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Rocky Mountain Juniper (Bundle of 3) | Spring 2027
$99.99
Reliable shipping
Flexible returns
Ripening
Will it finish before your first hard freeze?
Check it on the Ripening Map (opens in a new tab)
Disease resistanceNo strong resistance
- 2 Cedar-apple rust : Susceptible, 2 of 5
- 2 Tip blight : Susceptible, 2 of 5
Scored 1 to 5. Higher resists better, and ? means no published data yet.
See it on our native and shade tree disease chart (opens in a new tab)At a glance: Rocky Mountain Juniper is a juniper tree rated hardy to zone 2 in our ratings (winters to -50°F), dioecious, with separate male and female plants, and it ripens about Sep 14 to Nov 14 in Missoula (our Missoula estimate).
| Hardy to | Zone 2 to 7. A bare number means the whole of zone 2, colder half included (winters to -50°F). Find your zone with our cold hardiness calculator. |
|---|---|
| Chill hours | About 800 hours (400 to 1,200). Our estimate. No published figure exists for this variety yet. Montana winters give it plenty. In milder climates, make sure your winters average at least this much. Check your chill hours or see our sources. |
| Pollination | Dioecious - Needs Male and Female. Bloom group 4 of 7 (mid), early spring here. Rocky Mountain juniper plants are usually either male or female, and only females bear the blue berries, which need a male nearby to supply wind-blown pollen. The seedlings are unsexed, so planting all three gives the best chance of getting both. Bloom group is our estimate from the variety's origin and relatives. Pollination Charts. |
| Ripens | About Sep 14 to Nov 14 in Missoula (a Missoula estimate from published sources). Real years swing about a week either way. See the date for your town. |
| Good for | Feeding wildlife (9/10), windbreaks and hedgerows (9/10), ornamental value (7/10). Scores are our own 1 to 10 ratings; 8 and up makes our Best Of lists. |
| Deer | Sometimes damaged by deer. |
| What you get | Bare root, 8-15". Shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring, roots wrapped in moist sawdust. Guaranteed to bud out. |
Overview
A columnar to somewhat rounded evergreen tree, the Rocky Mountain Juniper often supports several main stems, making it a striking addition to any landscape.
Foliage and Cones
The juvenile foliage consists of pointed, white-coated needles, while the adult foliage is scale-like and varies in color from dark green to bluish or light green. Round, dark-blue berry-like cones, covered with a whitish bloom, ripen in the second year.
Size and Bark
Mature trees reach a height of 30–40 ft. or more, with a spread of 3–15 ft.. The bark is reddish-brown or gray and sheds over time. Hardy to zone 2 (-50°F).
Current Stock
These trees are bare root and range from 8 inches to 1.5 ft. tall. Due to their slow-growing nature, they are actually going into their fifth year.
Images courtesy of Nebraska Forest Service and Thayne Tuason.
Questions we get about Rocky Mountain Juniper
How cold hardy is Rocky Mountain Juniper?
We rate Rocky Mountain Juniper hardy to zone 2, which means winters down to about -50°F. Our ratings come from real winters at our two Montana sites and from trusted growers across the North, not from a catalog average.
How many chill hours does Rocky Mountain Juniper need?
About 800 hours of winter chill (we count hours at or below 45°F), likely somewhere between 400 and 1,200. Nobody has published a chill figure for it, so that's our estimate from its relatives and origin. No direct chill data for this juniper. Humid summers and warm nights limit it more than winter chill does. Our chill hours guide has a calculator for your winters, and our research page lists the sources.
When does Rocky Mountain Juniper ripen?
About Sep 14 to Nov 14 in Missoula, Montana (an estimate built from published sources and our climate). Warmer places run earlier and cooler places later; our ripening map converts the date to your town.
What is Rocky Mountain Juniper good for?
Our top use scores for Rocky Mountain Juniper are feeding wildlife (9/10), windbreaks and hedgerows (9/10), ornamental value (7/10). Anything scored 8 or higher makes our Best Of lists.
Is Rocky Mountain Juniper disease resistant?
No. It's prone to cedar-apple rust and tip blight. Our native and shade tree disease resistance chart has every rating, the notes and the sources.
Will deer eat Rocky Mountain Juniper?
Sometimes. Deer browse Rocky Mountain Juniper now and then, so protect young plants where deer pressure is high.
What arrives, and when does Rocky Mountain Juniper ship?
A dormant bare-root plant, roots wrapped in moist sawdust with a vapor barrier, shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring. Sizes offered: 8-15". We guarantee our plants bud out. Stone fruits can be slow, so if one still has not budded out by August 15, write to us and we credit you for the following spring.
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