Juvenile and Mature Juniper Foliage
Juniperus procumbens ‘Nana’ is a low-growing shrubby juniper commonly used in landscaping and as starter bonsai because it is very hardy. That makes it ideal for beginners who are learning how to take care of a bonsai.
This is also one of several juniper species that have surprisingly different foliage depending on the age of the plant and how long since it was last pruned. Unfortunately most of us never this transformation in procumbens junipers because our trees aren’t old enough. Below are examples of how different the foliage can be.
The photos below are from several different junipers used in a garden landscape. Some plants have been in the ground for about twenty years while the oldest ones have been there over thirty years. A few years ago the foliage on the oldest plants started converting from juvenile into mature foliage. Now most branches now have only mature foliage. The photos below illustrate the difference between these types of foliage.
Contrast this foliage with mature foliage seen on the oldest plants.
As you can see in the next photo Juvenile and Mature foliage can be mixed on the same branch.
Pruning is known to cause junipers to grow juvenile foliage at the pruned locations. However, after three to five years it will convert back to mature foliage.