JUNIPERS
Junipers are conifers belonging to the Cupressaceae family and include the species commonly called junipers and junipers.
They are evergreen and squamiform or with short needles.
Junipers in general produce very hard wood and are very resistant to rot, so they are very appreciated in bonsai for their deadwoods; in this section you can find from very old specimens with incredible natural jines and sharis, to young seedlings so you can start to form them yourself.
Among the most used junipers for bonsai are the following:
- Juniperus chinensis (shimpaku in Japan), like itoigawa and kishu, is native to the Asian continent; it can form a very compact branching, ideal for medium and small sized bonsai, its cultivation is very easy since they adapt to almost any environment.
- Juniperus sabina or creeping juniper, autochthonous and characterized by its resistance to inclement weather. Suitable for forming trees with twisted trunks and dry woods that stand out with their reddish-brown bark.
- Juniperus rigida (tosho in Japan), native to China, Korea and Japan, is a species very similar to the common juniper, although it differs from the latter because its needles are more resistant (as its name attests) and because of the cascade shape of its thinner branches.