Juniperus communis
Family: Cupressaceae

Juniper berries have been used for centuries as a culinary and medicinal herb. Juniper branches were burnt in homes and streets during times of plague in the belief that this would purify the air. The crushed berries are used to flavor meat and game and also to make sauces for use with cold meats. The berries or the distilled oil have long been used to flavor gin and other spirits. Berries develop on female trees of the common juniper, J. communis, which is an upright tree growing 5-10 m (16-33 ft) tall in good conditions. It has prickly, gray-green leaves, silvery on the undersides. 'Phis tree and its numerous cultivars are exten­sively grown as ornamentals. Male trees bear small yellow cones, while female trees bear the small berries that are green at first, ripening to blue and then black. Ripening of berries can take up to three years and berries are still mostly picked by hand.

Cultivation

Junipers can be grown in almost any kind of soil but growth will be more vigor­ous in good soils. Generally grown from seed, they can also be grown from firm tip cuttings taken from autumn through to early winter. These plants need regular watering during their first two or three years and thereafter in very hot, dry summers. All trees benefit from mulching with organic matter and, if the soil is very poor, all-purpose fertilizer can be applied in spring.

Climate

Zone 3.