Growzone: 2 - 9
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Plant Options
| Bare Root Prices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Height | 25-99 | 100+ |
| 9" - 15" | Available Spring 2027 - Email to Join the Waitlist | Available Spring 2027 - Email to Join the Waitlist |
| Potted Prices | ||
| Height | 1-50 | 50+ |
| 10" - 16" | Low Stock - Email for Availability (15.00) | Low Stock - Email for Availability (14.00) |
| 18" - 24" | Low Stock - Email for Availability (22.00) | Low Stock - Email for Availability (21.00) |
| 2' - 3' | SOLD OUT (31.50) | SOLD OUT (29.50) |
| 3' - 4' | SOLD OUT (42.00) | SOLD OUT (42.00) |
Description
Description
The Red Cedar is not a Cedar but is a Juniper. It has a medium growth rate of 12-24” per year with sticky foliage that is a dull green and in the winter can turn brown or purple. In the open, its branches extend to the ground giving excellent protection. It is native to most of the US from Canada to Florida and Texas. Plant trees that come from your native area if possible for best survival.
It normally grows 30+ feet tall with some reaching over 80 feet tall and 30 feet wide. It can live a very long life, some specimens in Iowa are over 500 years old, and is the only native evergreen in Iowa state-wide. Deer will usually not eat this species. The female trees have a large number of berries that birds enjoy.
It will grow in hardiness zones from 2-9 with the shape varying from columnar to pyramidal, in the north it tends to be the latter. It will grow in the poorest of soils and does not prefer the better or moist soils. It seems the higher the soil pH the better this plant will grow. It likes an airy site and should not be planted in the middle but on the outside of windbreaks for the longest life.
This species will tolerate hot, dry weather better than any evergreen here in Iowa. The Red Cedar, when planted in windbreaks, can be affected by a serious fungal disease called Phomopsis Blight. This disease usually starts at the bottom of the tree and spreads upward. In wet years it can be worse and in dry years seems to disappear. The red cedar also carries a fungus (a gooey glob of orange tentacles on its branches) that causes leaf and fruit spots on apple trees. If you want to grow apple trees also consider this problem. The Red Cedar is an excellent tree for dry sandy areas where other species would not survive.
We recommend spacing in a single row 10 feet apart, a double row 14 feet between rows and plants, or multiple rows 20 feet between rows and plants. A 2-foot potted tree can be over 8 ft tall in 5 years provided it is planted in good soil with adequate moisture and weed and grass control around the base.
The Red Cedar is a recommended windbreak tree but consider all the conditions above when selecting this tree. It is highly recommended for a single-row windbreak.