聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 For just over a year, Fairlight resident Mary Anne Donald has been helping her customers mark life's milestones via her home-based business, 'Treelings West.' Donald utilizes both her psychology degree and her love of all things green while running the business with her husband and partner in the venture, Allen 鈥淎jay鈥� Donald.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚t all started with a trip I made to Nova Scotia to visit my friend, Gail Martin,鈥� says Donald. 鈥淪he lives in Moser River and we've been friends since we went to university together in Regina. In 2014, I went out to visit her and I ended up helping her out with her business-'Treelings', which she formed in 2004.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淏asically, the bulk of her business is supplying tree saplings to customers to use as gifts for things like wedding favours and guest gifts at other big celebrations.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 loved it and once those few weeks were over, I got immersed in the tree business.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Donald's 'Treelings West' offers the same natural gifts that it's Nova Scotia branch offers, with tree seedlings or 鈥渢reelings鈥� forming the bulk of the business.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淲e offer a selection of green gifts,鈥� says Donald. 鈥淣ot only our treelings, but also seed bombs and seed-embedded stationery, such as our gift tags.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淪eed bombs are just wildflower seeds packed in an earth-friendly medium,鈥� explains Donald. 鈥淧eople toss them in the air and the idea is that when the seeds disperse, there will be a wildflower meadow effect when they grow.'
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淏ut really, our trees are the backbone of our business. We get the tree seedlings from a supplier in northern Saskatchewan. They're grown in big flats and they come to me bundled in batches of 15 and wrapped in plastic. They're packed in a box and shipped to me by bus.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 They're frozen when I get them, but of course, when I get a shipment during spring, they're pretty thawed out. I usually buy about three flats, about 1,000 trees at a time.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淯sually, I only use spruce, but sometimes I might get some pine and fir,鈥� says Donald. 鈥淪pruce is versatile and interior spruce-which we use a lot-is very versatile. A lot of people request blue spruce and interior spruce has that blue tinge. One of the most important things about supplying trees to different environments is trying to match the soil to the environment where the trees are going to. I'm always researching what will work in different provinces.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淲ith her base in Nova Scotia, some orders are best fulfilled by Gail in Nova Scotia and we've found that I'm more of a central point to ship to people in Manitoba, Alberta, B.C., and of course, Saskatchewan.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Once she receives a shipment of tree seedlings, Donald cares for them by watering them daily and if necessary, trimming them and generally ensuring that their environment is conducive to their survival.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚t's quite a pleasurable thing,鈥� she says. 鈥淎nd that's one of the great parts of my job.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Another part of the job that Donald finds 鈥渞eally rewarding鈥� is the human aspect.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 will probably never meet most of my customers in person,鈥� she says. 鈥淏ut I'm invited to help them mark the significant milestones in their lives. It's a tremendous privilege and responsibility.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚've supplied treelings for almost any kind of celebration you can imagine,鈥� says Donald. 鈥淲eddings, birthdays, anniversaries, a bar mitzvah, funerals and a celebration of life that I'll always remember.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淲e did one where the father loved a certain shade of blue. The family was out of province, so we went back and forth a bit online and I was able to figure out the right shade of royal blue they wanted tied around the treelings which they were going to plant in his memory.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淓veryone who attended the service received one and the tags were quite elaborate and beautiful and included a colour photo of him,鈥� she adds. 鈥淭here was also a verse which read: 鈥淭rees don't need people. People need trees. Please plant in my memory.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 was so happy and honoured to be able to do this for them during a sad time. Everything from the tag to the tree to the colour of the ribbon is important,鈥� says Donald. 鈥淧eople have given me the privilege of participating in big life events. I'm participating in a small way, but it's still significant.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 really feel fortunate. I get a lot of joy preaparing for these life events-whether they're sweet or bittersweet. Whether it's preparing for a joyous event like a wedding or a christening-or even a bar mitzvah in Calgary, which I've done recently-or a funeral service, I almost feel like I'm invited.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚'll probably never meet most of my customers,鈥� she says. 鈥淏ut I try to care for them in what I do. Sometimes they know exactly what they want, but sometimes, I'll help them come up with the right words or we'll work together to personalize the tags and figure out colour schemes.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 had a bride who loved the idea of a tag illustration I came up with. The tree tag had an illustration of a tree with a heart carved into it with the couple's initials, and it was so rewarding for me that she was so happy.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 really pride myself on that personal, human touch. It might just be a small part of an event or a life milestone that someone is marking, but I want my customers to be reassured that the part I play is just the way I want it.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 For more information, check out or call (306)-434-9144.
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