On a whim, I attended a bonsai show in Sacramento last month ( click here to read my post). The exotic-looking miniature trees really struck a chord in me, and I started to read up on bonsai. I’m still at the very beginning of what might end up being a life-long journey and I feel I need to learn a lot more before I even attempt to work on a living plant. However, when we were at my in-laws for Thanksgiving, I couldn’t help but notice the thousands (literally!) of saplings growing everywhere on their 2½ acre property. There is white pine ( Pinus monticola ) and Ponderosa pine ( Pinus ponderosa ), but above all there is Western redcedar ( Thuja plicata ). As its Latin name already indicates, Western redcedar isn’t a true cedar (like Lebanon, Atlas, or Deodar) but rather an arborvitae. That’s why “redcedar” is spelled as one word rather than as two, as would be the case if it were a true cedar. A few of the many mature Western redcedars on my in-laws’ property While Western red