Plotwright
Home
Eastern red cedar
Habit (mature) · Famartin / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Limited coverage
Eastern red cedar
Juniperus virginiana
A tough, aromatic native conifer of eastern North America — actually a juniper, not a true cedar — with scale-like evergreen foliage and a broadly conical to columnar form. Missouri Botanical Garden calls it the most drought-resistant conifer native to the eastern U.S., thriving on limestone glades, fence rows, and abandoned fields. It is dioecious: female trees carry the powdery blue, berry-like cones that gave the cedar waxwing its name and feed many birds and small mammals through winter.
Native: 40 US states + 4 CA provinces
Review: Source-backed
Climate fit: broad (94/100)
Structure
Focal point
Light
Full sun
Water
Low water
Mature size
360-780" tall · 120" apart
Hardy in zones
2a-9b
brutally cold to frosty winters
Summer heat range
Cool-Hot
cool to hot summers Interim Plotwright tier until the plant AHS range is authored.
Native in Illinois
Yes
Related products
Sponsored
Heat and sun protection
Shade cloth, shade hoops, cooling mulch, and heat-stress monitoring tools.
Search heat and sun protection on Amazon
Drainage and aeration
Perlite, pumice, raised-bed mix, aerators, and drainage-focused containers.
Search drainage and aeration on Amazon
Wildlife protection
Bird netting, deer fencing, rabbit guards, trunk guards, and crop covers.
Search wildlife protection on Amazon
Transplanting and establishment
Trowels, transplant spades, starter fertilizer, root stimulators, and watering bags.
Search transplanting and establishment on Amazon
Pest and disease monitoring
Sticky traps, hand lenses, sprayers, disease-monitoring tools, and pest barriers.
Search pest and disease monitoring on Amazon
Propagation
Rooting hormone, propagation trays, cutting tools, division knives, and labels.
Search propagation on Amazon
Plotwright may earn a commission from purchases made through these links, at no extra cost to you.
Native across 44 US states and Canadian provinces — a wide-ranging part of North America's plant communities.
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Cold hardiness
Now
Zone 6b
USDA
Chicago, IL · 1991-2020 average annual coldest day
Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (1991-2020 climatology) via ArcGIS FeatureServer
Well-suited
2050
Zone 7b
Plotwright
Your zone + climate-model shift · SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry)
Well-suited
In plain terms: cold winters — coldest nights typically around -3°F.
Well-suited today and still thriving in 2050.
Heat tolerance
Loading current AHS heat-zone and plant heat-fit data at your coordinates…
Sources & citations
Cite this page
For lesson plans, articles, or research that uses this page. To cite a single upstream fact instead, use its specific source listed below.
Plotwright. (2026, May 17). Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana). Retrieved 2026, June 5, from https://plotwright.garden/plants/eastern-red-cedar
Sources for every fact
Every fact on this page traces to a source. 18 fields cited18 source-backed.
Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder
Botanical research database
Backs 17 fields
Identity
Summary
Plant type
Light
Moisture
Hardiness
Heat zone
Size
Spacing
Habit
Design roles
Seasonal interest
Growth stages
Lifecycle
Regional guidance
Success tips
Designer notes
Wikimedia Commons
Photo · CC BY-SA 4.0
Backs 1 field
Image
Community photos
The photos above are our reviewed reference set, curated for accuracy.
Plotwright
Climate-aware plant planning — every plant checked against your zone now and in 2050.
support@arteractive.co
© 2026 Plotwright