Looks great. Little full, lotta sap.

Hello again!

Traditions have always been a big part of the garden center. We enjoy the seasonal happenings that start with our Storewide Sale event in early January all the way to our Christmas season at the store. There is always something going on at the stores. I commented recently to one of our college-aged employees how fun I thought it was working at the garden center because there was always something different going on. Max agreed as they were working on a project in the greenhouse.

One of the traditions that I’ve always been fond of is our cut Christmas tree season. I remember my Dad and his good friend Bill Armfield splitting a shipment of cut scotch pine trees from Wisconsin. We’ve also rented box trucks in the past to go pick up a rail car of trees. Taking road trips to New Mexico to pick up Concolor trees was always a fun adventure in November. Another time, I remember hitting a deer at sunset just north of Liberal, Kansas while pulling a trailer of trees. That's a memory that I don't wish on anybody! We’ve also unloaded trees on the coldest of days in short sleeves. No two years are the same, that's for sure.

We’ve moved from the cut scotch and white pine trees of the 60’s and 70’s to the fir species of today. Fir trees not only hold their needles longer, but the tips of their needles are blunt or rounded, not sharp points like the pines. We offer fraser, concolor, noble, nordmann, and silvertip fir trees. Our most popular fir is the fraser from North Carolina. Farmed on sites not suitable for other agriculture crops, this variety not only provides employment to family businesses, but provides an environmental benefit as well.

When it comes to cut trees, it’s best to make a fresh cut as soon as possible on the bottom of the tree and keep it in a solution of water and tree preservative to retain the tree’s needles. We’ll make a fresh cut when you pick up your tree. We also protect our trees with Wilt Stop to keep them from drying out quickly. If you bring in your tree stand, we’ll install it for you as well. Don't necessarily want to be Chevy Chase in Christmas Vacation, hauling your tree on the roof of your car? We offer tree delivery, and will even come after Christmas to pick it up for recycling.

If you've never had the experience of a fresh cut Christmas tree, start a new tradition with a Christmas tree this year from Johnson’s. Our trees are displayed upright, so it's a breeze to pick the perfect one. Enjoy a cup of hot cider and some popcorn while you're here. I always do!

Your friend in the garden,

Marty Johnson
Owner - Johnson's Garden Center