Christmas Tree Varieties
All kinds to choose from
For many years, trees were associated with pagan rituals. The Romans decorated evergreen bushes and trees during the ancient festival of Saturnalia. Celtic Druids honored their gods by tying tributes to tree branches during the rites of winter solstice. Today, we use trees as the focal point of our holiday decorating. While any old Christmas tree will do for some, others prefer a particolar species or variety of tree. Here are the most popolar Christmas tree varieties and the key features of each.
In the chart below the following items are rated by the following methods:
-
Needle retention, fragrance and needle softness are rated as fair, good or excellent.
-
Needle retention refers to the tree's ability to keep its needles.
-
Fragrance refers to how pleasing its fragrance.
- Needle softness. How soft or resilient the needles are.
|
Variety |
Key Features |
Needle Retention |
Fragrance |
Needle Softness |
|
Balsam Fir |
Dark green color; attractive appearance; ¾” to 1 ½”, flat needles |
Fair |
Excellent |
Excellent |
|
Douglas Fir |
Dark, blue-green color; drooping, spreading branches; 1” - 1 ½" needles that radiate in all directions |
Good |
Excellent |
Excellent |
|
Scotch Pine |
Bright, green color; open appearance; stiff branches; 1” - 3” needles; most common Christmas tree |
Excellent |
Fair |
Fair |
|
White Pine |
Blue-green color; foll appearance; 2” - 5” needles bundled in sets of 5 |
Good |
Fair |
Excellent |
|
White Spruce |
Blue-green color; foll appearance; 2” - 5” needles bundled in sets of 5 |
Good |
Fair |
Excellent |
|
Norway Spruce |
Dark, shiny green color; good conical appearance; ½” - 1” needles |
Fair |
Excellent |
Good |
|
Norway Spruce |
Dark green to powdery-blue color; long, symmetrical appearance; stiff branches; ¾” - 1 ½” stiff needles |
Excellent |
Good |
Good |