Common Juniper vs Northern Bayberry - TreeTime.ca

Common Juniper vs Northern Bayberry

Juniperus communis

Myrica pensylvanica

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Common Juniper
Northern Bayberry

Common Juniper is a wide spreading, coniferous shrub with scaly needles and small, berry-like cones. Used as a landscaping shrub, it typically grows 3 or 4 feet tall and will not spread like Creeping Juniper.

You can plant Common Juniper near building foundations or beneath larger trees to provide year-round color and texture to your yard with minimal maintenance.

Northern Bayberry makes an excellent hedge or feature shrub. It will retain its leaves in warmer climates but drops them in colder areas. They produce blue-grey berries that have a wax coating on them that can be used to make candles or soaps.

In colder hardiness zones the leaves turn an attractive orange to red colour in the fall, making it a striking addition to your landscape.

Northern Bayberry is native to Nova Scotia and tolerates both drought and wet conditions. It is also a nitrogen fixer that tolerates poor soil conditions.

Common Juniper Quick Facts

Northern Bayberry Quick Facts

Zone: 1a
Zone: 3a
Height: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Height: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Spread: 3 m (10 ft)
Spread: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: slow
Life span: medium
Life span: long
Suckering: none
Suckering: medium


Toxicity: Warning: The wax from bayberry fruit is considered toxic and may be carcinogenic.
Fall colour: green
Berries: blue-gray
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: yes


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU, PE
Native to: ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, PE
Other Names: candlewood, myrique de pennsylvanie, small waxberry, swamp candleberry, tallow bayberry, tallow shrub, tallow tree, tallowshrub