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10 Types of Live Christmas Trees – And Which One Is Best for Your Family

Resources: Community

Tis’ the season of picking out Christmas Trees. Typically the center of holiday decorations, picking out the perfect Christmas tree can be stressful and confusing. So before you step onto a Christmas lot its best to do a little research to find out which Christmas tree is best suited for you and your family’s needs. Read on to get the scoop on 10 different types of live Christmas trees including firs, pines, spruces, and cypress’.

Fir Christmas Trees:

1. Balsam Fir.

This fir comes with a classic, strong Christmas tree scent. Its dark green needles form an overall perfectly symmetrical pyramid shape. With a Balsam Fir, you won’t have to worry about needles dropping throughout the season. However; its flexible branches will droop under the weight of heavy ornaments.

 Balsam Fir

Balsam Fir

2. Douglas Fir.

Easily found anywhere Christmas trees are sold, this tree sports beautiful light green needles. These needles are soft to the touch and rarely drop off the tree when properly hydrated. Along with its short and compact appearance, Douglas Firs give off a sweet smell. Unfortunately, it does not hold heavy ornaments well so if you choose this tree opt for lightweight decorations.

 Douglas Fir

Douglas Fir

3. Fraser Fir.

This dark green tree has sturdy branches that easily support heavy ornaments. It provides a wonderful scent and will hold its needles throughout the holiday season. It has a dense, compact appearance which can be a con for some people.

Fraser Fir

Fraser Fir


Pine Christmas Trees:

4. White Pine.

This bluish-green pyramid shaped pine has good needle retention but will show signs of wilt if not watered on a regular basis. Because of the tree’s soft, flexible needles it does not support heavy ornaments well. Although this tree has the familiar pine smell, the scent will be faint compared to other pines.

White Pine

White Pine

5. Scotch Pine.

As one of the most popular Christmas trees, this tree’s pine scent will last all season long. Its needle retention is exceptional making it a great choice for people that don’t want to vacuum up needles all season long. Scotch Pines tend to be a bright green and have an appealing pyramid shape. Its stiff branches make it a great candidate for a lot of lights and heavy ornaments.Scotch Pine

Scotch Pine

 

6. Virginia Pine.

Popular in the south, this dark green tree is extremely dense and full. Its strong limbs make hanging heavy ornaments an easy task; however, avoid hanging ornaments near the tips of needles. Virginia Pines have a pleasant pine fragrance and excellent needle retention.Virginia Pine

 

Virginia Pine


Spruce Christmas Trees:

7. Colorado Blue Spruce.

Bluish-gray in color this tree gives off very little odor unless needles are crushed. Be careful not to crush needles otherwise your tree will give off an unpleasant smell. This blue spruce has good symmetry, attractive blue foliage, and good needle retention. Stiff branches make them a good option for heavy ornaments. This tree’s needles are sharp which makes this tree difficult to handle and possibly dangerous if you have small children.

Colorado Blue Spruce

Colorado Blue Spruce

8. Norway Spruce.

Said to be one of the first American Christmas trees, this cone-shaped tree sports gorgeous forest-green needles. Its strong branches make it a perfect choice for heavy ornaments; however, needle retention is poor. Norway Spruces give off a pleasant but mild scent. Norway SpruceWhite Spruce

9. White Spruce.

Excellent for ornaments, the white spruce sports short, stiff needles. The bluish-green color and natural shape make for an impressive display. There won’t be much scent with this type of Christmas tree; however, be careful when handling the tree because when crushed the needles give off an unpleasant odor. As for needle retention, the white spruce holds its needles much better than other types of spruces.white spruce

White Spruce


Cypress Christmas Trees:

10. Leyland Cypress.

A popular choice in the Southeast, Leyland cypress’ feature soft dark green-gray branches. It sports a full pyramid shape but its branches are not suitable for the heaviest ornaments. Leyland Cypress’ have excellent needle retention; however, they require large quantities of water. Expect to water your Cypress multiple times a day. This tree also has very little aroma and does not produce sap, making it a great choice for people sensitive to smells or allergic to sap.

Leyland Cypress

Leyland Cypress

 

Have a favorite type of Christmas tree that’s not mentioned here? Share it with us in the comments!

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Very professional review of our requirements and an accurate estimate. Showed up on time and were finished quickly. Cleaned up all of the debris and sawdust. Great job all around.
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We have been using RTEC for years and were very pleased with the recent tree maintenance work they did for us. As always, we got good advice from their arborist Ben,. The crew that did the work is highly skilled, and they did a great job trimming our trees. They worked safely and efficiently, in addition to leaving the yard clean after they finished the work.
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RTEC was at my house today to removed a large Magnolia that was badly damaged by the recent snow. They did a fantastic job at a very reasonable price. They arrived right on time, worked efficiently and quickly and cleaned up so well it was hard to tell anything have been disturbed. Over the past several years, I have used RTEC for all the services I checked above, and have always been very pleased with their service and professionalism. I also appreciate that they are not eager to take down trees that don't need to come down. In this case, the damage was too extensive for the tree to recover.
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Once again, RTEC has done a great job. The team showed up right on time and performed all the work that we agreed to. They kept us informed as to progress, coordinated with us concerning our maple, and made recommendations concerning ongoing support for our trees. At the end of the day, they thoroughly cleaned up the debris and left our yard in pristine condition. WELL DONE.
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We’ve used RTEC for many years for tree maintenance and can’t say enough good things about their service. We use them for tree trimming and for regular treatments to maintain our trees’ health and deal with pests and prevent disease. Their arborist Ben has been especially helpful with advice. RTEC also been especially helpful in emergency situations, once coming to cable a massive, heritage oak in our yard right before a hurricane was about to hit. Highly recommend.
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December 10, 2021.
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RTEC did an excellent job onsite of removing dead branches from our 80+ year old trees, and trimming other growth too close to our home.
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