RMJ winter foliage

Hello Mirai community,

I’ve got a collected Rocky Mountain Juniper that was collected mid September. It’s been doing really well, however since the cold has started to come in for winter it’s been a bit strange. The foliage remains green, but had become very brittle. The branches are also seeming stiffer. It was collected from a sandy rock crevice with mostly just a long tap root And a few small radial roots. It was kept in original

soil and out of direct sunlight for the first month or so until it seemed to be doing well.
Now, I have been told that some junipers get really funky in the winter with change of foliage color. However I’m curious what you guys think? Judging by foliage color it seems okay, but when you feel how brittle it is I feel like it may be a goner.
Either way I will continue care until spring with the hope that if damage was done it survives.