What to Do With a Cedar Tree

Cedars for USDA Zones 2 and 3

• Northern white cedar, Thuja occidentalis, also called American arborvitae, displays excellent tolerance to cold, making it appropriate for USDA zones 2 and 3. Lutea is a cultivar growing to 30 feet, about half the size of the parent species. Lutes features yellow foliage, making it work as a specimen plant, a background tree or to accent the landscape, notes the Missouri Botanical Garden. Use Burkii, a cultivar of the eastern red cedar, Juniperus virginiana, as a windbreak, screen or specimen tree. It grows to 25 feet, with dense branches and bluish-silver foliage.

Cedars for USDA Zones 4 and 5

• In USDA zones 4 and 5, employ Thuja occidentalis "Nigra" along foundations or to create privacy screens. Nigra is a conical form of cedar growing to 30 feet, but just 10 feet wide. Its best characteristic is that its foliage remains dark green in winter, reports the University of Connecticut Plant Database. Canaertii, an eastern red cedar, requires 15 years to grow to heights around 20 feet, on its way to becoming 40 to 50 feet high. Canaertii is a female cultivar with attractive blue cones resembling berries. Plant it in bird gardens where songbirds will devour these cones and their seeds, or use Canaertii as a specimen tree on the lawn.

Cedars for USDA Zones 6 and 7

• The western red cedar, Thuja plicata, is a Pacific Northwest native adapted to milder winters and growing in coastal regions. Hogan, appropriate for USDA zone 6 and 7, grows to 40 feet, with its green and yellow foliage making it stand out as a specimen tree. Hogan will not do well in dry places. Zebrina is a western red cedar with yellow mixing in with the green, providing a striping effect. Zebrina grows to 60 feet, with its shape taking on that of a broad pyramid as time passes.

Cedar for USDA Zones 8 and 9

• The Atlas cedar, Cedrus atlantica, takes its name from its home range in Africa's Atlas Mountains. Growing to 60 feet, but capable of even larger sizes, Atlas cedar has inch-long needles in clusters on its branches. The colors vary between silvery blue to green, giving it plenty of appeal and making it an option as a specimen tree in USDA zones 8 and 9. Taylor is a very narrow cultivar of eastern red cedar, growing to 20 feet but sometimes being just 3 feet wide. This makes it suitable to line driveways, guard entryways, form screens, create borders or for foundation plantings in these warmer zones.