Types Of Christmas Trees

You need to know the many types of Christmas trees before you go shopping for your prized evergreen. As they say, knowledge is power! And there's a lot of knowledge out there.

Depending on your location, they types of Christmas trees available will vary. Yet with all the new technologies available today, many types can be grown in a bunch of locations.

Below is a list of 10 top Christmas trees. You can usually get one of the top four or five at most any location. Others may be a bit harder to come by. And they are GENERALLY ordered from most popular to least, though each year is different.

Snowy Colorado Blue Spruce

Ten Top Christmas Trees

Fraser Fir- this is probably the current "Cadillac" of trees. Native to the southern Appalachians (particularly western North Carolina), it looks very similar to a Balsam Fir, the most generic-looking Christmas tree. It has great needle retention and a wonderful citrus-like scent that will fill your house with Christmas.

Noble Fir- this tree is wildly popular in the western U.S. and is grown a lot in Oregon, which produces the most Christmas trees of any state. The tiers of branches are well "layered" and branches are quite sturdy, allowing for heavy ornaments.

Douglas Fir- this fir tree was the main tree grown out west for decades, though it's really not a fir tree! If you check the history, people in the past had trouble coming up with a name, so they finally settled on the guy who first discovered it. The tree is quite bushy and the branches a bit on the weak side, so don't hang any brass ornaments!

Balsam Fir- perhaps the most well known of the types of Christmas trees. If you want a Norman Rockwell style tree this one is for you. It has the "look" and "smell" and "feel". It's native to most of the Northeastern states, has a dark green color and holds its needles
well.

Colorado Blue Spruce- native to the western Rockies, this tree has a beautiful blue (of course) or blue-green color. It doesn't hold its needles quite as well, so don't get one in early November and expect it to last 'til January. Branches are sturdy enough for heavier
ornaments.

Scotch (or Scots) Pine- this tree is grown EVERYWHERE but it's not quite as popular as it used to be. It keeps its needles forever, even when dry, and its sturdy branches will hold just about anything you hang on it. Be careful decorating it though. I remember having one as
a kid and decorating it was like decorating a porcupine!

Eastern White Pine- this fluffy, dense-looking tree grows a lot in the northeast (it's the state tree of Maine and Michigan) and has a soft feel to it. Weaker branches and tree fullness make it one to avoid hanging heavy ornaments on. It has little scent, which is GREAT for those prone to allergies.

Concolor (White) Fir- this tree, more native to higher elevations out west, has needles so long (up to 3 inches or so) that some people mistake it for a pine tree. It has great needle retention and a great "Christmasy" smell.

Eastern Red Cedar- this tree is technically a juniper tree and appears all over the eastern half of the country; southerners have used this tree to decorate their homes for years. I remember cousins of mine in Virginia who used to go cut one of these down every Christmas. Needles are medium green, very soft and tiny so be careful with big ornaments. The cedar smell is heavenly."

Leyland Cypress- this is another of the popular types of Christmas trees in the southeast. One reason: the tree produces no pollen, i.e. there's hope for allergy sufferers! It's soft and not sticky! Actually it looks a bit like a cedar tree with soft, beautiful foliage.

So there you have it. Ten of the best types of Christmas trees you can buy. To be really honest, you can't go wrong with any one of them. The key is to have something live in your house that will create that special memory that will last for years to come.

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