Different Types of Real Christmas Tree

Traditionally many different species of evergreen trees were used as Christmas trees. A Fir (Abies) was probably used as the first Christmas Tree in 16th Century North Germany. Today there are about 25-30 million real Christmas trees sold every year globally. The best variety of tree for you depends on your situation and preferences. If you're priority is having a tree that doesn't drop its needles with soft, rounded needles that are child and pet-friendly, a 'low needle drop' Nordmann Fir Christmas tree is a great choice. Alternatively if you want to be surrounded by the rich pine scent of a traditional Christmas tree and don't mind installing your tree from mid December onwards to reduce the number of needles that will drop before Christmas, a Norway Spruce Christmas tree could be for you. But there are many other varieties to choose from too…

Freshly Cut Christmas Trees

Pot Grown Christmas Trees

Christmas Tree Comparison Table

Choosing the Best Type of Christmas Tree for You

We think the best types of Christmas tree to choose between are:

Nordman Fir Christmas Trees

Nordman Fir Christmas trees are the best for needle retention with thick, soft, glossy needles which are soft and rounded, suitable for households with pets and children. The Nordman Fir will hold onto its needles for up to 5 weeks with the right care, so if you put it up in the home in late November, your tree will still be looking good at the end of December. It is the most popular Christmas tree in the UK, chosen by about 75% of households, with a symmetrical, bushy growth habit, strong branches and wide base for presents.

• Shape – conical shape with a natural, bushy growth habit right to the top. We trim our Nordman Firs twice a year to produce premium quality, symmetrical trees. It is wide at the base, leaving plenty of space for presents. As the branches naturally curl up towards the end, it has a slightly less ‘triangular’ base than the Norway Spruce and therefore an outline with slightly softer lines.

• Needle Retention - renowned for holding onto its needles the best of all the different types of Christmas tree, meaning you won't need to worry about putting the vacuum clearer into regular use during the festive period! For this reason the Nordmann is a good choice, particularly if you plan to bring it into the home in early December and/or need to position it a bit closer to a radiator than would be ideal.
• Needle Colour - thick, soft glossy needles that are dark green on the top and blue-green on the underside.

• Fragrance – very muted fragrance, much more subtle than Norway Spruce trees. If you prefer a tree with a richer fragrance that still has outstanding needle retention, our Fraser Fir Christmas tree could be for you…
• Native To - The Nordman Fir is native to the Caucasus mountains in Georgia and southern Russia, known for their dry summers and harsh winters, producing a sturdy, tough tree.

• Supplied As… - we supply Nordman Fir as both fresh cut or pot grown Christmas trees. As well as our ‘usual’ AAA-quality Nordman, we offer a “slim shape” version which is narrower, perfect for smaller rooms or corridors. Our slim shape Nordman trees are trimmed harder from year 5 onwards, producing a narrower tree that’s still ‘full’ to the top.

Norway Spruce Christmas Trees

Norway Spruce is the traditional Christmas tree which has been popular since Victoria times. As the best value type of Christmas tree available, the Norway Spruce had been the single most popular variety in Europe for some time, but was recently overtaken by no needle drop varieties such as the Nordmann Fir. It was introduced to Great Britain by Prince Albert and there is a strong tradition of the Norwegian capital of Oslo sending the cities of London, New York, Edinburgh and Washington DC a Norway Spruce tree every year, which is placed at the most central square of each city, including Trafalgar Square in the UK. It's best to bring your Norway Spruce into the home from mid-December onwards to help reduce the amount of time it spends indoors and therefore the number of needles it will drop. To improve needle retention, place your tree well away from radiators and other sources of heat and keep it in plenty of fresh water. At Jackson's Nurseries we supply traditional Norway Spruce trees either freshly cut or pot grown with the option to choose from 2-day delivery windows from late November onwards.

• Shape – the Norway Spruce has a more triangular shape than other varieties with attractive red-brown bark, broad base and bushy habit. It has a strong, rigid central branch, perfect for installing your favourite Christmas star, angel or fairy. Just be sure to measure the height of your ceiling carefully and choose a tree size that fits.

• Needle Retention – it's best to bring Norway Spruce trees into the home from mid-December onwards to reduce time spent indoors and therefore reduce needle drop. You can improve the needle retention of your tree by keeping it away from heat sources such as radiators and open fires and keeping it well watered.
• Needle Colour – short and thin, varying bright and deep green pointed needles. The needles are quite sharp, so care is required if you plan to have a Norway Spruce Christmas tree in a home with babies, toddlers or pets. There are differing views on whether the pointed needles are bad for pets or a good way to keep them off your Christmas tree!

• Fragrance – we think Norway Spruce has the best fragrance among all types of Christmas tree. Its fresh, pine-like fragrance really is its showstopping quality and will help evoke the festive spirit among all your friends and family.

• Native To – the clue is in the name on this one! Norway Spruce trees are native to Norway but also throughout Europe from Poland in the east, throughout the mountains of central Europe, southeast to the Carpathians, southwest to the western end of the Alps and of course to Norway in the northwest.
• Supplied As… - we supply Norway Spruce as both pot grown and freshly cut Christmas trees. Our pot grown trees are grown in the pot all their life, so they will are well rooted out in the pot, delivering more resilient trees that retain moisture better than field grown specimens put in a pot for Christmas. This gives your pot grown Norway Spruce tree the best chance of survival when its planted out in the garden or put on the patio after Christmas.

Blue Spruce Christmas Trees

Blue spruce Christmas trees are perfect if you’re looking for something a little different to the most popular Nordman Fir and Norway Spruce varieties. It will bring a sense of elegance to your Christmas display with luxurious, slightly waxy, blue-green needles. Blue spruce has a compact, conical growth habit with sturdy branches that provide the ideal structure for any weightier decorations. Known by gardeners by the Latin name Picea Pungens. ‘Pungens’ translates to ‘puncturing’ or ‘pricking’, referring to the sharpness of its needles. We recommend choosing a Nordman Fir tree instead if you have babies or toddlers around the house. Its fresh pine scent is similar to the Norway Spruce.

• Shape – Blue Spruce has a dense, compact growth habit, producing a luxurious tree with a tight cone-shaped appearance. The needles appear to slightly glisten, pairing well especially with white, silver or pale-coloured decorations.

• Needle Retention – Blue spruce holds its needles well for up to a month with the right care. As with all varieties, keep them away from radiators and heat sources such as open fires for the best longevity.
• Needle Colour – luxurious, dense foliage with tantalising steely blue needles. The needles of Blue Spruce are very sharp, so we don’t recommend this variety if you have babies, toddlers or pets.

• Fragrance – beautiful pine scent, the perfect natural fragrance for the Christmas period.
• Native To – Blue spruce is primarily native to the central and southern Rocky Mountains of the western US.
• Supplied As… - we supply Blue Spruce Christmas trees both pot grown and freshly cut. Our pot grown trees are genuinely grown in a pot since they were young, producing stronger trees that are rooted out in the pot, retain moisture more effectively and are therefore more likely to survive when taken out into the garden after Christmas compared to field grown trees that are dug up and put in a pot for Christmas.

Fraser Fir Christmas Trees

Fraser Fir has been one of the most popular Christmas trees in the US for some time. In fact, it has been the Christmas tree used in the White House more often than any other variety! It started being used here in the UK relatively recently and is well-loved for its leaner structure with a narrower base than Nordman and Norway Spruce trees. Dense, soft, shiny deep green needles offer excellent needle retention similar to the Nordmann Firs. It gives off a wonderful pine scent, perfect if you are looking for a traditional Christmas aroma from your tree.

• Shape – the branches of Fraser Fir are angled upwards at 45 degrees, giving a lean stature that’s not too bushy.

• Needle Retention – joint best needle retention with Nordman Fir: keeps needles for up to 5 weeks with the right care.
• Needle Colour – plush deep green needles are soft and flat with a silvery hue to the undersides.

• Fragrance – lovely balsam aroma, perfect for getting the festive spirit going!
• Native To – the Appalachian Mountains in the south-eastern part of the US and closely related to the Balsam Fir.
• Supplied As… - we supply Fraser Fir Christmas trees both pot grown and freshly cut.

Noble Fir Christmas Trees

Noble Firs make an excellent, unique Christmas tree with a low needle drop rate, citrus-like festive fragrance, rounded needles that are safe for children and pets and a beautiful, dense symmetrical shape. What’s most unique about this tree is the upcurving, bi-coloured needles which are a deep, luscious green on top with a stripe of white running all down the centre of each needle on the underside. Noble fir trees are native to the forests of Washington and Oregon in North America and were introduced into Britain in 1830.

• Shape – carefully trimmed to a symmetrical shape with whorled branches and flattened foliage.

• Needle Retention – strong needle retention - holds its needles well for up to a month with the right care.
• Needle Colour – unique, upcurved blue-green needles with streaks of white running along the full length of the underside of the needles.

• Fragrance – distinct, citrus fragrance sometimes described as similar to yuzu, filling your home with a festive scent.
• Native To – Noble fir trees are native to the forests of Washington and Oregon in North America and were introduced into Britain in 1830.
• Supplied As… - we supply Noble Fir as freshly cut Christmas trees.

Lodgepole Pine Christmas Trees

We don’t grow many lodgepole trees but we love them because they’re perfect for standing out from the crowd with their unique, distinctive and slightly rustic appearance. Lodgepole pines are strong growing trees with upright branches and beautiful long, lush green needles. The name ‘Lodgepole’ comes from the way these trees were used as the main structure for lodges and teepees, build initially by native Americans and later by Europeans.

• Shape – Lodgepoles are bushy growers and especially full at the base, perfect for adding splendour and elegance to medium to large size rooms. They have upright branches, making them easy to decorate.

• Needle Retention – Strong needle retention - holds its needles well for up to a month with the right care.
• Needle Colour – beautiful, long, fresh green needles which bring a rustic mountainous feel to your home.

• Fragrance – fresh, room-filling pine scent, perfect for getting you and your guests into the spirit of Christmas.
• Native To – an effortlessly graceful tree, lodge pole pine is native to the higher slopes of mountainous regions in western Canada and North America where it can grow up to 50 metres tall.

• Supplied As… - we supply Lodgepole Pine as freshly cut Christmas trees.

Korean Fir Christmas Trees

Abies koreana aka Korean Silver Fir is related to the Nordman Fir but slowing growing with a more compact, pyramidal form. Korean Fir needles are not as sharp than the traditional Norway Spruce and needle retention in the house is better. The needles are also shorter at maturity with rich silvery blue undersides, arranged radially around the shoots resulting in thick bushy branches. This bright unusual colour and high needle density give it an eye-catching appearance and make for an excellent specimen to decorate.

• Shape – compact growth habit producing a neat, conical shape. Korean Fir are a little slimmer at the base than Nordman Fir trees.

• Needle Retention – strong needle retention - holds its needles well for up to a month with the right care.
• Needle Colour – soft, rounded, deep green needles with silvery-blue undersides that glisten in the light, giving its alternative name of Silver Fir. Needles are similar to Nordman Fir but shorter.

• Fragrance – gives off a delicious fresh forest aroma, perfect for evoking the spirit of Christmas! This is the big advantage that Korean Fir has over the Nordman and, we think, the reason for its growth in popularity.
• Native To – Korean Fir is native to the higher mountains of South Korean, including Jeju Island.

• Supplied As… - we supply Korean Fir as pot grown Christmas trees.

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