Winter in the nursery allows for the unique opportunity to re-focus, rest, and prepare. The day to day work outside in the field takes a pause – the trees hibernate for a few months and so does the field work. It’s a nice break from the daily hustle of growing trees. This winter we are picking the “nice weather” days to go out and re-measure some of our blocks. We completed a full field inventory in September, but this past fall we experienced additional caliper growth on some species. As spring orders roll in, we analyze our field numbers and allocate which blocks are best to tag for spring digging and which blocks we want to leave for future sales. Early spring orders are coming in strong this year, so we are looking forward to a busy spring dig season ahead. We encourage customers to send us over their wish lists this winter, so we can have plans in place by the time spring rolls around. Warmer weather will be here before we know it!

In the winter months, we also plan to travel to a few green industry events. Stop by our booth at InVigorateU Jan 18 & 19 in Bloomington and iLandscape Show Feb 2-4 in Schaumburg. We look forward to talking trees with you. The educational and networking line ups at both of these events looks to be fun & inspiring. We are looking forward to seeing many of our green industry friends soon!

We started this new year and our winter season hiking in a beautiful National Park. Jamie, Joey, and I took a last minute road trip to Colorado to be in our favorite park on New Year’s Day – Rocky Mountain National Park. While spending a few days there, I ran across this quote by John Muir while reading Subpar Parks (a great read for any National Park buffs) and it immediately resonated with me:

“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you and the storms their energy, while cares drop off like autumn leaves.”   – John Muir

I love the imagery in these words – especially the sentence “Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.” I definitely feel the peace nature offers when I am open to receiving it. The visual movement found in this passage is interesting to think about – climbing a mountain, sunshine flowing through, winds blowing freshness, storms sharing energy, cares dropping off… powerful images and ideas! While visiting this beautiful park, we were able to take in nature’s peace for a few days and start the new year with a fresh energy and perspective.

While I wish we could spend every day in that beautiful setting, we are able to spend every day in that mindset. We have a peaceful country road we can walk on when the weather allows. Our “loop” as we call it is around 3 miles and takes us from our house, down the road, through the woods, and back home. This year, I’d like to incorporate Muir’s words into my every day – whether I am in the nursery, walking the loop, traveling to a National Park, or working in my garden. Nature’s peace is always flowing, and I plan to let the winds blow their freshness into my 2022 season! What do you hope to incorporate into your new season ahead?

Spring will be here before we know it, but for now we will savor our winter days. We hope you have a restful winter, and we look forward to growing for you when the warm spring winds blow!

Becky Thomas