It reminds me of Juniperus chinensis 'Shimpaku' but that may not be a perfect fit. Probably some kind of Chinese juniper at any rate, as these are highly prevalent in cultivation.

If not that then a similar species. Chinese junipers are prickly (at least the juvenile, needle-like parts) and distinctively stinky - at least among familiar plants.

there are some other conifer ID experts in the conifer forum .. whom i have never seen in this forum ...

they might be able to get a little further than bboy .... or not ...

ken

Thank you bboy for your advice, I appreciate your prompt replay.

Baobab

Last pic looks like Cryptomeria Japonica

You are right gregorson, when it is young and on new branches the leaves are needle-like but when the plant is mature they become scaly.

The Cryptomeria instead have only needle-like leaves and is monoecious, while the juniper is dioecious.

In the picture you can see a 28 year old Cryptomeria that only shows a green needle-like leaves, not blued as Juniper, the tips are slightly curved and on the same branch they are both the old male cones and female cones that are already well developed.

{{gwi:378080}}

On the juniper the needles are on new sprouts and the scales older, when these last are on ropy pieces with strobili on the ends. Chinese juniper mixes them up, as can be seen in the one picture here where the tuft of needles is coming out of an old bare twig section. There are three kinds of growth on Chinese junipers, the tufts of needles here and there, the intermediate leaves on much of the newer, projecting shoots around the outside of the canopy, and the ropy, flowering bits tending to more down inside, on older branch-lets.

Juniperus chinensis `Torulosa` ? -- Twisted Hollywood juniper? They're fairly common in zone 7. Just a guess though.

Not twisty enough and too blue. Might be 'Robusta Green', however, instead of 'Shimpaku'.