If you aren’t sure yet what tree to buy then read on for a brief guide to the types of Christmas tree available – as you will see, there are lots of different types that will match whatever you need.
PINE and SPRUCE
NORWAY SPRUCE
(picea abies)
Needles – Light to dark green in colour
The traditional Christmas tree, can be sheared (trimmed) to make an attractive dense bushy tree, this is our best selling tree and, provided it is freshly cut or dug in December (as all our trees are) and supplied with plenty of water whilst in the house, should hold its needles well into the new year.
SERBIAN SPRUCE
(picea omorika)
Needles – green with silver underside with a soft texture
A narrow more sparsely branched tree.
Tends not to be so good at holding its needles.
BLUE SPRUCE
(picea pungens glauca)
Needles – can be an attractive silver blue.
Good needle retention.
Needles can be very sharp so not so good with young children or pets in the house.
SCOTS PINE
(pinus sylvestris)
Needles – large, blue in colour
Can be very dense when sheared, perhaps the best tree for needle retention
A very popular tree
FIRS
Generally speaking the firs are slower growing than the pines and spruce, the reason for their higher price which can be twice that of a similar sized spruce.
NORDMANN FIR
(abies nordmanniana)
Needles – dark green, soft
The most widely sold fir, good needle retention, tends to be rather wide as a small tree and the top shoots away as the tree gets larger.
Best between 1 to 2.5 metre high.
NOBLE FIR
(abies procera)
Needles – soft, curled, dark green
Good needle retention, very slow growing needs a high rainfall to grow successfully. Can be a most active tree, though quality is very inconsistent.
Does not grow well in England.
DOUGLAS FIR
(pseudotsuga menziesh)
Needles – soft, light green strong scent.
Not a true fir, branches are very wispy unless sheared heavily.
Find a good example and the smell will lift your spirits every time you enter the room.
BALSAM FIR (abies balsamaea) /
FRASER FIR (abies fraseri)
Needles – short, dark green
Two very similar trees recently introduced into this country from America.
Too early to say how they will be accepted on the British market.
