Photo of the berries for reference as well

It's definitely a juniper......but which one? The somewhat windswept form reminds me a lot of Hollywood juniper. And that appears to be a popular landscape item in the midAtlantic area. See what you think. https://midatlanticgardening.com/plant-profile-hollywood-juniper-juniperus-chinensis-torulosa/

Thank you! I think you’re right based on the article and picture. I was looking for a cultivar of redcedar similar to the windswept look but didnt find much that looked like it.

Yep, GG is correct, VERY common beach planting material on the east coast.

I am not a big fan of very many junipers but I sure do like the Hollywood!!

View out of the window of my relatives of a house right on the beach in Virginia Beach. Just took this picture in February.

Now that the Japanese Black Pines have died of whatever, I'd say these are the most common salt resistant large evergreen in that area.

salt resistant.. who knew.. lol..

frankly.. being splayed.. they look like snow or ice damage as up here in MI ... i suppose we rule that out down south...

ken

Thanks again everyone. I agree, I really like these. I saw them in a lot of different landscapes down there.

"frankly.. being splayed.. they look like snow or ice damage as up here in MI"

at Virginia Beach, most definitely not. Although central NC has had some surprisingly heavy snow events that devastate road traffic and leave people on the interstate stuck in their cars for days, that sort of thing is INCREDIBLY rare at VA Beach. These are just very old (I remember them from when I was a kid) and probably allowed to assume that shape to be picturesque.

They look like that all the way down the east coast! https://sjtreefarm.com/trees/juniper-torulosa/

Jacksonville ATR (all time record) snowfall is only 1.9 inches (4.8 cm) Unless the snow fell in the form of powered lead, it wouldn't splay the branches of anything very much!

Ugh I hate that moment when I finish a thread and realize I was being too flip - what might actually matter more is thick ice, possibly combined with even moderate snow. We can rest assured though it hasn't happened in Jacksonville, and they still look like that. Ice can have the proverbial weight of lead compared to snow at least.

My 2 worse splaying incidents happened in separate storms, one that was just ice, and one that was ice and heavy snow.

BTW I was talking about conditions right on the beach, where the warm water of the ocean reduces snow fall. Go inland a bit in Hampton Roads Virginia, and the snowfall amounts can rise pretty rapidly. My relatives say their outside Geraniums usually last until Christmas.

" frankly.. being splayed.. they look like snow or ice damage as up here in MI ... i suppose we rule that out down south... "

Not splayed at all!! That is the natural growth habit, with randomly placed, upward sweeping branches giving the impression the tree is windblown or in some cases, appearing like a flame. A most attractive form, especially with beachside plantings.

. A most attractive form, especially with beachside plantings.

==>>> sure.. but in the first pic.. the plant is what look like a foot away from the house... as to the pic directly above... imagine those two tree a foot or two from the house...

a babe plant.. planted in a foundation bed.. with no concept of its future HUGE potential ... i would probably move it.. as i had to after making the same mistakes in the way back machine.... especially if its only a year or two in situ ...

ken

This Hollywood juniper ought to be named Halloween juniper, IMHO. I like whimsical, I really do, but this is a bit much for me, I would plant it in my backyard for sure, but not in my front yard ...