Sea Buckthorn (Seaberry) vs Eastern Red Cedar - TreeTime.ca

Sea Buckthorn (Seaberry) vs Eastern Red Cedar

Juniperus virginiana

Hippophae rhamnoides l.

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Eastern Red Cedar
Sea Buckthorn (Seaberry)

Eastern Red Cedar is native to eastern Canada and is actually a variety of juniper, not cedar. Its pyramidal crown, low hanging branches, and dense, compact foliage makes it an ideal windbreak or shelterbelt tree.

Eastern Red Cedar will attract wildlife to your yard and provide food and shelter for multiple varieties of birds. If you are on the east coast looking to create a windbreak, consider Eastern Red Cedar.

Sea Buckthorn, aka Seaberry, is a nitrogen fixing shrub that produces attractive berries high in vitamin C.

While we can't confirm claims that the berries are effective in treating various ailments, many people believe consuming the berries helps with arthritis, infections, and asthma, among other things.

Sea Buckthorn plants have attractive pale silvery-green leaves, dense branches, and large thorns, people like to grow in ornamental hedges or as a first row in a shelterbelt.

Note: Sea Buckthorn is dioecious, meaning male and female flowers grow on separate plants. Both are required for fruit production, though only female plants bear fruit. A plant’s sex typically cannot be identified until its third or fourth year. Our seedlings are too young to determine their sex.

Eastern Red Cedar Quick Facts

Sea Buckthorn (Seaberry) Quick Facts

Zone: 2a
Zone: 2b
Height: 8 m (25 ft)
Height: 5 m (15 ft)
Spread: 4 m (12 ft)
Spread: 4 m (12 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: full sun
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: medium
Life span: long
Life span: medium
Suckering: none
Suckering: high


Foliage: slender silvery-green leaves
Berries: small, edible
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


In row spacing: 0.9 - 1.2 m (3 - 4 ft)
Between row spacing: 5 m (16 ft)
Native to: ON, QC
Other Names: sallowthorn, sandthorn, seaberry