NEW GLASGOW, N.S.
They call it Pictou County’s Best Christmas Trees.
Whether that’s true or not, the arrival of December does mean that a small piece of the parking lot at the Aberdeen Business Centre is now humming with traffic, as people look for that perfect tree.
“I’ve been selling in New Glasgow for 33 years in two or three different spots, but this one in particular for 25 years,” says owner Kevin Thompson, as he praised the prime location (high traffic area with plenty of room).
“Most of these come from Boylston in Guysborough County, some are from Gairloch area. Balsam Fir is the bulk of it,” says Thompson.
“About 90 per cent are Balsam and the rest are pine.”
The Balsam fir is a tough tree that retains its needles, allowing people to keep their tree up longer than usual.
“They’re a native species to Nova Scotia so they do well in our province. You can cut them early and hang on to them late.”
Thompson and his crew started selling them on Dec. 1 – trees ranging in height from two feet to 16 feet.
“We keep taking them in as we need them – three or four hundred at a time.”
“I’m hoping for around a couple thousand. If there’s a lot of snow we’ll sell more – people can’t get to the U-Picks – or they don’t want to – and if the snow freezes in a tree, you can’t tell if it’s a good one or a bad one.”
“They like the high density, they don’t like to see the wood and they like nice long tops on them, and the freshness, of course.”
Thompson said it’s important for people to keep them away from the heat once they’re up, and to water them twice a day.
