Juniperus virginiana and producing berries

manpreet Best Answer 3 years ago

As you may have noticed from other questions of mine, I am in a process of transforming my yard into a bird garden. (This is a long-term multi-year enterprise).

One of the most attractive plants for birds ever is Juniperus virginiana (Eastern Red Cedar), I found that from numerous internet sources. For example a web site says:

Eastern Red Cedar is great for birds. The berry-like cones provide food from late summer through much of the winter for many bird species. The social Cedar Waxwings, for whom fruit is a larger part of their diet than it is for most birds, were named for their love of these cones. Eastern Red Cedar’s dense foliage provides good coverage for small to medium sized birds who are looking for a place to perch safely out of view and reach from larger predators.

The base species is a large tree (30 m), but its cultivars (that are much smaller) are usually sold by nurseries, and then planted in gardens. In my area, cultivars 'Spartan' and 'Heitzii' are available.

My questions regarding Juniperus virginiana are following:

1) Are both female and male plants needed for producing berries?

2) If yes, do male and female plants need to be of the same cultivar?

3) Do some of you have berry-producing Juniperus virginiana? What is your experience regarding male/female relations?