Southern Redcedar

{"key":"southernredcedar","id":"PLT-JUNI-SILICICOLA","slug":"southern-redcedar","name":"Southern Redcedar","botanical":"Juniperus virginiana var. silicicola","h":[30,40],"w":[20,25],"install":[6,3],"treeForm":"pyramidal","color":"#697f65","native":true,"type":"trees","categoryLabel":"Trees","reviewDate":"2026-09-08","guideKind":"Native coastal evergreen guide","eyebrow":"FINE EVERGREEN TEXTURE + A BROAD NATURAL SCREEN","benefit":"Let a coastal evergreen keep its natural character.","intro":"Southern Redcedar can give a broad garden boundary a softer evergreen outline. Fine foliage and slightly drooping branch tips create a different texture from a wall of broad leaves. Use its natural shape where a screen can have depth and character, with enough space to remain a tree.","light":"Full sun; tolerates part shade","lightTags":["sun","part"],"water":"Well-drained soil; establish carefully and avoid excessive irrigation","season":"Evergreen scale-like foliage · blue berry-like cones on pollinated female trees","care":"Keep irrigation compatible with drainage and allow the natural crown to broaden","caution":"Specify the Southern Redcedar form, also called Juniperus silicicola. This is not a narrow hedge cultivar. Salt-spray tolerance is different from tolerance of brackish flooding, and repeated overwatering can undermine a suitable planting. Review cedar-apple rust if apples are grown nearby.","site":"Southern Redcedar is a useful option to evaluate for a sunny Pensacola garden boundary with well-drained soil. Give a proposed screen enough depth for its mature width and access. Exposure, flooding history and irrigation should be checked separately, even when the planting is close to the coast.","sizeNote":"NC State Extension gives 30–40 ft in height and up to 25 ft in width; the UF/IFAS Baker County guide also describes a 40 ft tree with a 25 ft spread. The diagram uses 20–25 ft of planning spread. Older specimens can become irregular and broader in character than a young pyramidal tree.","uses":["A deep evergreen boundary planting","A native coastal garden backdrop","A natural windscreen with room to grow","A specimen with fine foliage texture","A mixed screen for wildlife cover"],"checks":[["Does the screen have enough depth?","Lay out a full-width tree instead of a thin green line. Leave space on both sides for adjacent plants, maintenance and the way the crown broadens over time."],["How often will this bed be watered?","Check whether the tree would share a heavily irrigated lawn zone. Match watering to the root area and drainage so the surrounding system supports the choice."],["What kind of coastal exposure occurs?","Distinguish salty air from flooding by salty water. Review the actual property history before calling any evergreen a dependable choice for that spot."],["Are nearby fruit trees part of the plan?","Mention apples and related rust concerns during selection. Think about the whole property planting rather than choosing the screen in isolation."]],"faq":[["Is Southern Redcedar the same as Eastern Redcedar?","It is often treated as a variety of Juniperus virginiana and is also listed as Juniperus silicicola. The guide focuses on the southern coastal form; confirm nursery identity and avoid substituting a named narrow cultivar without checking its range."],["Will every tree have blue cones?","No. The small berry-like structures are cones on female trees following pollination. They are a seasonal detail, not a feature every individual will display."],["Can it be planted in a constantly wet lawn?","Excessive irrigation and poor drainage can cause problems. Start with a compatible root environment; being a coastal native does not make it suited to every wet location."]],"sources":[["NC State Extension · Southern Redcedar identity, size and foliage","https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/juniperus-virginiana-var-silicicola/"],["UF/IFAS Baker County · Southern Redcedar coastal use and watering","https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/media/sfylifasufledu/baker/docs/pdf/horticulture/demonstration-gardens/Southern-Redcedar.pdf"],["Florida Native Plant Society · redcedar flooding and site distinctions","https://www.fnps.org/plant/juniperus-virginiana"]],"wholeCaption":"Illustrative Southern Redcedar with a natural evergreen crown; older trees can become more irregular or flat-topped.","detailCaption":"Illustrative fine scale-like foliage and small blue cones on a female Southern Redcedar.","aliases":["southern redcedar","southern red cedar","coastal redcedar","juniperus silicicola","evergreen","screen","privacy"],"goals":["privacy"],"images":{"context":{"id":"6aa0255bf03d0a936d69ea5e","url":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6a975baac0f352647862d847/6aa0255bf03d0a936d69ea5e_landova-tree-southernredcedar-context.webp","alt":"Illustrative planting concept with Southern Redcedar","width":1600,"height":900},"whole":{"id":"6aa0255b19e1f11215df6ee8","url":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6a975baac0f352647862d847/6aa0255b19e1f11215df6ee8_landova-tree-southernredcedar-whole.webp","alt":"Illustrative whole-plant form of Southern Redcedar","width":1254,"height":1254,"fit":"contain"},"detail":{"id":"6aa0255c11322ec0db360b95","url":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6a975baac0f352647862d847/6aa0255c11322ec0db360b95_landova-tree-southernredcedar-detail.webp","alt":"Illustrative foliage and seasonal detail of Southern Redcedar","width":1122,"height":1402}},"companions":[{"slug":"yaupon-holly","name":"Yaupon Holly","title":"Vary the evergreen leaf texture","reason":"Yaupon offers a different leaf and branching character for a compatible separate position. Plan each mature crown instead of crowding a mixed screen.","image":{"id":"6aa0171262f370de12c071ea","url":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6a975baac0f352647862d847/6aa0171262f370de12c071ea_landova-tree-yaupon-context.webp","alt":"Illustrative planting concept with Yaupon Holly","width":1600,"height":900}},{"slug":"pink-muhly-grass","name":"Pink Muhly Grass","title":"Soften a sunny outer edge","reason":"Pink Muhly can provide seasonal texture where it will remain sunny and well drained. Place it outside the redcedar’s eventual shade and branch spread.","image":{"id":"6aa00228430659e428d61061","url":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6a975baac0f352647862d847/6aa00228430659e428d61061_landova-grass-muhly-context.webp","alt":"Illustrative planting concept with Pink Muhly Grass","width":1600,"height":900}}]}