Native Plant of the Week - Eastern Redcedar

Interested in attracting birds to your yard? Why not plant our native plant of the week, Juniperus virginiana, Eastern Redcedar. This evergreen is the ultimate bird magnet - Cedar Waxwings, Brown Thrashers, Northern Flicker, Evening Grosbeak, Bluebirds are just a few of the birds that utilize this tree for its habitat and food source. The dense green branches provide thick cover and a safe nesting area; the shredded bark provide great nesting material. And those berries! The berries are consumed by over 50 species of birds! An all-you-can-eat buffet for our feathered friends!

But enough about the birds, lets get into some technical details. Eastern Redcedar has a densely pyramidal form when young and becomes slightly pendulous in old age. It prefers full sun, tolerates a wide range of growing conditions, from well-drained moist soils to poor rocky soils. This tree is dioecious, meaning it has separate male and female plants. So in order for fruit to set, you'll need a separate male plant and a separate female plant, much like Ilex (hollies). Males produce small brown cones; females produce frosty, blue fruit.

There are many cultivars for Eastern Redcedar - these cultivars vary in size, shape and color, so there is an Eastern Redcedar that can fit a variety of spaces and needs. Want to screen a neighbor? Go for 'Manhattan Blue', which reaches about 10-12' in height and 6-8' in width. Need a shorter native evergreen shrub? Go for 'Grey Owl', which reaches about 3' in height and 6' wide. How about a windbreak? Line several 'Idyllwild' in a hedge, which reach about 15' in height and 5-7' in width.