Plants For Under Juniper Trees

Question

I’m in zone 8b, high desert foothills in Southern CA. There are wild junipers on my property and anything I plant near them dies and seeds fail to germinate. I’ve read that juniper produce a chemical that causes this but that there are plants that will tolerate this chemical. Is this correct, and if it is, what type of plants should I consider? Thanks!

Answer 1

I could not find a source that said junipers definitely were alleopathic though one source said a failure of surrounding plants could be due to light and nutrient competition.

We have an article, below, that suggests looking for plants with similar growing conditions to juniper to plant nearby. Here is more:

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/juniper/juniper-companion-plants.htm

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/info/allelopathic-plants.htm