Harmony Hill Evergreens is committed to producing the highest quality of Christmas trees possible. We are aware of the necessary steps involved in bringing a premium tree to market and believe we have accomplished the goals we set for our company in 1990.

Every one of our dedicated employees understands the process of bringing a new transplant to its final culmination; that being the focal point of someone's holiday season. Our employees are considered to be an extension of our family and as such they are expected to perform at their highest level and are rewarded for their efforts.

In order to produce a premium Christmas tree it is necessary to begin with quality transplants. Our trees are nurtured by some of the finest nurseries in our area and have been in the growing process for five years before we transplant them as Christmas tree stock on Harmony Hill Evergreens.

Harmony Hill Evergreens takes special care in the shearing process of our Christmas trees. Our shearing crew is well supervised by experienced members of our team.

We hold all of the leaders to a measured 10" - 12" depending on the height of the tree in order to insure a heavy density. This process is performed with a ruler and hand clipper and does take additional time; however, we feel that this is an important process in the production of a premium tree. In addition to clipping the leader, the team is also instructed to remove all "double leaders" from the tree. This process is performed by some of our younger employees and is a great way for them to learn the various factors that contribute to the degree of density and thus creating the perfect Christmas tree.

After the leaders have been set, our experienced employees complete the shearing process with the utilization of knives to shape each tree to a 70% taper. We strive for this taper in order to provide a tree that is of an appropriate size to be utilized in most homes. Before we begin with this process of training our shearing crew, we ask them all to draw a picture of what they consider a Christmas tree to look like. We have found that all of their illustrations resemble a tree with a 70% taper.

In the spring of 1992, a decision was made by the owners of Harmony Hill Evergreens to install an irrigation system on our newly planted Fraser fir trees. With the results obtained from the irrigation of these trees, additional sections of fir trees were also irrigated.

The irrigation system we utilize is a drip-line irrigation system. This is a system that was pioneered in the Middle East to help irrigate and turn into productive acreage, many of the arid acres that previously were not capable of producing crops. The drip-line irrigation system is a very effective method of irrigating agricultural crops. The 1/2 inch drip-line tape is laid approximately 2 inches below the surface of the soil. The tape possesses emitters every 2 feet along its length. Our system is computer programmed to emit the appropriate amount of moisture needed during the growing season.

At the present time we have 105,000 linear feet of irrigation tape laid. This 1/2 inch drip-line is fed by approximately 3000 linear feet of 3 inch PVC feeder pipe, which runs from our water source to the individual emitters. Our program is designed to place 1 inch of water on each irrigated acre per week.

The tremendous advantage to irrigating these premium fir trees assures that the trees are provided with the optimum amount of moisture through the entire growing season. Lack of rainfall can negatively influence growth as well as needle retention after the tree is harvested. By eliminating this variable it is possible to produce premium trees that perform in the optimum manner when brought into a home as a Christmas tree.

The drip-line irrigation system is a simple system to install and is not only utilized in the growing and nurturing of Christmas trees, but has many other applications in the nursery business that have not been explored.