Common Juniper (Aiteal)

Not only is it one of Ireland’s native evergreen conifers, it is also the most widespread conifer in the world. It carries grey-green juvenile foliage throughout its life which is prickly to the touch. The foliage also has a silvery underside. The Common Juniper grows into a medium sized shrub to tree. Eventually bearing berries on female trees, it was cultivated for many hundreds of years for flavouring the popular spirit Gin. It’s very tolerant of difficult situations including clay soils and very exposed sites.

Site: Tolerates inland and coastal exposure
Soil: Most soils except very wet, tolerant of extreme pH’s, shallow soil
Position: Full sun, tolerates part shade
Season of Interest: Evergreen, berries
Hardiness: Fully hardy
Height: 10’ (3m) Spread: 12’ (4m)