It’s that time of the year when all of the Eastern Red Cedar seeds that have been laying on the ground since last summer begin to sprout. I have thousands of them all over the layout and yard. Here is what they look like when they first sprout.

Each year I transplant some into peat pots with potting soil. Here are a few I did today.

I’ll water them in real good and leave them sitting here on the picnic table for a few days. This area gets partial sun. After they get accustomed to their new soil, I’ll plant the pots in a temporary unused section of the layout until I need them. In the following photo, the tree in the center is an Eastern Red Cedar I grew from a seedling four years ago. The trees on either side are Alberta Spruce.

They’re pretty good looking trees IMHO. In fact, I like them better than the Spruces. And best of all … they’re free and plentiful.

Bob

Those are nice. I get Hemlocks. They are a bit spindly but look good when only a year or two old. They get tall fast.

Can you keep the cedars small or do you have to start a new batch each year and rotate out often?

You can keep them about the same size as Alberta Spruce. They don’t seem to mind severe pruning. Here are a few where I planted the peat pots in the ground four years ago. They are about two feet tall.

Here is one I moved to this spot in 2009. It was about two years old and a foot tall when I planted it. It is now almost three feet tall.

Bob

I went tree exploring today and Eastern Red Cedar was one tree I could get but they ones they had were already about 30" tall. You get to start them small which would be nice.

My Red Cedar is just as prolific. If I keep them pruned, they work well with the railroad. These do better in my zone 4 garden than the Alberta Spruce.

I might have to see if I can get the Eastern Red in a smaller plant here locally

Devon Sinsley said:

I might have to see if I can get the Eastern Red in a smaller plant here locally

Check any Bonsai stores … you can some times get them before they Bonsai them.