Don,
  Thank you for the question and sorry it took a while to get back to you. Before responding, I needed to do some research on the Western Red Cedar since it is not native to our growing conditions. 
   Let's begin with a couple notes on the plant itself: (1) The Western Red Cedar is native to the Pacific Northwest and thrives in moist, cool conditions. It does not like the hot, dry conditions which we commonly experience for extended periods in the late summer. (2) While it has few disease and insect problems it is not deer resistant. However, some sources said it had less deer problems than others.
  Here is a link to a fact sheet from the Missouri Botanical Gardens on the Thuja plicata 'Virescens': https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=d982.
   You did not mention where you were obtaining your plants and that could become a big factor on whether these plants thrive for you or not. I would not order plants on line except from a source that is in our general area. For example, plants shipped from a nursery in the Pacific Northwest will not have been 'regionalized' to our climate.
   My recommendation is to go to your local nursery or all season garden center and see if they carry the Thuja plicata. If they do, most times they get their plants from a regional nursery that have been raised in growing conditions similar to ours. These plants will have been regionally adapted to our growing conditions and are most likely to be grown successfully. 
   Lastly, if they are available locally, try a few and see how they perform and I would also transplant them, if possible, in fall where they have the most time to get established before being exposed to our hot, dry late-summer weather.
   I hope this information helps you make your decision on whether to try the Western Red Cedar.
   Good luck and I hope you have a great summer.