Juniperus virginiana — Eastern Red Cedar | Native Tennessee Evergreen Tree, Live Plant

Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana) is a native Tennessee evergreen conifer grown from wild-type Middle Tennessee stock — despite the name, a true juniper rather than a cedar, and one of the most wildlife-valuable trees in the Southeast. This is a young specimen, ideal for establishing in your landscape while its root system is still adaptable.

Few native trees carry as much named wildlife significance. It's the larval host plant for the Juniper Hairstreak butterfly and the Imperial moth, and its blue-green, berry-like cones are the very food source that gave the Cedar Waxwing its name — though more than 50 bird species feed on them, including bluebirds, robins, mockingbirds, and wild turkeys. Dense evergreen branching provides year-round nesting sites and critical winter shelter for songbirds, and rabbits, foxes, and other small mammals rely on the fruit through the colder months.

Eastern Red Cedar is a tough, adaptable tree — tolerant of poor, dry, alkaline, and windy sites where many other natives struggle. It's commonly used as a specimen tree, windbreak, screen, or hedge, and its dense form makes it a natural choice for privacy plantings that also function as wildlife habitat.

Growing conditions:

• Light: Full sun
• Water: Drought-tolerant once established; adaptable to a range of moisture levels
• Soil: Tolerant of poor, dry, alkaline soils
• Note: Avoid planting within 1,000 feet of apple or crabapple trees, as it's an alternate host for cedar-apple rust (a minor issue for the cedar, but can damage apple trees)

Size: Shipped in a 4" container, young establishing specimen.

Shipping: Orders ship out UPS every Monday.