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Select the Perfect Christmas Tree! |
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As you begin to search for that perfect holiday tree, careful selection for quality and freshness can keep your holidays safe – and attractive.
A tree purchased from a lot will not be as fresh as one you cut yourself. Commercial trees are cut early in the season and may lose freshness in transportation and storage. Regardless of the tree you choose, be sure it is fresh.
1. Needles should be firmly attached and pliable. The cut end of a fresh tree should be sticky with sap. The needles should be quite fragrant (fir and white pine have the strongest scent). If many needles are dry and fall off, the tree is not very fresh and should not be purchased.
2. Pines retain their needles the longest, with Scotch and red holding their needles longer than white pine. Spruce drop their needles the fastest. See table below for additional information on needle retention and fragrance.
3. Branches should be full and bushy and strong enough to support your ornaments.
Tell us about your good experiences with cutting and using fresh trees.
COMMON CHRISTMAS TREE SELECTIONS
Species Needle Retention Fragrance
Balsam fir very good excellent
Comment: Dark green needles, white stripe underside, full bodied shape, stiff branches
White fir very good very good
Comment: More loosely spaced branches shows off ornaments well
Fraser fir very good excellent
Comment: New favorite Xmas tree, dark green flat needles, strong upturned branches hold ornaments, excellent fragrance
Red pine very good good
Comment: Strong bushy branches, 4-6 inch-long needles, retains needles longest of pines
White pine very good very good
Comment: Soft, blue/green needles, floppy branches do not support weight of heavy ornaments
Scots pine excellent good
Comment: Dark green needles, stiff branches have an open appearance, holds needs longest of pines
Norway spruce good good
Comment: Conical shape, 1-inch needles, short needle retention
White spruce poor poor
Comment: Blue/green, short stiff needles, short-term needle retention in warm room
Colorado spruce poor good
Comment: Dark green to blue needles, needles drop in warm room, stiff branches
Douglas fir very good excellent
Comment: One of best aromas, soft medium/dark green needles, firm branches
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November 27th, 2009 at 3:34 am
We’ve cut down our own for years and it’s always such a fun outing. And, there’s nothing like bringing Mother Nature right smack dab in the middle of our home.
As an adult, I’d viewed getting the tree as the first item of a loooooooooog list of things to do to decorate the tree and merely the beginning of getting ready for Christmas.
In the past, we’d bring the tree home and while Paul was cutting off an inch to give the tree a fresh cut, I’d be in the basement sorting through boxes and pulling out lights and ornaments and looking for his toy train that we put up around the tree’s base.
Our first daughter who was only two back then was sitting on the couch watching me grapple with the boxes and said, “Mom, sit. Tree pretty,” while patting the open seat next to her.
And, oh what a great reminder! She was right. Simply bringing such a gorgeous and fragrant tree into our home is a big deal.
So, thanks to her reminder, we have a new tradition. Before lugging out all the boxes and missing this first important step, we sit together on that same couch and admire our “tree pretty.”
And, thank you, Morton Arboretum, for the Enchanted Railroad. We can’t wait to see it. What an outing that will be. We got some Hansel and Gretel books from the library to bring the experience to life and plan on making and decorating a gingerbread house again this year. – Kelly
November 27th, 2009 at 6:49 am
What about Fraser Fir? How does it compare to Balsam and Douglas fir?
November 27th, 2009 at 9:56 am
OK I may be in the minority here, but how about we appreciate nature where it belongs, outdoors! Why should we continue a tradition that kills a tree, or stresses a live tree with root ball by bringing it inside? I know there are tree farms for this and it’s a profit industry, but I just think there are better things to teach our young daughters.
In my opinion, trips to the Arboretum during the winter is a more appropriate holiday tradition, or decorating a pine tree with lights that is comfortably planted and growing outdoors.
Please recycle your cut tree into woodchips if this is possible in your city/suburb, so it can be used as mulch and doesn’t take up landfill space. The city of Chicago does offer this for free immediately after the holiday.
Perhaps the Arboretum readers could offer contact info for the various tree recycling/wood chipping opportunities?
November 30th, 2009 at 10:41 am
In response to Hope’s question about the Fraser fir, we’ve made some additions to the above list. We added the Fraser fir -it’s one of the best!- and also included some comments from our Plant Clinic experts on each tree.