When Wilma decides that her garden needs a new beginning, she gathers string, scissors, shovels, sixty-two dozen balsam seedlings, and Parker, her five-year-old neighbor. Year after year, Wilma and Parker nurture their trees, keeping careful count of how many they plant, how many perish, and how many grow to become Christmas trees. A lyrical, behind-the-scenes look at the intricate lives of trees. Includes an author's note about the history and cultivation of Christmas trees.