Merry christmas

All of us at Hima Nursery would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support and encouragement over the year. We wish you all a very merry Christmas and all the best for a Successful Year in 2010.

King of Spades

Even though we have some snow left on the ground from yesterdays snow storm (well, it seemed like a snow storm to me!), the troops ventured out to the farm again today to begin digging trees, as we are behind schedule.
Our illustrious mechanics (bless their hearts) have figured out a method of attaching our tree spade to our Cat 315, allowing us to access some of the wetter portions of the farm.

The only trouble is, some of the trees tend to be a little too large for even this work horse... So, while we can dig some of the smaller caliper material, the fact remains that the troops must hand dig the larger Carpinus betulus, Pyrus calleryana and Prunus varieties. But, that is good.... otherwise the trusty shovels will rust away from lack of use! Today... nine more trees down (not literally, thankfully) and about 3,500 more to go....

Winter is here

Florida sounds pretty good right now..as does Hawaii..or even Fiji!
With the cold arctic air howling down from the north, and temperatures plummetting..work is probably the least of our concerns. Number One priority is how to stay warm.... mind you, work always helps in that regard....work up a sweat my boy, is what my father used to say!

Right now, working up a sweat sitting next to a cozy fire with a cup of hot coffee and a donut in my hand is probably a better thought!

We are sending some of the work force home early these days as the temperature is plummeting to around 17 degrees (as a high!)... Spring cannot come soon enough~

Even our magnificent fountain in the front of the office is struggling to stay free of being completely iced over....

Jack Frost

First heavy frost of the season and it has certainly shaken everyone up with a view of what to expect as we roll on further into December. Walking to the back of the nursery this morning, I noticed the 1 gallon Mahonia aquifolium with their jewel colored leaves resplendent with an icing of white (frost) frosting, the miscanthus grass looking like sheaves of wheat ready for harvesting- tall, upright and their seed heads held predominantly above the blades, and the tiny Cornus canadensis with their little red berries sparkling amongst the pale green foliage.

It reminds of being out on the farm the other day; strolling past a log on the estuary, it looked photogenic (hence the picture) but also reminded me that the estuary is also home to the almighty of all engineers...the mighty beaver. Cute little animals, except when I walk to the back of the tree farm and find that they have felled at least ten Prunus serrulata in order to create their dam (home).

Soldiers

Out at the tree farm this morning, I must admit that I craved the warm car interior. However, who am I to deny the crisp, chilly, winter air and the plummeting temperature signaling the close proximity to the festive season.
I was busy tagging trees for the team to begin digging when I noticed a row of "straight as you please" soldiers standing in perfect unison across the estuary. Well, not really soldiers but a plantation of Betula alba... one of my favorite trees. Their white bark blended with the white clouds filling the sky and were highlighted by the recent topping of snow on the nearby mountains. In all, another day that makes one glad to be alive...

And more trees

And the saga continues..as does the rain.....
The team jumped right in to their stride again today, digging, sculpting, molding, wrapping and tying more trees..... Yesterday fulfilled the order for the Calocedrus decurrens and the Cedrus deodora, today focuses on the Betula jaquemontii and the Platanus acerifolia. Bear in mind that these are not small trees; most material on the farm has a caliper (width of the tree trunk) of between 6"- over 10" which in turn equates to a height of between fifteen to over twenty feet. Not small trees....!

There is a definite art in sculpting the root balls and a particular art of wrapping the root ball. This team has embraced that education and have already have the ability of digging approximately one tree per hour, close to the industry standard. (Yes, sweet Virginia..there is a standard for the amount of trees to be dug per hour).

But, there we have it.... approximately nine trees down (excuse the pun) and thousands more to go....

Before signing off however, we must revisit that work of art in the root ball.......

Thanksgiving

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL.....

We trust that you have a safe, Happy Thanksgiving~

Tree Digging- Part 2

And the question needs to be asked, what could be more fun that to be waist deep in muddy, cold water, hand digging a large Calocedrus decurrens? I know, I can hear the blog readers crying in despair; but you have a tree spade. True, but to see the work of the these (newly taught) masters and the work of the tree spade... there is no comparison.
In reality, different methods for different types of plant material. These beautiful Calocedrus (my mouth waters at the mere thought of their beautiful form) had to be hand dug in order to preserve the root balls, and to eliminate any damage to to the lower branching structure. Oh, and the fact that the tree spade could not get into the particular area came into play as well.....

However, I digress~ the team jumped right in once they had observed the initial procedure, and took the operation on as though they had been doing it for years. Makes my heart go all a-pitter-patter when I watch these guys (and gal) work their magic with their shovels.....

Poly-houses

We have two large poly houses on site... one smaller than the other but still very usable. It is now time to begin to create some shelter for material that may not fare too well in the upcoming cold winter blasts. The team spent the day placing the poly over the houses; no mean feat as it has to be tight and then clipped into the guide rails at the side. The clips are spring loaded which makes the task even more time consuming~ pull with one hand, hold down with the other, quickly clip a fastener into place and then move on to the next one.
I have to commend my team on a job well done here!

Thoughts of Fall Color

As we get into more rain and more wintery weather, I cannot help but recall the magnificent display from the front office window. The Acer palmatum really went through its paces and stunned all who came to visit. The radinat colr far outshone anything else in the garden, and the memory will help us through the upcoming dreary days of winter.

Fragaria

Fragaria chiloensis.... No, not a swear word in some foreign language, but the Latin name for a very cool, very adaptable PNW plant. The Coastal Strawberry occurs fairly close to the shoreline throughout the PNW and is ideal for stabilizing dunes and other areas that are susceptible to erosion. The added consolation are the small fruits that can be made into preserves or just eaten raw.

It appears that more and more requests are coming in for this plant, as well as most other PNW native material, as more homeowners demand and landscapers prefer the use of native plants. And, why not? Easy to grow (for the most part), native, ecologically friendly (given that they will not escape and begin to threaten other species), and they look great to boot!

One of the reasons why the native plant trade has been able to hold its head above water while the recession continues.....

Hard 'en Steel

Hardened steel on the mount for the tree spade? I wonder if it was? Or maybe the hard terrain was too much for the spade...Either way, job security for the mechanics...
(Excuse the quality of the pic....)

Trial (and Error)

The tree spade seemed to work somewhat as expected. Only one problem...the soil is too hard under the top layers, we ended up breaking the rear mount for the spade. So..back to the drawing board~

New Machine

Today marks the arrival of a new machine at the nursery-a tree spade. This machine is supposed to make short work of digging a tree. The principle is that four blades are lowered into the soil, around the root ball. Once the blades are fully extended, the hydraulics work to bring the tree, rootball and all, out of the hole and it can then be transplanted into another location.

Our mechanics did an excellent job of "jerry-rigging" the equipment on to a sky-trak..now we will see how well it performs...

Continuation of Chicken House

It occurred to me this morning that there had been no follow up on the building of the chicken house. The work has been completed; the house is awaiting its occupants, and is now fully equipped with power, fences, and a run awaiting seed planting. I can only imagine how frustrated the large coyotes must be..having no access to the yard, which will soon be stocked with poultry.

Fall color

The color throughout the farm/nursery makes working somewhat difficult, as evident by the lack of postings lately. It is a case of walk here, click, click...dig there, click, click.... supervise here, click, click...and phone call there, click, click. But, how could anyone just not love this time of year, despite the constant overwhelm of colors surrounding one? This, and the abundance of wildlife makes one feel so fortunate to be working outside.... despite the cool crispness in the air.

Seeds

Seed collecting time.... We have a nice Acer circinatum on the property that is covered in seed. So, it is time for young Juana to put her climbing boots on and go gather...
These will be propagated at the Snohomish site, and grown on for 1 and 5 gallon container sizes... and then sold to landscapers or used for our own projects.

Orders

A day spent organizing orders from clients and also for working on creating a catalog for the nursery. Although the nursery already has a large amount of material available at the existing location, cataloging, pricing and inventorying it takes time. In the meantime, weeds continue to grow.....

Spread sheets

Not much to write about today... a day focusing on the creation of a spreadsheet to catalogue the material produced by our three operations....

Cross-eyed (feeling like Clarence the Lion) after a day of peering at a computer screen...while the sun shines brilliantly outside...

Chicken Coop

Saturday.... a day when most people enjoy the leisure of the weekend. Not for me.. too much to be done! I travelled to the nursery, arriving at approximately 7:00 a.m.,in time to witness an amazing sunrise. A beautiful pale yellow orb piercing the white fog, and highlighting the soft blue mountains in the distance, signalled the beginning of a productive, fulfilling day.

Our workers- Juana, Pablo and Victoria arrived shortly thereafter, in a pickup loaded with pipe and had tools. The work on erecting the chain link fence around the previously built chicken coop will begin.....

The coop will house heritage chickens, as a part of the organic farm/ education process for visitors to the operation. Although the work was not difficult, the erection of a 8 foot wire mesh fence, which required the burying of said fence about 12 inches into the soil to discourage raccoons and coyotes (hopefully) required some Herculean effort.

Work progressed smoothly however, and when I left (I felt I was more of a hindrance than a help) to focus on more productive efforts (for me) involving spreadsheet fabrication, the worker bees saw me off with arousing cheer. Ah well, I like to think that the cheer was due to my effort of assistance, not that they were glad to see me depart....

Signing on.......

Although this new project has been consuming my time here for the last month, the need to begin the documentation process has become more pressing. As more work takes place- both on the ground and behind the scenes- it becomes apparent that the documentation is necessary before it is lost altogether.

Basically, the position that has me all excited is a "once in a life-time" opportunity; the creation (from the basic infrastructure) to (one day), the completion of a 20 acre native plant nursery, and an accompanying large organic farm.

Leaving my position in the Bay Area to move further north (to the Pacific Northwest) was a "no-brainer" to me, as much as I did (emphasis on "did") enjoy life down there. Living in the Pacific Northwest for three years however, has filled me with a love for the the state, and when this opportunity arose, it was as though a summons was being issued..."go North young man.."

I digress however.... this opportunity consists of creating a nursery (yes, even during these tough economic times) from an old "abandoned" tree nursery. One may think that the basic infastructure could be utilized, but an entirely different method of nursery growing systems will take place.

And from there..... welcome to the blog....