a tree nursery almanac
When soil warms and buds begin to swell, it is time to plant. We prepare our seedlings—small, fragile, full of potential. The nursery is alive with the gentle work of planting, watering, and watching for the first unfurling leaves. Each sapling represents possibility.
The spring garden teaches patience: we sow not for immediate gratification, but for the forests of tomorrow.
Growth accelerates. Saplings that were mere twigs now have proper branches, real leaves casting shadows. The nursery is verdant. We thin the crowded areas, stake the leaning stems, and celebrate the strength emerging in each young tree. The work is steady and satisfying—guiding growth, not forcing it.
Summer reminds us that care compounds over time.
The trees we have tended are now ready to leave the nursery. We prepare them for transplanting—hardening off, pruning to shape, ensuring strong root systems. Some will go to gardens; others to parks and forests. Our work passes into the world, green living legacy.
To nurture trees is to plant for a future we will not see.
The nursery rests. We review the season's work—what thrived, what we learned, how we can do better. The bare branches reveal the strength of careful pruning. We plan for spring, knowing that the cycle continues. The promise of growth always waits beneath winter's quiet.
In stillness, we prepare for abundance.