Blue Star Juniper Not Doing Well

Jan.2026 - Update

Not the greatest pic in the world, but maybe you can see that the Blue Star Juniper is not doing well..or maybe he is & I'm just projecting..                                                                                                           if you look closely, you will see that his "tips" are browning, leading me to think that he is dying back..OR this is normal winter behaviour for this Juniper cultivar. Although I have another juniper, it is a so-called "common" juniper, (which is a fancy way of saying mongrel) unlike the Blue Star, which is a named cultivar.                                                                                                                                     

Here is a closer view of what I'm concerned about.      Consulting with knowledgeable & more-experienced than I, the consensus (as I suspected) is "over-watering", which is not surprising considering the rainfall that we received here in so. Cal over the last 30-40 days.                                                                                                                                             I will make a real effort to get the Blue Star dried-up & then we'll go from there..stay tuned for details.

Jan 12 - Update

It was suggested, by wiser heads than I, that once the Blue Star is dried-out to use a tablespoon of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide in the watering..no fertilizer, no plant food; the theory being "The oxygen and reactiveness of it will help prevent some infections and degrade a couple phenolic plant exudate compounds that delay recovery."

Sure sounds like he knows what he's talking about, so I will try it today & see if it helps mitigate the tip browning.

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Updates

‘Kaleidoscope’- (new photos)

Cape HoneySuckle II - (Update)

Italian Stone Pine - (photos)

Getting Dried-Out

 Up until yesterday, I had not watered anybody since Dec. 23, last year. The record-setting rain that we got over the Xmas/New Year's holiday was almost 70-some percent of the annual average for so. California. And even though I had moved most of the plants "under-story", everything and everybody was soaked by the time it finally stopped, last week.

I did some watering yesterday & this morning, watered & fed every individual in the collection. Actually, I'm a little surprised that all of the trees, cuttings included, came through the storms OK.

These cuttings(photo) were taken last fall, rooted & potted in 3" plastic pots. One is a Lemon tree, the other a Dwarf Orange, but I've lost track of which is which; as they get older, it should be easier to tell one from the other.

Golden Euonymus (Goldie)

Apr. 2024

April 2024 and my plant odyssey began on the kitchen counter, with a box of peat pots, some plates & scavenged cuttings..cuttings from trees & bushes in the immediate area. 

That included the hedge in front of the apartment building..

These 2 survived, rooted & grew leaves; next step was to pot them, as pictured..

As the larger of the two grew, I decided to try to & mimic a "lollipop" shape to his canopy, a long stem/trunk & rounded shape on top, the shape he retains today

Sept. 2024

After a few more months, I potted the smaller of the two as a "faux-bonsai" & started potting cuttings from other plants. Some lived, some died, but all taught me the basic principles of horticulture & my first experience with miniatures.

The larger of the two was potted in a tray (4"X 6") & allowed to grow-on. This plant will be the focus of the Photo/History, going forward. I called him "Goldie".

Goldie remained in his tray for about 6 months. In December ('24) I potted him in what has become his permanent home.

Dec 2024

After almost a year, the potting medium had compacted & it was time for a re-pot, so in Dec. '25, I repotted "Goldie". 

Some minor root pruning & back in the same pot, with fresh potting soil & top dressing; no foliage pruning, as he has juvenile foliage that is due to open any day now, that will complete the "beach-ball" shape we're trying to develop.

Dec. 2025

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