Yup, Thuja occidentalis. These are 7 ft tall. They were $12 each and
were housed in a large wooden enclosure in the garden center.

Basically, it came with a small root ball (roots and soil) about the
size of a soccer ball. It was not contained by a container or burlap
or anything, just the soil ball sitting on the ground.

Thanks,
Greg
US Zone 5 Toronto

By white cedar do you mean Thuja occidentalis or American Arborvitae? And
how small a rootball for what size tree? Were they B&B or containerized?
What has your weather been like and how well have they been watered?
Difficult to address your problem without knowing some details.

pam - gardengal