Eastern Redcedar
Juniperus virginiana
A tough native evergreen that grows almost anywhere, from dry, rocky ground to salty coasts, with the best drought tolerance of any eastern conifer and blue berries that cedar waxwings love. It makes a fine screen or windbreak that deer leave alone. Keep it away from apple trees, since the two share cedar-apple rust.
- Mature size
- 35 × 15 ft
- 10.5 × 4.5 m, tall × wide
- Hardiness
- Zones 2a–9b
- USDA
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Dry to moist
Eastern Redcedar at its mature size
A mature Eastern Redcedar grows 30 to 40 feet tall and 10 to 20 feet wide, taller than most people.
Drawn to scale beside a 5 ft 9 in person. With VeraScape, you see it at this size in your own yard.
Typical mature size, unpruned. Sources: NC State Extension.
Through the year
What Eastern Redcedar looks like month by month in a typical zone 6–7 garden.
Winter · Dec–Mar
Foliage dulled to brownish bronze-green.
In leaf · Apr–Nov
Dense dark blue-green scale foliage.
Photos
Growing Eastern Redcedar
- Grows well in
- The Northeast, the Southeast, the Midwest, and the Plains and Mountain West.
- Growth rate
- Medium
- Good for
- Privacy screen, specimen, drought tolerant, and deer resistant
- Leaves
- Evergreen
- Native to
- Eastern North America
Spacing
VeraScape spaces plants so their grown canopies just touch. For Eastern Redcedar, that’s about 15 ft apart, center to center.
Place a row in your own yard and VeraScape spaces them at their mature width, so you can see whether they’ll crowd the walk.
See Eastern Redcedar in your yard before you dig
Visualize it at its true size, alongside the rest of your design.
Other junipers
Creeping Juniper
Blue Star Juniper
Juniper
Eastern RedcedarAll drawn to the same scale.