Choosing The Right Living Christmas Tree For Your Home!

It’s that time of year for many to decorate their homes for the holidays! Bringing in a freshly cut Christmas tree and decorating it is one of the favorite traditions and the showiest centerpieces of them all!

Entire rooms become arranged around these Evergreen trees and the presents just look like after-thoughts without Evergreen boughs to place them beneath! And citrusy, resinous Evergreen is one of those fragrances that sum up the entire holiday season!

Top Evergreens That Also Look Amazing As Cut Christmas Trees 

Living Evergreens not only enliven your landscape with year-round greenery and fragrance but your home too for the holidays! Evergreens used as Christmas décor and as cut Christmas trees will vary by what trees are able to be grown in any particular region. 

Pines may be more common in the colder regions, Noble Fir for the Pacific Northwest, Douglas Fir for the Rockies, and Frasier Fir are grown in the Carolinas! However, they are increasingly becoming more common over a wider range. Sometimes even Junipers are used in the southwest.

Let's Look at a Few Options for Cut Trees:

Frasier Fir Tree

One of the very best cut Christmas trees because of their sturdy branches that can support heavy ornaments, a formal, classic pyramidal form with a clean resinous fragrance. The needles are short, only ½-1 inch long and dark green with a stripe on the underside. Fraser Firs are highly sought-after as cut Christmas trees because they hold their small needles tightly even as the season comes to a close. This plant is similar to Balsam and the Canaan but Frasier will remain king!

Balsam and Canaan Fir Trees

Balsam Fir trees and Canaan Firs are quite similar and both have a fantastic scent, so it’s no wonder that they are highly-regarded trees for holiday home décor, and as Christmas trees! Similar to a Fraisier Fir, the 1-1 ½ inch soft needles are held tightly along the branches even as the tree begins to dry. Open branches allow for hanging ornaments nicely into the tree's interior. The gorgeous dark green, fragrant needles are short and soft. The Canaan differs only in that it will have more needles along the stems. 

Douglas Fir

The Douglas Fir tree is a fantastic evergreen with compact upward-pointing branches and a wonderful pyramidal shape. Their soft, 1-1 ½ inch dark green or blue-green needles and fast growth make these native evergreens great Christmas trees! These needles hold well as the season progresses and the fragrance is magical. Natural forms make excellent choices to hang ornaments and lights easily. 

Concolor Fir Tree

Concolor Fir, also known as the Silver Fir or White Fir, is a fantastic cut Christmas tree with thick, almost fleshy-feeling needles that are 1-1 ½ inches and are densely arranged around the stems for an especially beautiful look. Long lasting when cut, the fragrance of this Evergreen is almost citrus or grapefruit-like and is sure to be one of the most elegant selections with a perfect pyramidal shape.

The Noble Fir Tree

Noble indeed! The Noble Fir is found along the West Coast in the more northern areas. The thick upward-turned needles are fantastic, completely surrounding the stems, are blue-green in color, and are just over an inch long. The stems are sturdy and hold the weight of lights and heavy ornaments well. This Fir is very long-lasting and one of our top picks if you are lucky enough to find them.

White Pine Trees

White Pine is more commonly found in the Northern and Eastern regions of the US, giving them other common names like Eastern White Pine. Rarely would you ever see a needle fall from this Pine! Held in graceful, fine-textured bunches, the soft needles are 3-5 inches long and feathery! They are arranged along the outer branches leaving the inside open and waiting for your magic. Sometimes grown sheared so they are denser, but are now more commonly grown more natural and open. Soft, fragrant, and long-lasting, you won’t go wrong with a White Pine!

Scotch Pines

Scotch Pine (or Scots Pine) has 2-3 inch long pointed needles arranged in a whirl around the branch tips. Many times, grown sheared and dense, the needles do remain on the branches as they dry, but will get prickly as they do. Scotch used to be a very common selection for Christmas trees and still sells well. They can be fatter trees but that will depend upon how the grower prunes them.

Austrian/Red Pine Tree

Austrian or Red Pines may sometimes be available in local markets but are not typically used for the commercial production of Christmas trees. Their very long needles will hold well on the plants but may make decorating them more difficult. Best used in their naturally grown form for a more informal look. This was one used for flocking in years past. 

Spruce Tree Varieties

Spruce Trees, including but not limited to Colorado, Black Hills, White, Black, or Norway Spruce, may all be available in your area if they are grown there. Spruces typically have short needles that are sharp. They can be easy to decorate, and have a nice, natural, pyramidal form - sometimes may be quite fat. Spruce may not hold their needles as long as some other cut trees and are best for those who do not leave their trees up for long periods.

Leyland Cypress Trees

Leyland Cypress makes for a fat and fluffy Christmas tree that are very commonly used in the South and East. Leyland Cypress trees maintain a lovely bluish-green color, with a uniform upright shape. The foliage grows in a flat plane and looks scale-like and similar to Arborvitae. All the limbs grow outward in a pyramidal fan and lend a beautiful fine texture!

Arizona Cypress

Arizona Cypress is an unusual Evergreen with gray-green needles. The Arizona Cypress is fast-growing conifer that are soft to the touch and have a natural pyramidal shape and compact growth. Perfect for the southern US states that remain mostly frost-free! So look for them offered in your region for a less traditional choice.

Eastern Red Cedar

Eastern Red Cedar (Redcedar), or most will know better as a Juniper. This native Juniper is more common in the drier southwestern regions of the US. Scale-like foliage may be somewhat prickly on the older growth and may sport some gray-green berries. The color may be slightly bronzy on the outer growth. They will have great fragrance and should hold up well as a cut tree.

Tips for Keeping Your Fresh-Cut Christmas Tree Fresh Longer!

• Make a fresh cut on the bottom of the trunk and immediately put that trunk in water. 
• Consider spraying the foliage with anti-desiccant in the garage before bringing indoors
• When you bring your tree in, the first thing to do is fill the water basin. 
• DO NOT LET THAT WATER RESERVOIR EVER GO DRY! 
• A constant flow of water up into the tree is best.
• Clean fresh water should be added every single day or as the tree uses up that water. 
• Spritz the trunk with a spray bottle of water, if you can daily. 
• Keep away from heat sources and drafts if possible. 

Year-Round Christmas Tree Enjoyment!

Want to enjoy the fragrance, majesty, and year-round beauty that only an Evergreen tree can provide all year long? Head over to NatureHills.com and check out all the quality Conifers and Evergreens available for your to make your outdoor Christmastime landscape look as great as your indoor holiday décor! What a way to beautify your home around Christmas and your landscaping the rest of the year with live Evergreen trees from NatureHills.com!

Happy Holidays and Happy Planting!