Juniperus virginiana 'Manhattan Blue' (Eastern Red Cedar)

Juniperus virginiana 'Manhattan Blue' is a hardy, semi-compact eastern red cedar cultivar which offers a relatively small, columnar growth habit at a compact size of only about 10-20' tall and with a spread of 5-10' in diameter. Though similar in foliage appearance to other blue juniper varieties like 'Glauca,' the 'Manhattan Blue' variety is also noted for its mix of dark greens and pale silver-blue needles through the summer. This cultivar is tolerant of hot summers, drought, salt, deer damage, and poor soils, and maintains a conical appearance perfect for specimen plantings or ornamental hedges.

As a dioecious plant, male redcedars will produce pollen cones through the spring and summer, while female plants produce berry-like structures in the late summer and fall which are highly attractive to native songbirds including the cedar waxwing; this cultivar is an all-female form which a very profuse set of pale blue to blue-purple berry-like cones. Perfect for grouping to form a border hedge or privacy screen, Juniperus virginiana 'Manhattan Blue' has multi-season appeal with consistent, scaly, evergreen foliage and is not at all picky about soil type, as long as it's relatively well draining. This cultivar works perfectly when grown together for privacy screens, windbreaks, and border hedges, as well as in specimen plantings, where their colors can really shine.