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Key characteristics

Family: Cupressaceae
Height: 6 to 8 inches
Width: 4 to 6 feet (spreads widely to form a mat)
Flower color: None
Foliage color: Bright golden-yellow in summer, turning coppery-bronze in winter
Bloom time: Seed cones develop in spring
Light: Full sun
Water: Low to moderate
Maintenance: Low; requires little to no pruning
Growing zone: USDA zones 3 to 8
Wildlife: Offers ground-level shelter for small wildlife; coarse structure and cones can provide habitat or shelter for small birds or insects; resistant to deer and rabbits

Shrubs

Juniperus horizontalis 'Copper Harbor'

Copper Harbor Creeping Juniper

Juniperus horizontalis 'Copper Harbor' is a low, spreading evergreen groundcover with a mat-forming habit and layered horizontal branches. Its scale-like foliage is bright gold to chartreuse through the growing season, then shifts to coppery bronze or warm reddish tones in winter, offering year-round color and winter interest. The branches can root where they contact the ground, helping the plant spread to form dense mats.

As a native North American juniper, it retains traits of drought tolerance and deer resistance.

Light

Full sun

Water

Low to moderate

Bloom time

Seed cones develop in spring

Find this plant

Works well in

Waterwise Gardens
Rock Gardens
Slopes & Banks
Deer Prone Areas

Companion plants

Yarrows · Caryopteris · Sea holly · Rock rose · Penstemon · Blue fescue

Design tip

Use ‘Copper Harbor’ where its spreading habit can create a broad carpet of year-round color. Bright golden-yellow summer foliage shifts to coppery bronze in winter, while branches root where they touch the ground, helping the plant develop into a dense, ground-hugging mat.