Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2009/January 2010 | Page 73

GARDENING life Photo: Bottom right: This years Christmas trees being felled. Right: Once felled they are wrapped for transport. Below: 1,000s of trees are loaded onto the lorry and shipped across the Island and to the mainland. We grow various types of trees. There it’s needles. It has aromatic dark green on the Island and also exporting them is the traditional Norway Spruce & foliage. The Nordman is a slow grower to our four other Garden Centres on the although it has a reputation for dropping taking longer to mature & we also grow Mainland. it’s needles this is minimal when the tree the Fraser Fir, which has a good shape, is is cut fresh, only brought indoors when highly scented with a blue underside to our customers to choose their tree at needed, stood in a water reservoir & not the foliage. Shide Trees, Newport. A very busy time! near a heat source. We grow several varieties in pots as Other staff make fresh wreaths and help We are able to provide the freshest We also have the Blue Spruce, which is living trees. After the Festive season they possible trees for our customers on the like the Norway Spruce but has beautiful can be acclimatized to the outdoors and Island and on the Mainland. blue green foliage. kept for many years. Cutting of the trees continues weekly The addition of the Christmas tree When you buy a tree from Thompson’s or Shide Trees you can rest assured it has throughout December to ensure farm has enabled Thompson’s to provide been grown to our highest standards, freshness. employment for trained staff in the winter cut fresh to provide you with the best months normally a quieter time for our possible tree for Christmas We also have non-needle drop varieties like Nordman and Fraser Firs. The nurseries. Staff are involved with marking Nordman is the most popular needle and netting trees, packing them up for Happy Christmas To All Our Customers fast tree. It has good shape and retains delivery to Shide Trees, the Garden Centre from Thompsons Garden Centre. 73