Fir Trees

Fir trees are the true firs, genus Abies, cone-bearing evergreens with soft flat needles and upright cones that sit on top of the branches instead of hanging below them. This page lists the firs Nature Hills Nursery carries, from dwarf buns under 3 feet to upright pyramids of 15 to 20 feet.

How to tell a fir from a spruce

Firs carry flat needles that will not roll between your fingers, with blunt tips that are soft to the touch. When a needle drops it leaves a smooth round scar on the twig. Spruce needles are four-sided, sharp, and leave a small raised peg behind. The cones settle it: fir cones stand upright on the branch and fall apart on the tree, while spruce cones hang down and drop whole.

Zone and summer heat

Firs do best where summers stay moderate and nights cool off. The Korean firs on this page suit zones 5 through 7, and they hold up better in the upper Midwest and the Northeast than in the humid South. Drainage matters as much as cold hardiness, since firs will not sit in wet ground.

Dwarf fir or full-size fir

The dwarf forms grow as flattened buns 2 to 3 feet tall and wide over many years, which puts them in a trough, a rock garden, or the front of a foundation bed. The upright forms reach 15 to 20 feet tall and 6 to 10 feet wide and work as a single tree with room around it. Both are slow, so plan on the size listed rather than a fast fill.

The silver undersides

Korean fir needles carry a bright silver-white band underneath. On the recurved forms, where needles curl back toward the twig, that silver faces up and the whole plant reads two-toned as the light moves. It is a close-range detail, so site one where you walk past it.

Check your zone, then choose between a dwarf bun and an upright tree.