Burk's Redcedar
Juniperus virginiana 'Burkii'
Height: 15 feet
Spread: 8 feet
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: 4a
Description:
A distinctive and refined evergreen with delicate sprays of soft blue-green foliage on an upright and columnar form; fine texture looks fuzzy from afar; good choice for an upright accent in the garden, requires full sun for best growth
Ornamental Features
Burk's Redcedar is a dwarf conifer which is primarily valued in the landscape for its rigidly columnar form. It has attractive bluish-green evergreen foliage which emerges blue in spring. The scale-like sprays of foliage are highly ornamental and turn steel blue in the fall, which persists throughout the winter.
Landscape Attributes
Burk's Redcedar is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a narrowly upright and columnar growth habit. It lends an extremely fine and delicate texture to the landscape composition which can make it a great accent feature on this basis alone.
This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. Deer don't particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.
Burk's Redcedar is recommended for the following landscape applications;
- Accent
- Vertical Accent
- General Garden Use
Planting & Growing
Burk's Redcedar will grow to be about 15 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 8 feet. It tends to fill out right to the ground and therefore doesn't necessarily require facer plants in front, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 70 years or more.
This shrub should only be grown in full sunlight. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist growing conditions, but will not tolerate any standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for xeriscaping or the moisture-conserving landscape. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This is a selection of a native North American species.
