Juniper

Excellent for creating year-round structure in gardens with its columnar or spreading forms. Popular varieties include the upright 'Hibernica' for vertical accents and 'Green Carpet' for groundcover. The silvery-blue foliage provides striking contrast in mixed borders, while its tolerance of poor soils and exposed conditions makes it invaluable for challenging sites like coastal gardens or dry slopes.

The berries are traditionally used as a diuretic and digestive aid, though must be avoided during pregnancy and kidney disease. Essential oil from berries has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. Historically used to treat urinary tract infections, arthritis, and digestive complaints. The berries should be fully ripe (taking 2-3 years) and dark blue-black before harvesting for medicinal use.

The berries are the primary botanical flavoring in gin and are essential in many European cuisines. Use crushed berries (2-3 per portion) in game marinades, sauerkraut, and pates. Fresh or dried berries enhance venison, wild boar, and duck. Wood chips excellent for smoking meats and fish. Young shoots can be steeped for a pine-like tea.

Provides crucial year-round shelter for birds, with thrushes particularly relying on the berries in winter. The dense foliage offers nesting sites for goldcrests and firecrests. Supports the juniper carpet moth, juniper pug moth, and several specialist fungi. Extremely hardy, tolerating temperatures to -40C and growing from sea level to mountain zones. Important for stabilizing sandy soils.

Evergreen conifer with needle-like leaves in whorls of three, each 5-20mm long with a single white stomatal band on upper surface. Dioecious plant with male cones yellow and female cones developing into berry-like structures. 'Berries' are actually modified cones, starting green and taking 2-3 years to ripen to blue-black with waxy bloom. Bark reddish-brown, peeling in strips. Can grow as spreading shrub or upright tree to 10m.

The heartwood is naturally resistant to decay, historically prized for fence posts and outdoor structures lasting decades without treatment. Fine-grained timber takes an excellent polish, used traditionally for small carved items, tool handles, and decorative boxes. The aromatic wood repels moths, making it ideal for closet linings and storage chests. Burns slowly with pleasant fragrance, though too valuable for regular firewood use.

One of only three native British conifers and has the widest distribution of any woody plant in the world. Some specimens in Scotland are estimated to be over 250 years old. The name 'gin' derives from genievre, the French word for juniper. Medieval plague doctors burned juniper branches to purify air. In Scottish Highland folklore, juniper smoke was used to purify houses at New Year and protect cattle from evil spirits.