Juniper is an evergreen coniferous plant that belongs to the Cypress species. In the people you can hear 2 more names of this bush - heres or juniper. The height of the heather bush can reach 12 meters. Since the plant is coniferous, it has peculiar leaves in the form of dense soft needles. Juniper fruits are blue berries, which experts classify as cones.

Features of wood

Juniper has wood that belongs to the species of sound. Its main property is its high density (according to this indicator, juniper is several times higher than cedar), but even with this feature, it is very flexible. Juniper wood has long been used in wood carving, because due to its optimal density, it is the best fit for this craft. Another distinctive feature is that the wood practically does not swell at high humidity and does not change shape after drying.

Products from juniper are obtained with magnificent patterns and unique lines, have a reddish tint. Unlike its coniferous counterparts, Veres has no resin passages; it is this property that allows impregnating and painting products in any color.

Juniper products

Since the bushes of the plant have a soft structure, a variety of crafts are made from it, which can be presented to friends and family as souvenirs.

Juniper products

Note! Sometimes for their products, craftsmen use only juniper cuts, but mostly for crafts they use almost all parts of the shrub.

You can make a wide variety of small souvenirs, dishes and furniture from juniper wood and then use them in your household. Anyone can make juniper souvenirs, you just need to study the rules for processing this wood.

Products:

  • Coasters for hot juniper. They are made from plant cuts. They are perfect for any interior and will not spoil the tabletop.
  • Juniper spoons. This cutlery is useful in any household.
  • Juniper bracelet and beads. They will be great decorations and will go well with any outfit. In addition, juniper products have medicinal properties. Juniper beads look very beautiful, and this is facilitated by the unique pattern of wood.
  • Spatulas and tongs for cooking. Do not deform when heated.
  • Manual massagers. Chiropractors and massage therapists use juniper massagers to treat many conditions.
  • Juniper combs. The best way to brush your hair is to use combs made from natural materials.
  • Accessories for clothes and bags. Serves as a great decoration for all types of clothes and handbags.
  • Juniper bonsai. Using juniper bushes as a bonsai will brighten any living or office space.
  • Juniper rosary. The people believe that they have the ability to scare away evil spirits and warn against the evil eye. Each juniper bead, according to ancient beliefs, has an unknown magical power.
  • A panel made of juniper will be an excellent decoration for a steam room, because it is not just beautiful, but also has medicinal properties. As a rule, such panels are constructed from bushes cuts.
  • Juniper sling beads. They have antiseptic properties that allow you to preserve a healthy microflora in the child's mouth, they are also used as an anesthetic for teething in infants.
  • A juniper roll is a small pillow filled with juniper shavings. The juniper roller is used both for the prevention and treatment of cerebrovascular diseases and many other diseases.

DIY juniper bonsai. Step by step instructions

Chinese juniper bonsai will be a wonderful decoration for any interior. Even a novice bonsaist who decided to organize his own oriental garden can grow them.

Important! The plant is quite unpretentious, so it does not require constant care.

Seeds

The product can be purchased at any flower shop or ordered on a specialized website, seed material is inexpensive.

Place of cultivation

The most optimal place for growing a plant will be where the daylight hours are at least four hours. The soil for the bush should be prone to dryness. You can buy it in the store or make it yourself.

DIY juniper bonsai

Watering

Juniper bonsai, like most similar plants, does not require constant watering. But this does not mean that there is no need to water it at all. You just need to know when to do it. To determine the degree of dryness of a plant, you can use the proven method of experienced bonsaists. To do this, you need to take an ordinary wooden stick and stick it into a pot, leaving it alone for 15 minutes, then remove the stick and carefully examine it, if it is moistened, then you should not water the plant, and if it is dry, then watering is necessary.

Important! When planting trees, one should not forget about drainage, otherwise root rot may occur.

Bonsai formation

The plant can be shaped with wire, because its structure is quite soft. When using this method of shaping, you need to be careful that the wire does not grow into the trunk.

Pruning

The best times for pruning are spring and summer. Removal of unnecessary shoots is carried out when their length reaches 1.5-2 cm. Also, every 2 years, the tree roots are trimmed.

Nivaki from Cossack juniper

Nivaki is the art of properly cutting trees. After such pruning, the bush growing on the street resembles a bonsai in a pot. Of course, it is not at all necessary to cut the shrub like this, as a rule, bonsai fans are engaged in this art.

Nivaki from Cossack juniper

Preparing for the transformation

Before you start transforming the juniper, you should thoroughly thin it out. Branches are removed, due to which the crown becomes too thick. The rest of the branches are simply made shorter.

The principles of forming a garden bonsai

You need to try to shape the shrub so that the branches do not intertwine with each other. If this does happen, spacers made of bamboo sticks and twine will come to the rescue.

For the correct formation of the plates, the branches left after thinning must be arranged in tiers. So, on the upper tier, the branches should be short, and on the lower tier - long.

The peculiarities of juniper wood and its beneficial medicinal properties inspire wood craftsmen to make various products from this shrub. Such crafts not only look beautiful, but are also environmentally friendly and clean.