Skyrocket Juniper

Juniperus scopulorum 'Skyrocket'

Cupressaceae

** The plants in stock are over 5' tall!

• Full sun (tolerates part shade)
• 15'–20' tall x 2'–3' wide
• Drought Tolerance: High once established; needs good drainage, tolerates poor soil, intolerant of wet
• Evergreen silvery blue-green scale foliage; reddish-brown shredding bark
• Wildlife Benefits: Dense canopy gives birds nesting/cover; male clone — no berries (unlike the wild species)

Skyrocket is grown for one dramatic quality: it is among the narrowest columnar conifers in cultivation, a slender blue-gray spire that provides vertical punctuation few other plants can match. Culturally it is easy and tough: full sun, excellent drainage, tolerant of poor and alkaline soils and of drought once established, but intolerant of wet ground.

Skyrocket grows as an extremely narrow, upright, tapering column of silvery blue-green scale-like foliage, reaching roughly fifteen to twenty feet tall while staying only two to three feet wide, with attractive reddish-brown shredding bark beneath. It reads as a living exclamation point and is evergreen year-round, holding its blue color through winter. Older plants, or plants under heavy wet snow, can splay open at the top, so an occasional light tie or the removal of any wayward non-vertical branch in spring keeps the column crisp. It is a fast enough grower to recover quickly.

The dense columnar canopy provides valuable nesting sites and cover for birds. One caveat worth noting: 'Skyrocket' is a male clone and so does not produce the blue berry-like cones that make the wild species such good bird forage, so its wildlife value is shelter rather than food.

Skyrocket an accent plant. Use it as a vertical exclamation point in a bed, in symmetrical pairs to frame an entry or gate, in a rhythm of repeated spires along a walk or drive, or as a narrow evergreen screen where there is no room for a wider hedge. Its slim footprint suits tight urban spaces. It combines strikingly with lower, mounding plants that set off its height, including the Blue Star juniper and succulents, and with ornamental grasses and dryland shrubs.

Note: This plant is NOT fire-wise and should be planted carefully, avoiding areas prone to wildfire and keeping adequate clearance from structures.

** Skyrocket is a known alternate host for cedar-apple rust and should not be planted near apples, crabapples, or hawthorns