Dwarf Japanese cedar
Cryptomeria japonica 'Globosa Nana' · Cupressaceae
A dense, billowing dome of soft, blue-green needles on drooping branch tips, turning slightly bronze in winter. It keeps its rounded shape without clipping.
- Size
- 4 ft tall, 4 ft wide
- Zones
- 6 to 9
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Specimen
A bed built around dwarf Japanese cedar
The planner designed this bed around dwarf Japanese cedar when this page was made: a 16 × 8 ft (4.9 × 2.4 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why dwarf Japanese cedar stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Dwarf Japanese cedar × 1, green leaves
- 2 Bloody cranesbill 'Max Frei' × 12, pink
- 3 Mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' × 50, yellow
- 4 White mugwort × 4, cream
- 5 Siberian iris 'Caesar's Brother' × 3, purple
- 6 Lady's mantle × 8, green
- 7 Hyacinth 'Delft Blue' × 7, blue
- 8 Surprise lily × 5, pink
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
- The bed's only structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down, and it is the only one here.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 4 ft it is one of the taller plants here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to white mugwort (5 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, all year. They cover the 16 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
- The only leaves in winter. From November to March it is what there is to look at.
Planned as an English border: 8 of the 9 groups (89%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Among the neighbours here are three pairs of recognised partners, such as lady's mantle and surprise lily. Mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' is the plant there is most of: 50 of the 90.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 4 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where dwarf Japanese cedar goes in a border
At 4 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is moderately tall (3 to 4 ft).
Its job: specimen. A feature plant with a shape of its own. It stands alone with room around it, and repeats only at a distance.
A rounded evergreen that is soft to the touch and never needs shearing. It likes moisture and shelter from winter wind.
- A soft evergreen dome
- Foundation planting
- Japanese-style gardens
What to plant with dwarf Japanese cedar
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Japanese forest grass 'Aureola': low enough (16 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same moist soil.
- Hosta 'June': bold leaves against its fine ones; spires rising out of its mound; low enough (16 in) to stand in front of it.
- Black mondo grass: spires rising out of its mound; low enough (8 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about dwarf Japanese cedar
Does dwarf Japanese cedar need sun or shade?
Dwarf Japanese cedar grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day) and part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does dwarf Japanese cedar grow in?
USDA zones 6 to 9. It is hardy to zone 6, which means it survives winter nights down to about 0 °F (−18 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
How far apart should dwarf Japanese cedar be planted?
3½ ft (100 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 4 ft (120 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 4 ft (120 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many dwarf Japanese cedar plants do I need?
At 3½ ft apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 1 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 4 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 3 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as one, with clear ground around it: a feature plant is seen as an object, and a group of them is a thicket.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is dwarf Japanese cedar poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Is there a native plant like dwarf Japanese cedar?
Dwarf Japanese cedar comes from Central & South Japan and China. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Inkberry 'Shamrock': the same size; an anchor, not a specimen.
- Globe arborvitae 'Little Giant': the same size; an anchor, not a specimen.
- Dwarf balsam fir: the same job in a bed; belongs in the middle, not at the back, 24 in shorter.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat dwarf Japanese cedar?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What does dwarf Japanese cedar look like in winter?
Dwarf Japanese cedar keeps its green leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone.
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 4 ft (120 cm) tall, 4 ft (120 cm) wide
- Plant
- 3½ ft (100 cm) apart
- Height class
- Moderately tall (3 to 4 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- None: grown for its foliage
- Leaves
- Fine texture, evergreen; green
- Shape
- Rounded, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 6 to 9
- Light
- Full sun, part sun
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Cupressaceae
- Comes from
- Central & South Japan and China
- Stands up to
- Deer, salt
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.