★★★★★ Rated 4.8 out of 5 Stars

1 Year Warranty on All Plants

Get 10% Off with code FALL10

Up to 81% Off- Shop the Fall Sale Now!

Bar Harbor Juniper

$5995 $7995
Size
Free Shipping - Your plants ship tomorrow
Plant Health Guaranteed
Free Lifetime Support
Risk-Free 1 Year Warranty
Use code "FALL10" for an extra 10% off!

Your Plants are Guaranteed to Grow

Your plants are guaranteed to arrive happy & healthy with our 1 Year Warranty. Your order will arrive healthy and stay healthy while they adapt to your climate. If your tree arrives damaged or dies within 30 days, we'll replace it for free. If it dies after 30 days, but before 1 year, we will replace it for just 50% of the current price.

Free Shipping on All Orders

Relax... we've got you covered with free shipping on every order! We ship out so many huge plants, we've negotiated a low rate with our carriers... and we pass those savings on to you! Your plants will ship out the next business day... expertly packed so that your plants will arrive happy and healthy!

Is Now a Good Time to Plant?

Yes! Fall is one of the best times to plant!

Landscaping experts often recommend planting in fall instead of waiting until spring. Here’s why:

  • Cooler weather puts less stress on newly planted trees and shrubs.
  • Fall soil is still warm, which helps roots grow and get established.
  • Cooler temperatures mean less water is lost through the leaves, making it easier for plants to stay hydrated.
  • Even after top growth slows for winter, roots continue developing below ground.
  • Fall weather often brings more rain and less heat, making new plants easier to care for.
  • By spring, your plants already have a head start. Their established roots can support strong new leaves, branches, and flowers.
  • Trees planted in spring must establish their roots while also dealing with rising temperatures and summer heat.

Plant this fall, and your trees can spend the cooler months getting settled instead of waiting until spring to get started!

Planting your Bar Harbor Juniper

Planting Instructions for Bar Harbor Juniper

  1. Choosing the Right Location: Plant Bar Harbor Juniper in full sun in USDA zones 3 through 9. It is a great choice for sunny slopes, hillsides and coastal or roadside sites, since it handles wind, drought and salt well once established.
  2. Soil Preparation: Bar Harbor grows well in sandy, rocky, dry and lower-quality soils as long as drainage is good. Avoid areas where water stays around the roots, and clear weeds from the whole planting area first.
  3. Planting: Dig each hole twice as wide as the root ball and just as deep, setting plants level with the ground. It grows only 1 to 2 feet tall but spreads 6 to 8 feet wide. For groundcover, space plants 4 to 6 feet apart; closer spacing fills in faster.
  4. Mulching and First Watering: Water deeply right after planting to settle the soil. Spread 2 to 3 inches of mulch around and between plants, keeping it a few inches away from the stems, to hold moisture and keep weeds down while the plants fill in.

Care Instructions

  1. Watering: Water regularly while the plants become established, then Bar Harbor becomes much more drought tolerant and needs water only in long dry spells.
  2. Fertilizing: Junipers need little fertilizer. If growth is weak, apply a light slow-release fertilizer for evergreens in early spring. Rich soil and heavy feeding are not needed and can cause soft, floppy growth.
  3. Pest and Disease Monitoring: Watch for tip blight, which browns branch tips in wet springs, and prune out affected shoots in dry weather. Check for bagworms in early summer and spider mites during hot, dry spells, which cause dull, speckled foliage. Good air flow and dry foliage prevent most problems.

Maintenance and Long-Term Care

  1. Pruning: Very little pruning is needed because it naturally grows into a wide, spreading shape. If shaping is needed, light pruning in late spring is usually enough. Trim stems back to a side branch rather than cutting into old, bare wood.
  2. Winter Care: Soft blue-green foliage can take on rich purple tones in fall and winter, then returns to blue-green as temperatures warm in spring. No winter protection is needed.

Additional Tips for Growing Bar Harbor Juniper

  1. Slopes and Erosion: Its wide growth covers bare soil and helps control erosion where grass is hard to grow or mowing is unsafe.
  2. Salt and Wind: Strong salt tolerance makes it useful for coastal landscapes and areas near roads. Once established it also handles wind and drought well, so it performs in exposed, tough spots where softer plants struggle.
  3. Deer and Shipping: Bar Harbor is deer resistant thanks to its prickly foliage. Due to state plant regulations, it cannot ship to California.
What Customers say about the Bar Harbor Juniper:

The Bar Harbor Juniper thrives in Zones 3-9

Growing Zones for the Bar Harbor Juniper

If you live in the green area above, we recommend the Bar Harbor Juniper.

Your Growing Zone
Recommended Zones 3-9
Mature Height 1-2 ft.
Mature Width 6-8 ft.
Cannot Ship To CA
Sunlight Full Sun
Botanical Name Juniperus horizontalis 'Bar Harbor'

Plants that Make a Difference

For 20+ years, our team has shipped healthy, established plants to gardeners like you- all across the country. Every plant is selected and cared for by our plant experts before it ships to your door.

  • 20+ Years Experience

  • Superior Quality

  • Free Shipping on All Orders

  • Guaranteed to Grow

Beware- not all Bar Harbor Junipers are the same.

Be sure to get superior groundcovers, grown by experts.

Better Roots Make Stronger Plants: Some nurseries send you "bare root" groundcovers to save on shipping. Even worse, others have started digging them right out of the ground before shipping. This causes major transplant shock and long-term damage. We send you Bar Harbor Junipers in soil-filled containers- ensuring a well-developed root system that is ready to spread!

Healthy Plants: We've seen other nurseries grow tall groundcovers in tiny pots to save on shipping. This leads to a "root bound" plant, where the roots have outgrown their pot- they cannot absorb water and nutrients. They quickly dry out during shipment, leading to an unhealthy plant.

Bar Harbor Juniper spreads into a low, dense evergreen carpet- a tough groundcover for slopes and hard-to-plant spots.

  • Stays low at about 1-2 ft. tall and spreads 6-8 ft. wide
  • Blue-green foliage that takes on rich purple tones in fall and winter
  • Great for slopes: covers bare soil and helps with erosion control
  • Tough and deer resistant: handles salt, wind and drought once established, in zones 3-9

Not all plants are created equal

The Difference Is in the Roots

Every plant we ship has grown in a nursery container with its roots protected, so it arrives healthy, established and ready to thrive in your yard.

A full, branched Nationwide Plants tree in a nursery pot next to a thin bare-root tree with exposed roots Ours: container grown Theirs: bare root
Nationwide Plants Other Nurseries
How it's grown Grown in a nursery container, roots protected the whole time Pulled or dug from the field, tearing fragile roots
How it arrives Arrives in its pot with soil intact Arrives bare root, exposed and drying out
Before shipping Growing naturally until it ships Held dormant in a cooler, then shocked by a hot shipping box
Root health Strong, well-developed roots with room to grow Crammed into a small pot until it's root bound
Height Measured from the top of the soil Often includes the pot and roots
After planting Settles in quickly with less transplant shock Arrives stressed and can take years to recover, if it does

The height you see is the height you plant.

We measure every plant from the top of the soil, not the bottom of the pot. Many nurseries include the pot and roots, so a "5–6 ft." tree from them might stand only 4 ft. tall once it's planted.

Comparisons reflect common practices across the online plant industry, not any single company.

Honest Measurements: Some nurseries measure plants including the pot and roots, so the plant you receive is much smaller than you expected. We measure all of our plants from the soil line, so the height you see is what you can expect after planting.

From our nursery to your door

How We Ship Your Plants

Every order is hand-selected, watered and carefully packed so it arrives healthy and ready to plant. Here's what happens after you place your order.

  1. Hand-Picked for You

    Our team selects the best plant available for your order. For privacy trees, that's the tallest and fullest. For fruit trees, it's the best branched.

    Why it matters: Many online nurseries ship whatever is next in the row.

  2. A Deep Drink Before the Trip

    Every plant gets a thorough watering right before it's packed, so it starts the journey fully hydrated.

  3. Roots Sealed In

    We wrap the pot and roots in plastic to lock in moisture, so your plant has water to drink all the way to your door.

    Why it matters: Bare-root plants are often shipped with their roots exposed and drying out.

  4. Braced for the Ride

    Cardboard inserts are secured inside every box to hold your plant in place, so it won't slide, tip or get damaged in transit.

  5. Shipped Only by FedEx

    We ship your trees exclusively with FedEx. We've found they deliver the fastest and handle live plants the most gently.

And if anything goes wrong, every plant is backed by our 1 Year Warranty.

Healthy Roots Make a Huge Difference

  • Never buy bare-root plants. These trees are starved of nutrients, and have a low survival rate.
  • Beware of nurseries cut corners by growing in small pots. These "rootbound" plants are weak, struggle to absorb nutrients, and die quickly after planting.
  • Some nurseries try to sell oversized plants, but chop off vital roots so they can cram the rootball into a narrow box to save on shipping!

You Want Bar Harbor Junipers Grown by Experts

Some nurseries ship small, weak groundcovers grown in tiny pots to save money. These "root bound" plants struggle after planting and take much longer to fill in.

Nationwide Plants only sends you strong Bar Harbor Junipers, selected and cared for by our plant experts, with healthy, developed root systems. That means they settle in quickly and cover bare ground sooner.

Read more about the Bar Harbor Juniper

Bar Harbor Juniper: Tough Evergreen Groundcover for Year-Round Color

Cover bare ground with lasting color using Bar Harbor Juniper. This low-growing evergreen spreads wide and stays dense, making it a smart choice for slopes, rock gardens, borders, coastal landscapes, and other hard-to-plant areas.

Its soft blue-green foliage stays attractive all year, then takes on rich purple tones in fall and winter. Small bluish berries may appear in late summer, adding extra color and helping attract birds and wildlife.

Why You'll Love the Bar Harbor Juniper

Low-Growing Evergreen: Bar Harbor Juniper stays low while spreading wide, making it an excellent groundcover for large areas.

Year-Round Color: Blue-green foliage adds color in spring and summer, then may turn purple in fall and winter.

Great for Slopes: Its spreading growth helps cover bare soil and can help with erosion control.

Tough in Poor Soil: This hardy juniper grows well in sandy, rocky, dry, and lower-quality soils as long as drainage is good.

Drought and Wind Tolerant: Once established, Bar Harbor Juniper handles dry weather and windy locations well.

Salt Tolerant: Its strong salt tolerance makes it a useful choice for coastal areas and other exposed landscapes.

Deer Resistant: Deer usually leave this evergreen alone, giving you one less thing to worry about.

Blue-Green Foliage With Purple Winter Color

The foliage of Bar Harbor Juniper gives your landscape color through every season. During warmer months, the plant has a soft blue-green look that pairs well with stone, grasses, shrubs, and flowering plants.

As temperatures cool, the foliage can take on deep purple tones, giving your yard extra winter interest when many other plants have gone dormant.

A Wide-Spreading Groundcover for Open Spaces

Bar Harbor Juniper grows only about 1–2 feet tall but can spread around 6–8 feet wide at maturity. This low, wide shape makes it useful for covering larger areas without adding much height.

It is a great choice for spaces where grass may be difficult to grow or where you want evergreen coverage with less maintenance.

Where to Plant Bar Harbor Juniper

Slopes and Hillsides: Use it to cover sunny banks and help reduce exposed soil.

Rock Gardens: Its blue-green foliage looks natural around rocks, gravel, and boulders.

Borders: Plant it near walkways or garden beds for low, spreading texture.

Mass Plantings: Plant several together to create a broad carpet of evergreen color.

Coastal Landscapes: Its tolerance for wind and salt makes it a strong choice near coastal areas.

Difficult Dry Areas: Use it in sunny spots with sandy, rocky, or poor soil where other plants may struggle.

Bar Harbor Juniper Sun and Soil Needs

Sunlight: Plant Bar Harbor Juniper in full sun for the best growth and dense foliage.

Soil: This juniper does well in sandy, rocky, and poor soils, but good drainage is important. Avoid areas where water stays around the roots for long periods.

Watering: Water regularly while the plant becomes established. Once the roots are settled in, Bar Harbor Juniper becomes much more drought tolerant.

Cold Hardy and Built for Tough Conditions

Bar Harbor Juniper is hardy in USDA Zones 3–9, making it a dependable choice for both cold winters and warmer climates.

It also handles wind, drought, salt, and changing weather conditions well once established, making it useful in exposed or challenging parts of the landscape.

Berries Add Extra Seasonal Interest

Small bluish berries may appear in late summer, adding another layer of color to the plant. These berries can also attract birds and other wildlife to the landscape.

This gives Bar Harbor Juniper extra value beyond its evergreen foliage and groundcover habit.

Easy Care With Very Little Pruning

Bar Harbor Juniper naturally grows into a wide, spreading shape and usually needs very little pruning. If shaping is needed, light pruning in late spring is usually enough.

Once established, this tough evergreen can provide years of dependable color with very little extra care.

Dependable Groundcover for Every Season

If you need a low-growing evergreen with year-round color, drought tolerance, cold hardiness, deer resistance, and easy-care growth, Bar Harbor Juniper is an excellent choice.

Plant Bar Harbor Juniper for lasting ground coverage, beautiful seasonal color, and dependable performance in tough landscape spaces.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Bar Harbor Juniper

How big does Bar Harbor Juniper get?

Bar Harbor Juniper grows only about 1 to 2 feet tall but spreads about 6 to 8 feet wide at maturity. This low, wide shape makes it an excellent evergreen groundcover for large areas, covering bare soil without adding much height to the landscape.

How far apart should I plant Bar Harbor Juniper?

For groundcover, plant Bar Harbor Juniper about 4 to 6 feet apart. With a mature spread of 6 to 8 feet, the plants will knit together into a continuous carpet over time. Closer spacing fills in faster, while wider spacing takes a few more seasons to close gaps.

What zones does Bar Harbor Juniper grow in?

Bar Harbor Juniper is hardy in USDA zones 3 through 9. That makes it a dependable choice for both very cold winters and warmer climates. Once established, it handles wind, drought, salt, and changing weather conditions well. Its evergreen foliage stays on the plant all year across that range.

Does Bar Harbor Juniper change color in winter?

Yes, Bar Harbor Juniper foliage is soft blue-green in spring and summer and can take on rich purple tones in fall and winter. This seasonal color change adds interest to your yard when many other plants have gone dormant. The blue-green returns as temperatures warm in spring.

Is Bar Harbor Juniper good for slopes?

Yes, Bar Harbor Juniper is a great choice for sunny slopes and hillsides. Its wide, spreading growth covers bare soil and can help with erosion control. It is also useful where grass is hard to grow or mowing is difficult or unsafe.

Is Bar Harbor Juniper salt tolerant?

Yes, Bar Harbor Juniper has strong salt tolerance, making it a useful choice for coastal landscapes and exposed areas near roads. It also handles wind and drought well once established, so it performs in tough spots where softer plants may struggle.

What soil does Bar Harbor Juniper need?

Bar Harbor Juniper grows well in sandy, rocky, dry, and lower-quality soils as long as drainage is good. Avoid areas where water stays around the roots for long periods. Water regularly while it becomes established, after which it becomes much more drought tolerant.

Is Bar Harbor Juniper deer resistant?

Yes, Bar Harbor Juniper is deer resistant, and deer usually leave this evergreen alone. That makes it a practical groundcover for yards with browsing pressure. As with any plant, very hungry deer may occasionally sample it in harsh winters. Its prickly foliage is simply not a favorite food.

Does Bar Harbor Juniper need pruning?

Bar Harbor Juniper usually needs very little pruning because it naturally grows into a wide, spreading shape. If shaping is needed, light pruning in late spring is usually enough. Trim stems back to a side branch rather than cutting into old, bare wood.

Can Bar Harbor Juniper ship to California?

No, Bar Harbor Juniper cannot be shipped to California (CA) due to state plant regulations. California gardeners looking for a tough evergreen groundcover should choose one that is permitted in their state. Customers in every other state can order it as usual and plant it in their landscape.
Back to top