★★★★★ Rated 4.8 out of 5 Stars

1 Year Warranty on All Plants

Get 10% Off with code FALL10

Up to 81% Off- Shop the Fall Sale Now!

Blue Chip Juniper

$5995 $7995
Size: 1 Gallon
Free Shipping - Your plants ship tomorrow
Plant Health Guaranteed
Free Lifetime Support
Risk-Free 1 Year Warranty
Use code "FALL10" for an extra 10% off!

Your Plants are Guaranteed to Grow

Your plants are guaranteed to arrive happy & healthy with our 1 Year Warranty. Your order will arrive healthy and stay healthy while they adapt to your climate. If your tree arrives damaged or dies within 30 days, we'll replace it for free. If it dies after 30 days, but before 1 year, we will replace it for just 50% of the current price.

Free Shipping on All Orders

Relax... we've got you covered with free shipping on every order! We ship out so many huge plants, we've negotiated a low rate with our carriers... and we pass those savings on to you! Your plants will ship out the next business day... expertly packed so that your plants will arrive happy and healthy!

Is Now a Good Time to Plant?

Yes! Fall is one of the best times to plant!

Landscaping experts often recommend planting in fall instead of waiting until spring. Here’s why:

  • Cooler weather puts less stress on newly planted trees and shrubs.
  • Fall soil is still warm, which helps roots grow and get established.
  • Cooler temperatures mean less water is lost through the leaves, making it easier for plants to stay hydrated.
  • Even after top growth slows for winter, roots continue developing below ground.
  • Fall weather often brings more rain and less heat, making new plants easier to care for.
  • By spring, your plants already have a head start. Their established roots can support strong new leaves, branches, and flowers.
  • Trees planted in spring must establish their roots while also dealing with rising temperatures and summer heat.

Plant this fall, and your trees can spend the cooler months getting settled instead of waiting until spring to get started!

Planting your Blue Chip Juniper

Planting Instructions for Blue Chip Juniper

  1. Choosing the Right Location: Plant Blue Chip Juniper in full to partial sun in USDA zones 3 through 9. Full sun gives the best growth and strongest silver-blue color, while in partial shade it spreads more slowly and looks less dense.
  2. Soil Preparation: Blue Chip grows well in rocky, sandy, gravelly or poor soil as long as the area drains well. Avoid soggy spots where water collects. Rich soil is not required.
  3. Planting: Dig each hole twice as wide as the root ball and just as deep, and set plants level with the ground. It stays 6 to 12 inches tall but spreads 6 to 8 feet wide. Space plants 4 to 6 feet apart for groundcover, or closer for faster coverage.
  4. Mulching and First Watering: Water deeply right after planting to settle the soil. Spread 2 to 3 inches of mulch around and between plants, keeping it a few inches away from the stems, to hold moisture and keep weeds down while the plants fill in.

Care Instructions

  1. Watering: Water regularly while it becomes established, then it becomes much more drought tolerant. Once settled, it handles heat, cold, snow, frost and dry weather with very little care.
  2. Fertilizing: Junipers need little fertilizer. If growth is weak, apply a light slow-release fertilizer for evergreens in early spring. Rich soil and heavy feeding are not needed and can cause soft, floppy growth.
  3. Pest and Disease Monitoring: Watch for tip blight, which browns branch tips in wet springs, and prune out affected shoots in dry weather. Check for bagworms in early summer and spider mites during hot, dry spells, which cause dull, speckled foliage. Good air flow and dry foliage prevent most problems.

Maintenance and Long-Term Care

  1. Pruning: Blue Chip needs little pruning. If branches creep onto driveways or paths, trim them back to a side shoot. Avoid cutting into old, bare wood, since junipers rarely regrow from it.
  2. Winter Care: The silver-blue foliage stays on year-round and may pick up slight purple tints in very cold weather before brightening again in spring.
  3. Growing in Containers: Blue Chip can spill over the sides of a large outdoor container. Use a pot with drainage holes and a gritty mix, and water more often than in the ground.

Additional Tips for Growing Blue Chip Juniper

  1. Walls and Edges: Plant it at the top of retaining walls, curbs or raised beds and let it trail over to soften hard edges.
  2. Slopes: Its low branches cover exposed soil on slopes and embankments and help reduce soil movement during heavy rain. It is especially useful in places that are hard to mow or where erosion is a concern.
  3. Deer and Shipping: It is deer resistant. Due to state plant regulations, it cannot ship to California. Its prickly foliage makes it an unappealing snack for most wildlife, though no plant is completely deer-proof.
What Customers say about the Blue Chip Juniper:

The Blue Chip Juniper thrives in Zones 3-9

Growing Zones for the Blue Chip Juniper

If you live in the green area above, we recommend the Blue Chip Juniper.

Your Growing Zone
Recommended Zones 3-9
Mature Height 6-12 inches
Mature Width 6-8 ft.
Cannot Ship To CA
Sunlight Full to Partial Sun
Botanical Name Juniperus horizontalis 'Blue Chip'

Plants that Make a Difference

For 20+ years, our team has shipped healthy, established plants to gardeners like you- all across the country. Every plant is selected and cared for by our plant experts before it ships to your door.

  • 20+ Years Experience

  • Superior Quality

  • Free Shipping on All Orders

  • Guaranteed to Grow

Beware- not all Blue Chip Junipers are the same.

Be sure to get superior groundcovers, grown by experts.

Better Roots Make Stronger Plants: Some nurseries send you "bare root" groundcovers to save on shipping. Even worse, others have started digging them right out of the ground before shipping. This causes major transplant shock and long-term damage. We send you Blue Chip Junipers in soil-filled containers- ensuring a well-developed root system that is ready to spread!

Healthy Plants: We've seen other nurseries grow tall groundcovers in tiny pots to save on shipping. This leads to a "root bound" plant, where the roots have outgrown their pot- they cannot absorb water and nutrients. They quickly dry out during shipment, leading to an unhealthy plant.

Blue Chip Juniper forms a dense carpet of silver-blue foliage- dependable groundcover for tough spaces.

  • Stays very low at about 6-12 inches tall and spreads 6-8 ft. wide
  • Silver-blue color all year, even in winter
  • Great for slopes: covers exposed soil and trails over retaining walls
  • Tough and low maintenance: deer resistant, grows in poor soil and is hardy in zones 3-9

Not all plants are created equal

The Difference Is in the Roots

Every plant we ship has grown in a nursery container with its roots protected, so it arrives healthy, established and ready to thrive in your yard.

A full, branched Nationwide Plants tree in a nursery pot next to a thin bare-root tree with exposed roots Ours: container grown Theirs: bare root
Nationwide Plants Other Nurseries
How it's grown Grown in a nursery container, roots protected the whole time Pulled or dug from the field, tearing fragile roots
How it arrives Arrives in its pot with soil intact Arrives bare root, exposed and drying out
Before shipping Growing naturally until it ships Held dormant in a cooler, then shocked by a hot shipping box
Root health Strong, well-developed roots with room to grow Crammed into a small pot until it's root bound
Height Measured from the top of the soil Often includes the pot and roots
After planting Settles in quickly with less transplant shock Arrives stressed and can take years to recover, if it does

The height you see is the height you plant.

We measure every plant from the top of the soil, not the bottom of the pot. Many nurseries include the pot and roots, so a "5–6 ft." tree from them might stand only 4 ft. tall once it's planted.

Comparisons reflect common practices across the online plant industry, not any single company.

Honest Measurements: Some nurseries measure plants including the pot and roots, so the plant you receive is much smaller than you expected. We measure all of our plants from the soil line, so the height you see is what you can expect after planting.

From our nursery to your door

How We Ship Your Plants

Every order is hand-selected, watered and carefully packed so it arrives healthy and ready to plant. Here's what happens after you place your order.

  1. Hand-Picked for You

    Our team selects the best plant available for your order. For privacy trees, that's the tallest and fullest. For fruit trees, it's the best branched.

    Why it matters: Many online nurseries ship whatever is next in the row.

  2. A Deep Drink Before the Trip

    Every plant gets a thorough watering right before it's packed, so it starts the journey fully hydrated.

  3. Roots Sealed In

    We wrap the pot and roots in plastic to lock in moisture, so your plant has water to drink all the way to your door.

    Why it matters: Bare-root plants are often shipped with their roots exposed and drying out.

  4. Braced for the Ride

    Cardboard inserts are secured inside every box to hold your plant in place, so it won't slide, tip or get damaged in transit.

  5. Shipped Only by FedEx

    We ship your trees exclusively with FedEx. We've found they deliver the fastest and handle live plants the most gently.

And if anything goes wrong, every plant is backed by our 1 Year Warranty.

Healthy Roots Make a Huge Difference

  • Never buy bare-root plants. These trees are starved of nutrients, and have a low survival rate.
  • Beware of nurseries cut corners by growing in small pots. These "rootbound" plants are weak, struggle to absorb nutrients, and die quickly after planting.
  • Some nurseries try to sell oversized plants, but chop off vital roots so they can cram the rootball into a narrow box to save on shipping!

You Want Blue Chip Junipers Grown by Experts

Some nurseries ship small, weak groundcovers grown in tiny pots to save money. These "root bound" plants struggle after planting and take much longer to fill in.

Nationwide Plants only sends you strong Blue Chip Junipers, selected and cared for by our plant experts, with healthy, developed root systems. That means they settle in quickly and cover bare ground sooner.

Read more about the Blue Chip Juniper

Blue Chip Juniper: Silver-Blue Evergreen Groundcover for Tough Spaces

Add cool, year-round color to your landscape with the Blue Chip Juniper. This low-growing evergreen spreads wide and forms a dense carpet of silver-blue foliage that stays attractive through every season.

Blue Chip Juniper is a great choice for slopes, rock gardens, retaining walls, driveway edges, and other places where you need tough, dependable groundcover. Once established, it handles heat, cold, snow, frost, dry weather, and poor soil with very little care.

Why You'll Love the Blue Chip Juniper

Silver-Blue Evergreen Foliage: Bright blue foliage gives your landscape color in spring, summer, fall, and winter.

Low, Spreading Growth: Blue Chip Juniper grows close to the ground and spreads outward to cover open soil.

Great for Slopes and Erosion Control: Its wide growth helps cover bare ground and can help reduce soil movement on hillsides.

Deer Resistant: Deer usually leave this tough evergreen alone, making it a useful choice for areas with browsing pressure.

Handles Poor Soil: Blue Chip Juniper can grow well in rocky, sandy, and gravelly soil as long as drainage is good.

Low Maintenance: Once established, it needs very little pruning, watering, or extra care.

Year-Round Silver-Blue Color

The main feature of Blue Chip Juniper is its cool silver-blue foliage. The color stays on the plant all year, giving your yard a strong evergreen look even in winter.

Its blue tone also creates great contrast next to green shrubs, purple foliage, ornamental grasses, stone, and gravel.

A Tough Groundcover for Difficult Areas

Blue Chip Juniper is built for places where many other plants struggle. It can handle dry soil, heat, cold, snow, frost, and changing temperatures once established.

Its spreading branches cover open ground and help create a neat, finished look without the need for mowing.

Where to Plant Blue Chip Juniper

Slopes and Hillsides: Use it to cover sunny banks and help control erosion.

Retaining Walls: Let the branches trail over the edge for a soft, cascading look.

Rock Gardens: Its silver-blue foliage looks especially good around boulders, gravel, and stone.

Driveway Edges: Plant it along sunny driveways or curbs where you want low-growing evergreen color.

Garden Borders: Use it near the front of planting beds for low texture and year-round interest.

Mass Plantings: Plant several together to create a wide area of dense blue-green coverage.

Large Containers: Grow Blue Chip Juniper in a large outdoor pot and let its spreading branches spill over the sides.

Blue Chip Juniper Sun and Soil Needs

Sunlight: Plant Blue Chip Juniper in full sun for the best growth and strongest blue foliage color.

Soil: This juniper grows well in rocky, sandy, gravelly, or poor soil as long as the area drains well.

Watering: Water regularly while the plant is becoming established. Once the roots are settled in, Blue Chip Juniper becomes much more drought tolerant.

Perfect for Slopes and Erosion Control

The low, spreading growth of Blue Chip Juniper makes it a smart choice for slopes and embankments. Its branches help cover exposed soil and create a thick layer of plant growth across the ground.

This can be especially useful in places that are hard to mow or where rain may wash loose soil downhill.

Beautiful Cascading Growth

Blue Chip Juniper naturally spreads outward and can trail over retaining walls, curbs, rocks, and raised beds. This creates a relaxed, flowing look that helps soften hard landscape edges.

Its twisted stems also add extra texture and character around rocks and boulders.

Easy Care With Very Little Maintenance

Once established, Blue Chip Juniper is one of the easier evergreen groundcovers to maintain. It usually needs very little pruning and can handle dry weather better than many other plants.

Give it plenty of sun, well-drained soil, and regular water while it gets established. After that, it can provide dependable color with very little attention.

Dependable Blue Color for Tough Landscape Spaces

If you need a hardy groundcover with silver-blue foliage, drought tolerance, deer resistance, and easy-care growth, Blue Chip Juniper is an excellent choice.

Plant Blue Chip Juniper for year-round color, easy ground coverage, and dependable beauty in even the toughest parts of your landscape.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Blue Chip Juniper

How big does Blue Chip Juniper get?

Blue Chip Juniper stays very low at about 6 to 12 inches tall but spreads 6 to 8 feet wide. It forms a dense carpet of silver-blue foliage that covers open soil. This low, wide habit makes it ideal for slopes, rock gardens, retaining walls, and driveway edges.

How far apart do you plant Blue Chip Juniper for groundcover?

Plant Blue Chip Juniper about 4 to 6 feet apart for groundcover. With a mature spread of 6 to 8 feet, the plants will grow together into a continuous mat. Space them closer if you want faster coverage, and mulch between plants while they fill in.

What zones does Blue Chip Juniper grow in?

Blue Chip Juniper grows in USDA zones 3 through 9. Once established, it handles heat, cold, snow, frost, and dry weather with very little care. That wide range makes it a dependable evergreen groundcover for most of the country. Its blue foliage stays on the plant through every season.

Does Blue Chip Juniper need full sun?

Blue Chip Juniper grows in full to partial sun, but full sun gives the best growth and strongest silver-blue color. In partial shade, it may spread more slowly and look less dense. For the thickest carpet of blue foliage, choose a bright, open spot.

Is Blue Chip Juniper good for slopes?

Yes, Blue Chip Juniper is excellent for slopes and embankments. Its low, spreading branches cover exposed soil and help reduce soil movement during heavy rain. It is especially useful in places that are hard to mow or where erosion is a concern.

Does Blue Chip Juniper stay blue all year?

Yes, Blue Chip Juniper keeps its cool silver-blue foliage year-round, giving your yard a strong evergreen look even in winter. The blue tone contrasts well with green shrubs, purple foliage, ornamental grasses, stone, and gravel. In very cold weather the foliage may pick up slight purple tints before brightening again in spring.

Is Blue Chip Juniper deer resistant?

Yes, Blue Chip Juniper is deer resistant, and deer usually leave this tough evergreen alone. That makes it a useful groundcover for areas with browsing pressure. No plant is completely deer-proof, but junipers are rarely a favorite. Its prickly foliage makes it an unappealing snack for most wildlife.

What soil does Blue Chip Juniper grow in?

Blue Chip Juniper grows well in rocky, sandy, gravelly, or poor soil as long as the area drains well. Avoid soggy spots where water collects. Water regularly while it becomes established, then it becomes much more drought tolerant. Rich soil is not required, and heavy fertilizing is usually unnecessary.

Can Blue Chip Juniper trail over a wall?

Yes, Blue Chip Juniper naturally spreads outward and can trail over retaining walls, curbs, rocks, and raised beds. This relaxed, cascading growth softens hard edges. It can also spill over the sides of a large outdoor container for a flowing look.

Can Blue Chip Juniper ship to California?

No, Blue Chip Juniper cannot be shipped to California (CA) due to state plant regulations. California gardeners looking for a blue groundcover should choose a plant that is permitted in their state. Customers in every other state can order it as usual and plant it in their landscape.
Back to top