Red Cedar, Southern


S & J Nursery’s  Guide to Growing

Southern Red Cedar

in the Northeast Florida Landscape

Juniperus silicicola )


Southern Red Cedar /  Juniperus silicicola Origins:REed Cedar nursery  crop

 – Northeast Florida Native plant selection.

 Southern Red Cedar / Juniperus silicicola Preferred Exposure:

 – Plant your Red Cedar into a full sun location.

 Foliage | Bark of the Southern Red Cedar Juniperus silicicola:

 – Evergreen foliage keeps stays green spring summer winter and fall. Deep
green color.

 – Typically a single trunked tree with somewhat droopy branches as the plants age. New growth has a bright green wood that ages to brown.

 Soil Preference / Salt tolerance of the Southern Red Cedar / Juniperus
silicicola:

 – Southern Red cedars are tolerant of a wide range of soil conditions, acid, sandy dry soils, loam, alkaline,etc. as long as the soils are well draining.

 – High salt tolerant

Size Variance of the Southern Red Cedar Juniperus silicicola:

 – Here in the Northeast Florida landscape, Southern Red cedars will grow to
30-45 feet in height with up to a  25 ft spread.

 Growth Habit of the native Southern Red Cedar Tree:

 – Very widely pyramidal growth habit.

 Growth Rate of Juniperus silicicola in Northeast Florida:

– Extremely fast growing trees adding several feet to their height in a single
growing season.

 Water Requirements of the Florida native Southern Red cedar Tree:

 – Drought tolerant once established into the landscape from your S & J
Nursery container.

Blooms and Fruits / Butterfly or Bird Attracting:

 – Fruits of the Southern Red cedar are rounded / cone shaped less than .5
inches in length fleshy purple or bluish purple. They are both bird and squirrel attracting!

EDIBLE PLANT:

The fleshy cones can be used just like other
juniper berries
. However, according to this article by a Florida
foraging instructor, the foliage of the Southern Red cedar Juniperus
silicicola
should not be used.
http://www.eattheweeds.com/junipers/

Red Cedar foliage up closeBest Uses For Juniperus silicicola Southern Red Cedar in the North Florida | Jacksonville | St. Augustine area landscape:

 – The dense evergreen foliage of the Southern Red cedar makes
it an ideal choice for a privacy screen to block out neighboring houses or unsightly views.

 – Perfect native plant selection for a windscreen.

– High salt tolerance makes Southern red cedar an excellent coastal planting.

– Drought tolerant and virtually maintenance free, the Southern Red cedar is an easy care landscape plant selection for the Northeast Florida landscape.

 – Perfect shape for a living Christmas tree.

Red Cedar nursery crop 7 gallon potsCare of Southern Red Cedar:

 – Water every day during the establishment period. See watering your newly planted trees for more information.

– Provide a 1 ft diameter circle of mulched area where grass is kept from growing for each inch of caliper (or diameter) of trunk measured 4 inches from the ground level.

 – Fertilize each spring with a mixture of Milorganite and a slow release poly
coated plant food such as Osmocote or Stay Green general purpose plant food, sprinkling the fertilizer around the mulch circle underneath the foliage of the tree