Our new tree surgery truck is here! After ordering the truck in August expecting delivery in November the truck did its first job on Monday afternoon. Before buying the new truck the forestry team undertook many calculations on payloads of vehicles and realized that a 3.5 tonne vehicle would not be sufficient as we would be overweight with half a ton of chips! So our new vehicle is a 5 tonne and will be able to take away more chips and timber from site! This has come with many hurdles to jump from a restricted operator’s license, the use of tacographs and getting the team through training courses but it will all be worth it to stay legal!

Don't let the snow damage your plants...

When the snow was bad Niel spent time walking about with a soft brush in order to knock the snow off the plants. As you can see in the photo, the branches of the olive are weighed down by the heavy snow. Make sure that you remember to check evergreen trees and shrubs along with topiary for any damage that the might have occurred. Prune off any broken branches.

Nicholsons in the snow!

Well, the worst snow storms for a while had their own impact on Nicholsons as we were not able to find the plants let alone plant them. Full steam ahead now as we only have 6 weeks left in the bare root planting season.

Enjoy the views of Nicholsons in the snow!! Click on any of the images to view an enlargement.

Planting can begin…

I bet most of you were out on Saturday morning taking pictures of the beautiful views as the frozen fog looked stunning on the trees and hedgerows. What a change on Monday as the rain moved in with milder temperatures to match. It does mean that the frost has lifted from the ground and planting trees can resume. We have begun to pot up the container grown hedging for next year but we still have some left if you are wanting to get your hedge in the ground before spring emerges. Come and visit us to see the stock, we would love to see you.

Hedges, hedges and more hedges

Our return to work has been greeted by some of the coldest temperatures on record which has been a hindrance to Nicholsons. We have been unable to get planting straight away because of the frozen ground. This means that you will have to plant your hedge as soon as the ground thaws out. Hedges should be planted for a manner of reasons. Within the garden they create a versatile boundary or divide which can be used as a formal or informal manner. Hedges are great windbreaks as they filter the wind rather than create a vortex effect like a fence or wall. Many different species of plants can be used to create a hedge to offer colour, texture, security and wildlife appeal in the garden. Should you require any further help on choosing the right hedge then please follow this link: http://www.nicholson-nurseries.co.uk/forestry/forestry_hedgeplanting.htm

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.