The morning after...

Thank you Liz and Niel for a superb evening! The annual staff party was held in lovely surroundings with fabulous food, our brilliant Nicholsons team and plenty of Christmas cheer….

Too much festive cheer for me as I am trying to focus on this Blog entry as my Resolve slowly takes effect!

(The picture shows Niel Nicholson trying out Adam's new toy)
Well that is us done for 2008 so have a lovely Christmas and get out into your garden to see what needs to be planted and I will see you in 2009.

Christmas cheer

Not long to go now as the Christmas trees are nearly sold out, all wreaths are discounted and we are eagerly awaiting our annual staff Christmas party which is being held tomorrow. We shall be closed from 12pm on Wednesday 24th December (Christmas Eve) until Monday 5th December 2009 so get down here quickly. I hope that you are all ready but remember that we can offer that late tree or shrub as an alternative present or why not buy some Nicholsons vouchers over the phone. One customer from Australia did just that today for his mother who lives locally. I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a festive Christmas and a prosperous New Year. Remember that planting trees is a fantastic New Year’s resolution and a good way to burn off all the trimmings! (So I will see you in January then…)

Back to the classroom for all!

Last night we had one of our bi-monthly staff training sessions. We gather after work from 4.30-7.30pm at a local conference centre to learn new things. This month it was time to improve our carbon footprint by learning about waste and recycling within Nicholsons. Merlin chaired a very interesting evening which included guest speakers from Agrivert, a green waste composting company, and Avoncrop who is the UK’s leading specialist supplier to the Horticultural Industry. Our Landscape contracts manager, Ronnie, tracked one of our skips and we found out that surprisingly most of it gets recycled.
At Nicholsons we have many methods of recycling including paper/cardboard, plastics, pots, green waste and hardcore. Ade, the site foreman, tries hard to train our staff and keep them in line afterwards!!
We do accept large plastic pots back to the nursery which customers have bought their plants in as we do sterilise them and re-use them in growing so feel free to return them on your next nursery shopping trip.

Christmas Opening - Extra Days

Don't forget we are open both tomorrow (6th December) and next Saturday (13th December) for Christmas trees. Fantastic selection of Nordmann Needlefast trees available and stands etc. The weather is set to be good, so shop first and pick one up on the way back.

Saturday 6th Dec
Dr Radcliffe's School Christmas Fair - another one not to miss.

Tree Planting Frenzy

The tree planting rush has now begun if a little late despite the recession. Every man and his dog has now realised that trees are now ready to plant and soil conditions are perfect if a little wet.

I am now spending my time starting off tree planting teams in the morning and visiting sites to do quotes in the afternoon. This is the normal situation prior to christmas as most people want all their planting done before christmas which seems to be the end of the world.

Life however does continue after christmas and planting will continue at a pace until the end of March.

The early bird catches the view..

Starting work at 7.30am is very early especially on a cold, wet and dark winter's morning but the benefits of seeing a sunrise on a regular basis out weighs the negatives! The photos show a sunrise over Nicholsons reservoir and an early morning view over the nursery (the moon still visible in the distance).

Set at 135m above sea level, Nicholsons Plant Centre gives you ‘The Great Outdoors’ experience. Being so exposed to the elements you know that if we have grown the plants at the nursery then they are going to be hardy! So come along when we open and share a sunrise or appear at the end of the day for a winter sunset.

A Sad Farewell!!

Yes, we are selling plants at full speed now as the bare rooted hedging season is upon us.

As Mike said, the Forestry team are out there getting muddy boots by planting trees! However, not only do they plant trees but sometimes it is necessary to cut them down. This is what has happened to our beloved sycamore tree at the entrance to our nursery.



The sycamore went through several consultations with our qualified Arboriculturalists starting with a machine called a resistograph to get a Picus Tomography.

(Please visit the NEWS page on our main website to view forester Adam Quant's report and photos)

The report states the results and provides photos to show why the decision to fell was taken.

It is sad when a tree has to be taken out but they are living just like us humans and when the time comes.........!!