Can anyone identify the narrow, center-most blue-green/gray shrub in the foreground of the following image? I saw it in the railroad garden of Longwood Gardens. I like its narrow form and small size. I wonder if it could be used effectively as a punctuation mark in one of my zone 6b gardens.

Clearly a type of conifer.

I'd search through 'Arborvitae' by color and height and keep in mind your 6b zone.

Moved to Plant ID forum.

One of the columnar blue junipers? There are pictures of some here:

https://www.google.ca/search?q...

Or email Longwood Gardens and ask them.

sooby said:One of the columnar blue junipers? There are pictures of some here:

https://www.google.ca/search?q...

Or email Longwood Gardens and ask them.

It does look like some of the many columnar blue junipers shown via your link, @sooby. I would love to know which, if any, of them grow slowly like dwarf Alberta Spruce.

I have emailed Longwood for an ID.

I visited Longwood Gardens again today (an advantage of my new membership) and took some closeup shots of the mystery shrub:

Finally we have an ID from Longwood:

"That plant is Chamaecyparis lawsoniana cv. Blue Surprise. It’s a Port Orford Cedar native to coastal northern California and Oregon. This plant is not well suited/long lived in the mid-Atlantic region."

Thanks to all for suggestions.

Lawson False Cypress (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Blue Surprise')