Lifting the correct way...

At Nicholsons there many items of all shapes and sizes to be lifted and moved. In order to save our backs we organised a staff training session on manual handling. The materials we frequently move are awkward and heavy in the range of large trees, compost and logs. The Landscape team experience a variety of manual handling techniques in their daily work from laying slabs, shovelling and mixing cement. All the staff took part and the emphasis was on the individual and their capabilities of lifting. There is no set law on the maximum weight to be lifted but general guidelines which advise the individual on the best way to lift and to ask for help whenever they feel they need to.

Nicholsons Forestry Reaches the parts that no other Consultant can reach

Tim Shardlow who heads the Nicholsons Forestry department needs to get to some obviously difficult to reach parts on one our clients estate. Here he is heading off onboard the company's LOHR FL500 Air portable light vehicle to visit places untouched by human hand or foot for some time. He obviously does not want to get stuck and so this tough vehicle has been wheeled out to assist. This vehicle is being used to travel around some of the new woodlands which have been planted on an estate to make sure that the weeding has been done properly and that the new trees are growing well following the completion of this years winter tree planting schedule.

Henley in Transition -Carbon Neutrality by 2012

Nicholsons made two presentations at the Rowing and Riverside Museum in Henley this month. The presentations focused on the role of forestry in reducing a carbon footprint. They also focused on the benefit of using wood fuel as part of this process and in so doing enabling good management of woodlands. There currently a great demand for woodfuel and this is helping to improve markets for low value produce, this in turn is enabling woodlands to be better managed.

Nicholsons just keeps on getting bigger

This year the trees that clients really want are getting larger and larger. With our expertise and many bits of specialised equipment we have been able to help many of these clients who previously would have had to settle with trees of a size which are easily manhandled.

So if you want to plant any large rootballed trees and invest in an instant park just let us know and we should be able to plant large trees in a cost efective way whilst increasing their chance of survival.

Nicholsons awarded "Highly Commended" at Grower of the Year Awards 2009

Last night Niel, Merlin, Catherine and I attended the Grower of the year Awards 2009 at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in Hyde Park, London. John Inverdale presented the awards to a wide range of growers from seed companies to edible crops and ornamental crops (our category). We were awarded "Highly Commended" behind the winner who went on to win grower of the year in ornamentals. We are very happy with that as we are a much smaller nursery than the winner and we do not supply plants to the multiple garden centres. The announcer on the microphone was the one and only Alan “voice of the national lottery balls” Dedicoat; Catherine got his autograph for her mum (good excuse Catherine!). I was not as subtle when I asked John Inverdale for his!
An enjoyable evening was had with fine food and the company of likeminded horticultural growers, even if some of them were heavily into their tomatoes!!

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