juniper identification

[discusmike]

These junipers are growing near my house, there are probalbly a dozen or so in a hedge, they are extremely old with massive 5" plus multiple trunks, they stand about 3' high, they look like chinese juni, what do you think?they have lots of natural deadwood, and look like they get sheared in the summer months, sun was bright, sorry about pic quality.

 

[discusmike]

Some of the trunks have movement n taper, some don't, I believe they are in crappy soil, with car exaust close to them much of the time, some are starting to look we ak, n will probably eventually die if not collected.

 

[Vance Wood]

You are right it is a Juniper but it is considered Virginia Red Cedar.

 

[discusmike]

How can you tell Vance?

 

[Vance Wood]

How can you tell Vance?

I have seen enough of this stuff growing from Iowa to the East Coast. But don't believe me I know nothing.

 

[discusmike]

Just wondering how you can tell the diffrence, I'm not questioning your knowledge of the species, I am wondering why a strip mall would plant that species around a medium strip, the othet medium strips have yews growing

 

[lordy]

I have seen enough of this stuff growing from Iowa to the East Coast. But don't believe me I know nothing.

Nice. The guy is trying to learn and gets his head bitten off by an angry old man. Why bother answering at all?

 

[Vance Wood]

Nice. The guy is trying to learn and gets his head bitten off by an angry old man. Why bother answering at all?

You did not understand the tone of my post any more than I may have understood the tone of his.

 

[Vance Wood]

Just wondering how you can tell the diffrence, I'm not questioning your knowledge of the species, I am wondering why a strip mall would plant that species around a medium strip, the othet medium strips have yews growing

I apologize, your question seemed to have a hint of "what the heck do your know" to it. I realize now it did not. So it seems you are saying that this is a planted hedge and not a natural growing feature. If that is the case there is no way of telling with the photo you have provided. With the history of your part of the country it could be anything possibly planted a couple of hundred years ago. If you are really curious you could go to the county registrar and check to see about former owners of the property.

It they are cultivated they could be Chinensis.

 

[discusmike]

Thanks Vance, I'm not one start trouble with others, especially someone trying to help me, sorry it sounded that way.

 

[Vance Wood]

Thanks Vance, I'm not one start trouble with others, especially someone trying to help me, sorry it sounded that way.

Sorry I took it that way

 

[Vance Wood]

Nice. The guy is trying to learn and gets his head bitten off by an angry old man. Why bother answering at all?

So------What do you think it is?

 

[Dav4]

So------What do you think it is?

Probably a J. chinensis cultivar. The REAL question is.....are they worth collecting? I'm honestly not sure.

 

[Vance Wood]

Probably a J. chinensis cultivar. The REAL question is.....are they worth collecting? I'm honestly not sure.

From the picture I have seen probably not. But new pictures can always be posted. There is also the question of whether or not they are considered the property of the mall they are growing in. Just because they look like crap and are in a crapy location it is surprising how their value will increase if you try to, or get caught, removing them .

 

[prestontolbert]

Parsonii is very popular in commercial landscaping. I have a few that took me awhile to ID. It's a possibility.

 

[discusmike]

They look to be some type of old chinese juniper, but I'm no expert, thought I would ask, some are nice, some are not, a lot of the trunks are also buried in mulch, I'm in the process of possibly getting permission, getting them out will not be fun.

 

[Vance Wood]

They look to be some type of old chinese juniper, but I'm no expert, thought I would ask, some are nice, some are not, a lot of the trunks are also buried in mulch, I'm in the process of possibly getting permission, getting them out will not be fun.

Yes it will-----it may not be easy to get them out but it will be fun.

 

[Paradox]

The question is this worth digging out? I know its got a 5" trunk but it has very straight branches coming off of the trunk and the foliage is a bit distant from that trunk?

Might be hard to tell from the pictures.

Anyone know if these back bud easily or at all?

 

[Vance Wood]

The question is this worth digging out? I know its got a 5" trunk but it has very straight branches coming off of the trunk and the foliage is a bit distant from that trunk?

Might be hard to tell from the pictures.

Anyone know if these back bud easily or at all?

Not even sure what they are, or whether it is legal to collect them???????

 

[Dav4]

The question is this worth digging out? I know its got a 5" trunk but it has very straight branches coming off of the trunk and the foliage is a bit distant from that trunk?

Might be hard to tell from the pictures.

Anyone know if these back bud easily or at all?

That's the problem with overgrown hedge material like this, where all the green is out at the end of the branches. Junipers do bud back if fed aggressively and placed in full sun, but do so sporadically, and usually in the crotches of branches...it would be very unlikely to get buds to pop on an older trunk. If it was a yew, then a different story. If there is a good trunk with movement and taper in there, it might be worth collecting, but you would have to consider grafting to create the new canopy.