The illustrated growing guide
Eastern Redcedar
Juniperus virginiana
Family Cupressaceae
Est. zones 2-9
The ultimate tough native evergreen — it colonizes the driest, poorest, most-abused land, giving dense winter wildlife cover and (on females) blue berry-cones that feed cedar waxwings and dozens of bird species, plus flavor gin. Aromatic, rot-proof 'cedar' wood. The one rule: it hosts cedar-apple rust, so keep it well away from apples and hawthorns (or plant rust-resistant apples).
Full Sun
Low water
Moderate growth
Native to North America
Needs a pollination partner
From the print shop
The closest print we make
Our Evergreens collection carries Juniperus virginiana — the same species as eastern redcedar — but the print shows “Red Cedar,” a different cultivar of it, not eastern redcedar itself.
16 designsfrom $21.99white or black groundmatte poster, unframed
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Overview
Will eastern redcedar suit your garden, and what goes wrong.
Will it fruit where you are?
Enter your ZIP — we look up your USDA hardiness zone (2023 map) and check it against what eastern redcedar actually needs.
Hardy inZones 2-9PollinationPartner neededEastern Redcedar at a glance
Common eastern redcedar problems
- Bagworms
- CEDAR-APPLE RUST (alternate host — orange galls; keep from apples/hawthorns)
- Poor pollination → low fruit set (plant a partner)
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Growing
Light, water, soil, propagation and the season’s jobs.
How to grow eastern redcedar: light, water & soil
How to plant & propagate eastern redcedar
When to spray eastern redcedar
Growing season. Site 500+ ft from apples/hawthorns, or grow rust-resistant apples.
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The year
What eastern redcedar asks for, month by month.
The eastern redcedar year, month by month
BloomHarvestWhat each band means
- Bloom — flowers open — pollinators working, frost on blossoms is the danger.
- Harvest — picking time — check ripeness every few days.
The eastern redcedar year as text
- Jan harvest
- Feb harvest
- Mar bloom
- Apr bloom
- May bloom
- Jun quiet month
- Jul quiet month
- Aug quiet month
- Sep quiet month
- Oct quiet month
- Nov quiet month
- Dec harvest
These are the species' typical months — expect them a few weeks earlier in warm zones and later in cold ones. Watch the plant, not just the calendar.
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Ecology & uses
What it does for the garden, and what it is grown for.
Eastern Redcedar in the garden system
- Canopy layer tree
What eastern redcedar is grown for
! Some parts toxic — see notesBerry-cones edible in small amounts (gin flavoring); foliage mildly toxic to livestock
Harvesting & storing eastern redcedar
Blue berry-like cones on females — gin flavoring and a major winter BIRD food.
Edibility, identification, and traditional-use notes here are general reference — not medical or veterinary advice, and not a claim that any plant treats or prevents anything. Medicinal ratings record how strongly a plant features in herbal tradition, nothing more. Never eat or dose a plant you have not positively identified. More on how to use this library.
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Cultivars
Named varieties of eastern redcedar, ruled as a catalogue.
Best eastern redcedar varieties & cultivars
'Canaertii' (upright, heavy berries); 'Grey Owl' (spreading); 'Taylor' (narrow column)
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Sources & plant ID
Where the care distinctions come from, and how the plant is filed.
Research basis
Sources behind this profile
No extension citations are attached to eastern redcedaryet. The care figures below come from the library's own catalogue rather than a traced primary source.
Plant ID
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Where to buy
Third-party nurseries — not Story Thyme Farms.
Third-party nurseries, not Story Thyme Farms. Prices are theirs.
Story Thyme Farms may earn a small commission from these links, at no cost to you — it never changes what we recommend.
Eastern Redcedar needs a pollination partner — plant two genetically distinct trees (two different cultivars, or a cultivar plus a seedling).
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Questions
Eastern Redcedar questions, answered straight.
Why isn't my eastern redcedar fruiting?
Most often: it has no genetically distinct partner nearby. Eastern Redcedar can't pollinate itself — dioecious; wind-pollinated; female 'berries' (cones) feed cedar waxwings and many birds. Plant a second, unrelated one nearby; two different cultivars, or a cultivar plus a seedling, is the classic pairing.
Is eastern redcedar safe for kids and pets?
With care. Berry-cones edible in small amounts (gin flavoring); foliage mildly toxic to livestock Site it accordingly if children or pets roam the garden. This is general reference, not medical or veterinary advice — call a vet or poison control if something has actually been eaten.
When do you harvest eastern redcedar?
Blue berry-like cones on females — gin flavoring and a major winter BIRD food.
How do you propagate eastern redcedar?
Seed (stratify), cuttings, or layering.
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Elsewhere
Where eastern redcedar sits in the library.
Black Locust
Sassafras
Eastern Hemlock
Northern Catalpa