Joann

“In recent years we've noticed that the artists in our shows have been working with more renewable materials and methods that are environmentally safe,” said JoAnn Symons, president of the Smithsonian Women’s Committee. “So we’ve decided we would reward those efforts by offering the Sustainability Award every year in our show.”

The first two weekends of December are the busiest time for selling trees. However, clients are welcome anytime. One Bartlett is always by the phone. On this day, the weather is mild. The firs and pines are waiting for the first customers of the day. Joann Bartlett takes advantage of the lull to create Christmas garlands, talk on the phone, and patiently wait. Her husband Bill arrives just in time for the first buyers.

Joann Bartlett and her husband Bill grew up in Washington, D.C. As children both dreamed about farming. In 1972, they bought some land in Culpepper, Virginia — just a two-hour drive from the nation's capital.

It is an average-sized tree farm compared to their competitors in the area. Joann says the competition is rather friendly, but the income is not great, especially because sales have dropped this year.