steps. Use a single plant for smaller spots, up to 6 feet across, or plant several at 3 or 4-foot centers to cover larger areas with low-maintenance but striking plants. It is ideal for covering sloping areas, or for hiding manholes and drains. Plant in your beds and borders to bring easy all-year color or use it in large planters for a great display on a terrace or patio. Plant along a driveway to soften the edges and blend the paving into your garden scene. This versatile plant has many uses around the garden.
Hardiness
Unlike some other golden evergreens, Daub’s Frosted Juniper does not burn in full sun, and this plant thrives in open situations, even in cold zones. It is hardy everywhere, from zone 3 or 4 to zone 9. In zone 3 some winter burning of the young shoots is possible, but these are quickly replaced with fresh new growth in spring. The strong branches resist breakage from snow even in areas with heavy falls, and this tough plant is very easy to grow, and it is as resistant to heat as it is to cold.
Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions
Plant Daub’s Frosted Juniper in a sunny location. It will tolerate some shade, but the foliage color will not be as strong. Plant it in any well-drained soil, and it thrives even in poor, rocky and sandy soils, and even in clay, as long as it is not constantly wet. Once established it is drought resistant and an ideal choice for dry areas.
Maintenance and Pruning
Always allow enough room for this plant to develop its form, as trimming is not recommended. If you do wish to reduce its size, in spring cut back the tips of longer branches to an upward-rising shoot, which will hide the cut end. This plant has no significant pests or diseases, and deer and rabbits normally leave it alone.
History and Origin of Daub’s Frosted Juniper
Daub’s Frosted Juniper is a special form of the Pfitzer Juniper, Juniperus x pfitzeriana. That very popular plant was found in the 1890s, and the original plant is still growing in Berlin, at the Späth Arboretum. It is a hybrid plant (between Juniperus sabina and Juniperus chinensis) that was probably found growing wild in Inner Mongolia. That plant has blue-green foliage, and although very popular, it can grow much too large for many gardens.
Over time unusual branches have developed on some plants of the Pfitzer Juniper, with a different character to the original. One of these is called ‘Mordigan Gold’, which forms a smaller, lower spreading and slightly less pendulous plant than the original. Most importantly, it has bright yellow foliage that lasts well all year round. It was discovered some time before 1970, by Hillside Nurseries, Morgan, Massachusetts. In 1987, at the John Mitsch Nursery, in Aurora, Oregon, an unusual branch was seen on a plant of ‘Mordigan Gold’. this became the remarkable ‘Daub’s Frosted’ form, with its special two-tone yellow and lime-green coloring.
Buying Daub’s Frosted Juniper at the Tree Center
Our plants of Daub’s Frosted Juniper are derived directly from John Mitsch’s original plant, and reproduced by stem cuttings, not seed. You will love this dependable and hardy juniper, but our stock is limited, so order now, while we still have supplies of this special plant.