It’s not always easy to work with family, but the three sisters who are the Js at Triple J Tree Farm seem to manage.
The Bigham sisters, Julie, Janet and Janice have been running the nursery and landscape service in Mulmur since their father died in 2005, with guidance from their mother Marion.
Says youngest sister Julie, “Some days we get along fine. Some days we don’t talk.”
Julie became the tree spade expert.
Janice spends most of her time operating a tractor or an excavator.
Janet, retired from a career in education, fills in where she’s needed.
Marion and her husband started growing Christmas trees in the late 1980s on their 100-acre farm near Mansfield. Gradually they transitioned to a broader range of nursery stock and began offering landscaping services.
The girls worked weekends and summers at the nursery while they were in school. After graduation, eldest daughter Janet followed in her mother’s footsteps and became a teacher. Janice went into the Horticultural Landscape Technician program at Humber College, and Julie obtained a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture degree from University of Guelph.
Julie says their primary focus at this time of year is on planting and growing trees.
“This year we’ve had lots of rain, which is good for the trees and makes digging easier, but the number of days when we can actually get out and dig is limited,” she said.
Unlike farmers growing crops who plant in spring and sew in fall, Julie says tree farmers must plant and harvest at the same time. New seedlings must go in the ground in spring. At the same time, there is a short window for digging up more mature trees. They must be moved when plants are not actively growing, as soon as trees begin to leaf out or bud. Once they are dug and in baskets, they can safely be planted all summer long.
At this time of year, the days are long. “We haven’t started residential tree planting yet, and we have clients calling every day to ask, “It’s a sunny day. When are you coming?” says Julie. “We have to take care of the farm first. If we don’t grow, we’ll have nothing to sell.”
Triple J clients are a mix of full-time residents and weekenders.
Julie reports the biggest change they’ve noticed since they took over the business is an increased interest in native plants such as sugar maples and native evergreens. People are also looking for greater diversity of tree species. During the pandemic there was a huge demand for fruit trees as people sought to become more self sufficient. Many clients try to grow “borderline” hardy plants – but varieties that do well in their city gardenswon’t always flourish here. For success with those plants, Julie says you need a microclimate with full sun and shelter from the wind. “We don’t grow Japanese Maples here and there are some varieties of hydrangea which don’t do well,” she said.
Janice says everyone is looking for low maintenance gardens. She observes that garden style and plant choices are largely dependent on architecture.
“With a modern house, you see people using fewer plant varieties, more grasses, and a lot of boxwoods, whereas people with farm houses typically choose more English country style gardens,” she said.
She recommends investing in locally grown plants.
“The four- to five-foot emerald cedars that you see at the big box stores for $30 to $40 are container grown on the west coast,” said Janice. “They have been fertilized and had drip irrigation. Field grown plants cost more to produce but they are better acclimatized and more likely to winter well.”
None of the Bigham girls has children, so there is no real succession plan. Julie jokes that she can’t retire for at least 20 years, and for now, they’re just focussed on surviving the spring.