Juniperus virginiana 'Hillspire' (Eastern Red Cedar)

Juniperus virginiana 'Hillspire' is a well-regarded eastern redcedar cultivar which offers an attractive, pyramidal form that grows to a mature size of 15-30' feet tall and 5-15' wide, making it a great medium sized evergreen for hedges, privacy screens, or specimen planting. With its strikingly vibrant green foliage, 'Hillspire' junipers lend elegance, texture, and a bright pop of color to the landscape, but this cultivar is also incredibly hardy for garden and landscape plantings. Juniperus virginiana 'Hillspire' is tolerant of poor, dry soils including especially rocky sites and those polluted with black walnut soil; in addition, like other junipers, 'Hillspire' is resistant to both drought and soil erosion, with its dense, fibrous roots making it a great addition to breezy sites as a wind-break or to slopes where it will help limit erosion.

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; depending on the nursery, 'Hillspire' specimens may come as both male and female -- the current stock at Unity as of 2025 is a female batch. As female junipers produce edible berry-like cones, 'Hillspire' is an excellent way to attract a diverse array of bird species to your backyard, and its foliage also supports several types of caterpillar, meaning another draw for bird populations. 'Hillspire' juniper is not at all picky about soil type, as long as it's relatively dry and well draining, and these trees make for an excellent native inclusion in a variety of garden and landscape locations.