Juniperus horizontalis 'Wiltonii' / Wilton's creeping juniper

Juniperus horizontalis 'Wiltonii' is a dense, compact, slow-growing, very flat selection of creeping juniper with trailing branches and attractive, silver-blue foliage. It is arguably the most popular groundcover juniper in the nursery trade. After 10 years of growth, a mature specimen will measure 6 to 10 feet (2 - 3 m) wide, but only a couple of inches (2 - 3 cm) high, an annual lateral growth rate of 7 to 10 inches (18 - 25 cm).

This cultivar originated as a natural mutation, found in 1914 on the island of Vinalhaven, Maine, by Jacob van Heiningen of South Wilton, Connecticut, USA. It is sometimes seen listed as 'Blue Rug' in the nursery trade.

Juniperus horizontalis 'Wiltonii' at The Gotelli Collection in The U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. May 2006.
Photo by Dax Herbst
Juniperus horizontalis 'Wiltonii' in a private garden in Kansas, October 2006.
Photo by David Stegmaier
Juniperus horizontalis "Wiltonii' in a private garden in Maine.
Photo by Don Levesque
Juniperus horizontalis 'Wiltonii' — accessioned in 2005 at the Morris Arboretum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; photo from 2020.
Photo by Katherine Wagner-Reiss

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