shrub
Upright juniper 'Spartan'
Juniperus chinensis 'Spartan'
Preview: plant data is awaiting horticulturist review. A professional horticulturist hasn't reviewed our plant table yet. Lists still follow fixed rules for zone, sun, pets, deer and invasive status.
Upright juniper 'Spartan' is an evergreen shrub hardy in zones 4–9. Expect 12–15 ft of height and 3–5 ft of spread; our lists space it 3.5 ft apart. It does best in full sun with little water once established. It is grown for its year-round foliage rather than its flowers. In a FloraVista list it usually plays the structure role: a shrub that holds the bed's shape at the back all year. Deer may browse it when other food is short, and it is toxic to dogs and cats. Our rules leave it out of lists in Florida and the Gulf, where summer heat, humidity or mild winters hold it back even inside its zone range.
Facts from our plant table
- Botanical name
- Juniperus chinensis 'Spartan'
- Plant type
- Shrub, evergreen
- Hardiness zones
- 4 to 9
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours)
- Water
- Low
- Soil
- Needs good drainage; tolerates poor and alkaline soil.
- Mature size
- 12–15 ft tall × 3–5 ft wide
- Spacing
- 3.5 ft apart (centre to centre)
- Growth rate
- Medium
- Bloom
- Grown for foliage
- Roles in a bed
- Structure
- Styles
- modern, classic, low water
- Deer resistance
- Medium: browsed when deer are hungry
- Pets
- Toxic to dogs and cats. Not on the ASPCA list; juniper foliage oils can cause stomach upset, so marked toxic to be safe.
- Native to
- Not native to the US (or a garden hybrid)
- Pot size and price
- 5-gallon pot, typically $35–$60 (easy to find)
- Plant in
- Spring or Fall
- First-year watering
- Water weekly through the first summer to root it in, then taper off; established plants need little extra water.
- Pruning
- Needs little pruning; trim stray shoots in spring.
Sources: Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder; ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant list; Rutgers NJAES deer resistance ratings (A-D); state noxious weed lists / Invasive Plant Atlas of the US; typical 2026 US garden-centre and big-box listings. Not yet reviewed by a horticulturist.
Guides that include this plant
Good companions
The plants our list engine most often puts in the same bed as Upright juniper 'Spartan', across the sun, zone, pet, deer and style combinations it fits.
- Bearded irisIris germanicaperennial · zones 3–9
- Angelina stonecrop 'Angelina'Sedum rupestre 'Angelina'succulent · zones 4–9
- Catmint 'Walker's Low'Nepeta × faassenii 'Walker's Low'perennial · zones 3–8
- Pink muhly grassMuhlenbergia capillarisornamental grass · zones 6–11
- Stonecrop 'Autumn Joy'Hylotelephium 'Herbstfreude'succulent · zones 3–9
- Lamb's ear 'Helen von Stein'Stachys byzantina 'Helen von Stein'perennial · zones 4–8
If you can't find it
Substitutes our engine offers for Upright juniper 'Spartan': same role in the bed, passing the same rules.
- Rocky Mountain juniper 'Wichita Blue'Juniperus scopulorum 'Wichita Blue'zones 3–7 · flagged toxic to pets
- Dwarf Alberta spruce 'Conica'Picea glauca 'Conica'zones 3–7 · not flagged toxic to pets
- Arborvitae 'Emerald Green'Thuja occidentalis 'Smaragd'zones 3–7 · flagged toxic to pets
- Northern bayberryMorella pensylvanicazones 3–7 · not flagged toxic to pets
How this page was made
This page was generated from this plant's record in FloraVista's plant table by fixed rules. The companions and substitutes come from the lists our rules engine composes. No named expert has reviewed this page.
Data status: the plant table is awaiting review by a horticulturist. Check each plant with a local nursery or extension office before you buy.
Sources
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, state extension services and the USDA PLANTS database (zones, size, sun, water, bloom, native range)
- ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists (dog and cat toxicity)
- Rutgers NJAES and regional extension deer-resistance ratings
- State noxious-weed and invasive-plant lists and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the US
- Typical US garden-centre listings (pot size and price band)
Generated . How FloraVista chooses plants