Juniperus chinensis 'Kaizuka' / Hollywood juniper

Juniperus chinensis 'Kaizuka' is a unique, irregular upright selection of Chinese juniper with long sinuous branches holding dense, deep green foliage and light Blue berries. After 10 years of growth, a mature specimen will measure 6 feet (2 m) tall and 3 feet (1 m) wide, an annual growth rate of 6 to 8 inches (15 - 20 cm). Although the main body of its foliage is as thick as if it had been sheared, delicately twisted, upright branches emerge gracefully all around the plant, in almost a flame-like manner.

Do not expect a row of them to provide a uniform shape since crown form varies. Hollywood juniper develops into a showcase specimen without pruning and is probably best used for this purpose. Planted on four to six-foot centers, it can develop into a thick screen which could be useful along a driveway, where a narrow, bright green screen is often needed to create privacy.

This conifer grows best in full sun, more open in partial shade, and needs well-drained soil or it will decline from root rot. It tolerates alkaline soil and is quite drought-tolerant but root regeneration is slow after transplanting from a field nursery. It is frequently offered in containers from a nursery.

This cultivar originated around 1920 at the Yokohama Nursery, Yokohama City, Kanagawa, Japan. This has become such a popular landscape tree around Los Angeles, California, that it's evolved the popular common name, Hollywood juniper. This conifer is also incorrectly known as 'Torulosa' and 'Tortuosa.'