Lewis Bowser Sr. has spent five weeks in the hospital in recent months battling cancer and heart problems.

But he wasn't about to let that keep him from his loyal customers, who rely on Bowser each year to make their Christmas special.

The 79-year-old co-owns Bowser's Christmas Tree Farm with his wife, Jackie.

Their tidy Lititz tree farm with 6,000 spruce and firs is in the throes of the selling season. And there's no place Bowser would rather be this time of year.

"Just the excitement — the way everybody gets enthused once a year — it's great," he said.

"I used to say I wish Christmas would come around only once every five years. Now that I'm in the tree business, I'd like it to come every six months."

Bowser is in his 20th season selling trees, something he got into "as a hobby" back in 1985.

At the time, he was retired after working 31 years in the auto body business. His son, Lew Jr., continues to run the company he started, Bowser's Body Shop.

The senior Bowser had helped his parents raise chickens on their property when he was younger and thought "it would be neat" to grow Christmas trees.

But Bowser quickly learned "there's an awful lot to this tree business."

"I bought the first batch of trees from a big grower and got a real shocker right off the bat when half of them died," he recalled.

Bowser's farm sells blue spruce and Douglas firs that are grown from seedlings purchased from a nursery. He said conditions must be just right — not too cold, hot, wet or humid — or they won't take root.

Once they begin growing, the trees must be sprayed to ward off disease, and the fields must be kept mowed so weeds and other invasive species — and critters — don't harm them.

The trees' pretty triangular shape isn't just the work of Mother Nature, either. Once new growth comes in, each tree must be sheared by hand.

Starting at the "leader," the straight top section where most folks place a star, Bowser cuts each set of branches with an 18-inch knife and continues downward, shaping the tree as he goes.

Usually, one shearing per season does the trick. But if a nesting bird breaks off the leader, the process must be repeated.

As the trees grow, needles on the inner branches turn brown and drop off. Usually, wind and rain clear away the old growth, keeping the trees looking nice and green.

But if Mother Nature doesn't cooperate — as was the case this year — someone must go from tree to tree, blasting out the needles with a gasoline-powered blower.

"A lot of people think you just stick (seedlings) in the ground and come back and harvest them," Bowser said. "But it's a lot of work."

And a lot of waiting. It takes a seedling seven or eight years to reach the ideal height of 7 feet.

"That's a long time between drinks — let's put it that way," Bowser joked.

The work doesn't end after a tree's been cut down. Its roots must be cleared away and a new hole dug so a new seedling can be planted nearby.

It can be a laborious process, so Bowser designed a gasoline-powered machine to do the job. He patented his Auger Transporter and started a side business to build and sell the three-wheeled machine, which can weave through tight rows of trees, drilling holes and clearing away roots in one quick motion.

"We've sold hundreds of them," he said.

Around Labor Day, Bowser and family members begin major preparations for the tree-selling season.

In addition to his wife, Bowser's three sons — Lew Jr., David and Mark — help out, along with their wives and a grandchild.

The family members help primp the trees and set up the balers, shakers (to knock off dead needles) and drills used to bore holes in tree trunks so they can slide securely onto stands — which Bowser also sells.

Customers also can buy handmade wreaths and window boughs, and two varieties of Christmas trees — white pines and Fraser firs — that are trucked in from a tree farm in Bloomsburg.

But most folks come to the farm for the experience of walking through the fields and picking out their own tree. Bowser expects to sell about 600 "choose-and-cut" trees this year, at a price of $6 to $7 per foot.

Business has grown over the years, he said, in spite of the increasing popularity, and more convincing look, of artificial trees.

Bowser's has a strong base of repeat customers, hundreds of whom visit the farm before Thanksgiving to tag a tree. The tree farm also has added new customers as a result of recent residential expansion in the Lititz area, Bowser said.

"It's about all we can handle," he said of the business.

One of the best things about running a tree farm, Bowser said, is rekindling friendships with old customers each year before the holidays. Despite the heavy workload and his recent health problems, he hopes to keep the business going for years to come.

"It's a fun thing to do," Bowser said. "As long as my health stays good and the kids stay interested, I'll keep doing it."

bwallace@lnpnews.com