ARTICLE PUBLISHED IN Colchester Evening Gazette - Friday Dec 17th 1999

Family with their roots firmly in trees - By Clare Jeffs

When it comes to growing Christmas trees, there is something of a family affair going on in Boxted. The Smith's of Straight Road - all three generations of them are celebrating 38 years in the festive fir business. At this time of year, everyone is involved, from 72 year old Fred, to grandchildren Penny, aged seven and George, who could take-up the reigns in the future. Son, Tim, 38 cuts, digs and pots up trees for collection, whilst his wife, Beverley and mum, Maureen, create hundreds of holly wreaths. The rest of the year is spent nurturing their crop - literally thousands of Scots pine, Norway spruce and Nordic non-drop specimens all at varying stages of development.

Grown from seed they are planted in the fields at four years old and little more than one foot high. Then the waiting begins. It takes around ten years to reach the more popular size of between five and six feet. But when it comes to choice the sky's the limit. With Scandinavian style forest giants, all 25 to 30 feet, on offer. There is one tree, however that money will not buy. Tim Smith has been asked to name his price for a magnificent Norway Spruce in his front garden, but he won't.. It was the first Christmas tree his father Fred planted on moving in 40 years ago.

Christmas seems to start earlier each year with the family's first order coming on September 25th to a firm on Colchester Business Park. Now Smith trees are springing up everywhere - the festive centrepieces in colleges, villages, pubs and high streets across the region. More often than not, though they end up at homes as far away as Cambridge and London. Families dissatisfied with artificial trees and long-cut specimens, want to dig their own trees these days. And Tim Smith is happy to oblige. They arrive, sometimes armed with a video recorder, to pick their own fir. "We have people who have been with us for 25 years" he said, "They come, their children come and then their grandchildren come. And that's lovely."

Trends have shifted slightly since the days when trees sold at nine (old) pence a foot. More people want the non-drop variety to save on housework. But as Mr Smith pointed out there is less chance of needle-fall in any of the species when the trees are freshly dug or cut. Whilst most trees meet their end on the dump or in the shredder, some get planted in customer's gardens. And he is more than happy about that. "There is nothing better if a person can get them to grow. It does not bother me if they don't come back for another tree the next year." But many do come back, year after year.

The Smiths are open for business every day up to Christmas, selling wreaths, trees and mistletoe. They have been able to help someone who turned up at 8pm one December 24th. They have often be been called on to supply Army families delaying Christmas for a loved-one's return from duty abroad. Mr Smith said, "No-one will ever be disappointed, even in the last few hours before Christmas. We always have something."

Family tree - Fred & Maureen with son Tim, his wife, Beverley, and their children George, 5, & Penny, 7
- picture by Steve Brading -