Plant profile: Eastern Red Cedar

As most of you know, when it comes to plants, I have a particular fondness for native shrubs and trees; they pull double-duty, offering both beauty to the beholder and function (shelter and food) for native wildlife. But even with the increased attention on native plants in recent years due to climate change and habitat loss, some wonderful natives deserving of more widespread use in home landscapes still fly under the radar, simply because of how common they are. A great example is Juniperus virginiana, or eastern red cedar. You’ve likely seen one without even noticing, they can be found in just about every kind of setting except deep woods and water-logged soils. While generally an upright conifer (typically 30 to 50’ by 8-15’), shape/habit can very tremendously from tight, almost totem-pole shape to broadly pyramidal or loosely oval/heystack.

Foliage is generally moss-green in the warmer months, then taking on more of a bronze hue in winter. Female plants, when grown in proximity to males, produce copious amounts of small blue berries that birds, particularly cedar waxwings, covet. The generally dense habit provides great shelter as well.

The bark on older plants is quite attractive…grey to reddish-brown, exfoliating in strings and strips. The wood is quite resistant to rot and good for building furniture and structures. Several cultivars of varying shapes and foliage colors exist, like Taylor (narrow/columnar) and Burkii (broad pyramidal, purple foliage in winter). Eastern red cedar makes a fantastic replacement for the disease-riddled Leyland cypress, especially in hedgerows and for privacy screening. The rate of growth is generally slow, so even though they eventually become large, it’ll take a while to get there.