Juniperus chinensis (Chinese juniper)

Varieties

One of the most popular variety of Juniperus chinensis is known as shimpaku juniper. It was discovered around 1850 near Mount Ishizuchi in Japan, but it has been over-collected over the next half-century and became almost extinct in the wild.

Itoigawa

A special kind of shimpaku called itoigawa was then discovered by a collector on Mount Kurohime near the city of Itoigawa in the first decade of 1900 and its qualities soon lead to a very high demand also causing its disappearance from the area. But it is possible to find trees in nurseries that initially came from cuttings of those collected specimens.

Kishu

It is harder to find information about the kishu variety except that it's the name of a province where shimpaku are sold. It is much closer to regular shimpaku than itoigawa.

Propagation

Cutting

Take cuttings in mid-spring to benefit from a longer growing season
Cut at a 45-degree angle to increase the surface area, using a sharp razor blade
Add a piece of wire to secure the cutting if needed
Fill a pot with fine substrate particles and water it
Create holes about the same size as the cuttings
The base of the cutting should be at the middle depth of the pot
Place the pot out of the wind and intense sun
Mist once or twice a day
Repot the cuttings into separate containers next spring

Notes

The foliage may turn brown following a frost but will revert to green with the arrival of spring.