Sometimes, something starts growing somewhere and something inside you says “Let it be.”  That’s how I came to gain the acquaintance of Eastern Red Cedar as it popped up beside a boulder on the slope of our west lawn.  Rather than pull it out, I watched it struggle, overcome and become the beautiful tree that now graces the west side of our home.  Like so many natives, it is a very tenacious fellow and grows vigorously through most of the eastern United States including the lower half of Minnesota.  So, it does well through Zone 4.  

The tree is known variously as Virginia juniper, eastern juniper or red juniper.

Although a slow grower, red cedar can reach as high as 60 feet - although in poor soils it may remain no more than a bush.  It assumes a pyramidal or cylindrical shape with reddish brown bark and green needle like leaves.  It is a dioecious species (boy and girl trees) with the male pollinating and the female forming dark purple berry-like seed cones.  These berries form an important food source for many birds such as cedar waxwings, turkeys and bluebirds during the winter months.  A number of small mammals such as rabbits, foxes, raccoons and coyotes also feed off red cedar berries. The tree is a long lived with a several hundred-year life-span, if undisturbed.  

Red cedar is a pioneer species and will be seen early on in fire ravaged areas. But, a cautionary note - owing to its adaptability and perseverance, it can be invasive and has radically changed the ecology of some grasslands.  Also, it acts as alternate host for cedar-apple rust, a potentially destructive fungus for apple trees.  Consequently, you might want to keep red cedar away from nearby apple orchards.

There are many distinct cultivars of Juniperus virginiana, which you might expect given its vast native range.  A recent book by Laurence Hatch* does a masterful job of differentiating and describing them.  Whatever cultivar you choose, you will be treated to a tough, faithful coniferous companion for many years.

*Hatch, L., Cultivars of Woody Plants: Juniperus virginiana and scopulorum, A cultivar.org Garden Monograph,  Cary, NC, 2023.

Photo Credits: Farmartin, Wikipedia (1), Humoyun Mehridinov, Wikipedia (2)