We'd like to plant Eastern Red Cedar as a wildlife-friendly evergreen specimen tree in one spot, and as a hedge kept to 6 ft in another spot in zone 7b coastal NY. I will keep checking, but so far haven't found local nurseries that carry it, only a wholesale in NJ and MD.

1) For a specimen tree that will keep to 20 ft height and 8 ft spread, the Emerald Sentinel variety looks great. It's a female variety, so can provide berries eaten by birds and mammals, and provides shelter for many birds. Will we need to plan a male tree near it to pollinate it so it has berries, and which variety can we plant near it that we can keep manageable in size?

2) I found out from a wholesale tree dealer that they have straighter varieties of Eastern Red Cedar for use as hedges. As a hedge, can we keep it pruned to 6 ft high? We'd plant the trees about 3 ft apart. We've seen photos of this, but wanted to check. If so, which variety do you recommend? The hedge will be near the Emerald Sentinel specimen tree, so if the hedge has at least one male plant it will be helpful.

3) How would the Eastern Red Cedar (actually in the juniper family) compare with a Spartan Juniper for a hedge? We know a Spartan Juniper could easily be kept to 6 ft (it's often used for topiary), but the Eastern Red Cedar is much better for wildlife.