Young spruce are tough, but it could be a Norway. Juniperus virginiana is likely for the second.

tj

' i found it under a white spruce (I think)! '

See if there are any cones on the large tree you found it under.

White spruce will have smaller cones approximately 1-1/2" long.

Norway spruce has cones that are 6" long so not hard to tell which species of tree it is.

Your comment on the cone size is exactly right- the cones are much smaller than the 6-7 inch ones from some known Norways elsewhere on the property. The juniperus virginiana (?) was found ”under the skirt” of a white spruce then. Could the seed have passed through a bird? No JV’s anywhere nearby.

in any ID post.. tell us where you are.. big city name...is wma supposed to be western MA???

the ubiquitous juniper is rather invasive.. in my MI.. birds spreading them everywhere.. and mostly under trees above where they can drop a prefertilized seed on a rest stop.. imo.. there is no question on that ID...

its interesting.. because though i call it invasive.. it is native down south.. and the basis of the cedar fencing industry.. as well as cedar bark products.. and cedar mulch...

see if yo start noticing them on the unmowed shoulders of roadways.. if you are rural...

its a cute little babe that turns into a rather ugly mature tree... and its not blue when its huge... you can find much better named varieties.... and even plants better than the juniper...

both can and should be planted in early fall.. when the other trees start coloring up... its means dormancy is near.. and its just about the best time to plant a tree of any kind... see section one.. and then the rest of this:

https://sites.google.com/site/tnarboretum/Home/planting-a-tree-or-shrub

the picea.. should be planted 20 to 30 feet from the house... it will be a telephone pole tree ... it will not stay cute and tiny.. like it is now..

ask if you must keep it potted over winter.. it can be done easily.. or you can make it hard on yourself... ask ...

ken

Yes, Western Massachusetts, near Northampton, northwest of Springfield. I’ll have to change to some capital letters in my ID for clarity.

Ok, tell me your idea for overwintering in a pot. I’ve had success just putting the pot in the ground for the winter, but I’m open to better suggestions.

@milamo_z5_WMA:

You are easily inside the native range of Juniperus Virginiana. Might be why they call it 'Eastern Red-Cedar'? ;-) But this range has enlarged due to naturalization over the years.

And yes, birds tend to distribute the seeds. With the seed going through the bird's digestive system, this scarifies the hard seed coat so moisture can soak into the seed, enabling germination.

https://www.plantmaps.com/nrm-juniperus-virginiana-eastern-redcedar-native-range-map

When it comes to overwintering in pots, J.v. is hardy to usda zone 2, so an attached, unheated, garage or a covering with wood mulch in a protected area or even sinking into the ground would most likely be good enough in your area. Especially if you get snow cover.

Picea glauca (white spruce) is z3 hardy but pretty much will make it under the conditions listed above.

You could plant them in the ground this Fall but I'd put a metal mesh around them to keep the varmints from making a winter food source out of them. This applies to garages too. :-)

BTW: Not all horticultural names are in Latin, but you get the idea, using those when doing searches instead of common names, because common names can vary due to locations around the country/world.

There are people in my area that still think northern white cedar are actually 'Cedars'. ;-)

My understanding is that Juniperus virginiana is one of the first species to start colonizing disused open fields.. While the adult trees are nothing special, the mature trunks can be sculpturally quite lovely.

I think they do have a lovely wood. I've raised up a few in my day and after years were used for specialty furniture, because of the unique colors of the wood.

04-2018:

This is one I have one in my yard today.

7-22-2023: