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| Douglas Fir |
Scotch Pine |
Norway Spruce |
Noble Fir |
Fraser Fir |
Grand Fir |
Alpine Fir |
 You've
arrived, with your kids and your camera, at your local tree farm in anticipation
of finding, buying, and bringing home the perfect Christmas tree. You
make your way into a field of beautiful evergreens, and all the trees
seem like they'd look great in your family room. Which one should you
choose? Well, that depends on what is most important to you…a tree
that smells good, or a tree that won't drop its needles, or a tree that
has a perfect "Christmas tree" shape. Because each variety has
its own pros and cons, you can figure out beforehand which one best suits
you and make your tree hunting a little easier!
The "classic" Christmas tree is the Douglas Fir. It has soft,
medium-length needles. It has a nice, mellow scent, and good needle retention.
Because it grows quickly, the Douglas Fir is usually reasonably priced,
making it an excellent value and a great choice.
If you want a tree with excellent needle retention there are three good
choices: the Noble Fir, the Alpine Fir, or the Fraser Fir. If you like
to have your tree in your house the entire month of December and beyond,
you would do well to choose one of these varieties. Their strong branches
grow with space between each level of branches and the ones below it,
providing you with wonderful ornament-hanging areas. These fir grow slowly
and require hand pruning, making them more expensive trees to buy. But
if you want a tree that will look just as good in 5 weeks as the day you
bought it, you'll want to go ahead and spend the extra money!
The best smelling tree you can find is the Grand Fir. The Grand Fir is
filled with a citrus-smelling sap, which makes the tree so fragrant. Crush
one of the Grand's needles to release its wonderful aroma, and you'll
have a preview of what your house will smell like when you bring this
tree home. The downside? This tree does not have good needle retention,
so if you want to have your tree up for several weeks, you may have to
pass up the Grand Fir. But if you have your tree up for only a couple
of weeks, and you want your house to smell like "Christmas,"
this is the tree for you!
A Spruce might be the ideal tree for you if you're looking for the perfectly
shaped tree; the Spruce tree grows naturally in a cone shape with strong,
upswept branches. Spruce needles are prickly, which can be a pro and a
con. While you might have to wear leather gloves to decorate your tree,
your cat will definitely leave it alone! The Spruce tree doesn't have
good needle retention, so if you choose this tree, put it up as close
to Christmas as possible.
The Pine tree has many good qualities: strong branches, good needle retention,
and a pleasant aroma. This is another quick growing, reasonably priced
tree. Pine needles are somewhat prickly though.
Remember that when you get your perfect tree home, regardless of the variety
you've chosen, you need to cut at least ½ inch off the trunk immediately
before you put it into water. This is true even if you've just cut the
tree down 30 minutes before, because the sap that's in the tree's trunk
immediately begins to seal the cut, making the tree unable to draw water.
And give your tree plenty of water; a tree can draw up to four quarts
of water a day!
Have fun choosing your tree, and have a very Merry Christmas!
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