THERE IS A SAYING THAT IF YOU REALLY LIKE YOUR JOB YOU WILL NEVER WORK A DAY IN YOUR LIFE.
We love what we’re doing: growing trees, but what we enjoy most is talking to and working with our customers, helping them with their needs, making sure they get the right seedling for the right situation.
Providing promotional seedlings for events such as weddings gives us the opportunity to make sure the bride gets the perfect tree for her perfect day. My sage advice to all my brides is to enjoy the planning and the preparation because the day flies by so quickly. I’ve been told many a times that this was just what they needed to hear at the time to help them put the whole process back in perspective, and enjoy the moment. I love weddings!
We get many requests for trade shows held around the country. We offer suggestions on varieties that will work in the area the event is happening as well as how to transport the seedling after they are given out.
Family reunions, memorial services, showers, Christmas parties to name a few are events we can talk through and suggest the right tree for the right occasion. Conversations with families that are grieving are difficult, if we can help make their planning a service that much easier by providing the seedlings they need to give away in remembrance of their loved one, makes us feel like we’ve made this difficult process easier. People often want to talk about why giving out trees has so much meaning for them and we are ready to listen.
Bumping into someone in our community or running into one of our kids friends who received one of our seedlings at school, church or event is so much fun. We are always surprised at how vivid the memory is of someone who was given a seedling, often years before. It brings back memories for us as well.
You are searching the web right now for a seedling for a specific need. I’m sure you have questions weather a first time seedling buyer or a seasoned expert. We can help answer your questions and make your purchase easier.
Navigating through any industry is hard especially if you are a first time buyer. Understanding the lingo can be challenging the nursery industry and forestry in particular has its own set of “coded words.
HERE ARE SOME MOST ASKED QUESTIONS
For instance what is a bare-root seedling or a plug seedling? What are a p+1, a 2-0, a 1-1?
What type of tree is best used for events and promotional use?
When is the best time to plant?
How do you plant and what type of fertilizer do you use in the process.
What type of tree grows best where?
What are the characteristics of each tree?
What trees are best used in hedging, how far apart are these planted and in what pattern?
When do you use a bare root seedling and when does a plug seedling do the job?
What constitutes a native tree? Simple definition is; any plant that grows wild in the same local region. Almost everyone who calls wants a native plant. In most cases they really want something that will live where they plant it. A native tree is a plant that the seed was collected from that area. It reproduces itself and grows naturally in its natural soil rich settings. All areas have trees and shrubs that grow beautifully but are not considered native they just do well where they are planted. So often our customers especially those looking to give away a seedling just want something that is healthy and grows well when planted. Sorting through the purpose helps us help our customer chose the right plant.
When talking to our customers we determine where they live and make every effort to match the seedling with the area it’s to be planted. Putting a high altitude plant in a dessert setting would be sending that tree to its certain death. We want our trees to live and thrive wherever it’s planted.
Reforestation stock comes in many designated sizes. Plugs, p+1, 1-1 2-0. How to navigate through these designations of sizes to decide what size best fits my needs. A plug seedling is a seedling that is grown in a container which has several small cavities drilled out to be so deep and so big around. There are many different size cavities. The seedling stays in this environment for one season. This size seedling is the one used for individually wrapped. If these seedlings are not sold they are transplanted and they become a plug+1. A P+1 is a bare root seedling harvested it’s second year from a cultivated bed. These are best used for reforstation as their size makes them large enough to establish a presence, fight the underbrush and win the fight against both man and beast deer browse and weed eater. A 1-1 is a seedling that is in a cultivated bed outside for one year and then moved to another growing space the next year. A 2-0 is a seedling that stays in the same bed for two years and then is harvested. Each one of these sizes should be considered in your planting decision
This is one of the most asked questions, and oddly it is one of the most difficult question to answer. Most people know that a tree is a tall plant what they really want to know is how fast will it get to it’s majestic height of 75’ to 100 feet tall. We can talk through where to put the variety of trees they order and encourage them that while they grow so many feet a year we in most of our lifetime will never see the full height the tree will achieve. Most of our seedlings can be grown in containers for a few years and then need to be out planted. We are now offering a Mt Hemlock seedling which grows inches a year and is perfect for containers or landscape.
We have a few varieties that grow inches each year but all the rest are trees, destined to grow from 75’ to 100’ tall. We like to remind people these heights will not be achieved in our life time but it is right to consider this as most will grow several feet a year and where these trees will be planted is an important decision. Most seedlings can be planted in a container and left for several years and in some cases will almost bonsai.
HOW DO WE PLANT AND WHAT KIND OF FERTILIZERS DO WE USE, AND WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO PLANT?
We have a planting guideline on our web sight which gives step by step details on how to plant your seedling. Fertilizers are important and let’s talk about that. If you are planting lots of trees the best time to plant is from November till March. Plug seedlings can be planted year long as they are seedlings easily cared for .
WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO PLANT
If you are planting hundreds of trees the best time is between Oct and April when the temperatures are low and the rain fall is plentiful, both contribute to the survival of the seedling. If you are planting just a few seedlings and especially a plug seedling that has not had its root disturbed you can plant any time of year, most often these are planted in a spot they can be cared for.
Let’s start with the Douglas fir. Many parts of the country grow Douglas fir. I’ll only be writing about the ones that are native to the Pacific Norwest corridor. “This magnificent evergreen is often taken for granted because we see it every where we go. No other member of the plant world is so thoroughly a part of the cultural fabric of the Pacific Northwest. Not only is it one of the most important lumber tree of North America, Douglas Fir is the evergreen that dots urban areas as well as country landscapes. . Douglas Fir is one the fastest growing evergreens reaching heights of 75” to 100” tall I mention the heights because so often people want to know the extent to which the tree will grow. This is a good question as it is so important to place this fast growing tree in a spot where it won’t invade personal space. Giving this conifer room to spread it’s branches is important if you are considering it for landscape purposes. In the wild let it go and enjoy
The next native to the Pacific Northwest is the Western Red Cedar. Cedar likes damp spaces and does well in wetter areas. A reminder is that no tree likes to have its roots underwater for any length of time. This tree gets it’s name from the Red tinge to it’s needles which is more prominent in the winter months when the available daylight is less and the needles take on that red tinge. This tree eventually grows to 75’ tall at about one to two feet a year. This tree has been used as a good hedge tree although does not like to be kept from growing to its full height so does not like to be trimmed.
The pacific North West can boast several varieties of native trees. We grow Sitka spruce, Ponderosa Pine, Western Hemlock, Mt. Hemlock, Shore Pine, Noble Fir, Grand Fir, Pacific Silver Fir