Christmas tree varieties?

[RichPA]

For those of you who put up Christmas trees, what's your favorite type? We bought a Blue Spruce this year (hiked way up a hill at a cut-your-own place to find it) - beautiful tree, and I love the smell, but nasty sharp needles. Saw some nice Canaan Firs as well, and of course the good old Scotch Pine. Next year, probably back to a nice long-needled fir with nice soft needles ...

[modge]

RichPA Next year treat yourself to a Norwegein Pine. A REAL Christmas tree.
Think The Beatles Norwegien Pine.

[bentpencil]

Pre-lit WalMart in a box.

[jaymanaa]

New York White Pine? At least that's what the guy who sold it to me said. It has very sharp needles too. Ouch!

[grumpy]

Pre light Walgreen's in a box. Actually none if the wife and kids didn't get all sad faced on me..

[Drybasement]

We gotta fake tree about 2 feet tall with lights wrapped around it. Sitting atop the night stand in the spare bedroom.

[fotno]

One that stays in the box out in the shed? But since I have a sad-eyed wife too, the pre-lit kind that's sitting in the corner of the living room right now (allergies don't ya know).

[doucanoe]

I grew up with the Norway pine for christmas every year. Nowaday we opt for the Balsam fir or Frasier fir. Shorter needles but soft.

i have been pushing for the store bought for the past few years but I keep getting over ruled. 3- women against me, not a fair fight.

RC

[herbman1975]

We had a tree farm in Highlands, NC for many years and grew Fraser Fir. Their range is isloated to VERY high elevations in NC, VA, and TN.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b57/esiefkes/MISC/fraser_fir1.jpg

*They retain their needles well - they don't shed real bad all over your carpet

*They smell up your whole house w/a "piney" scent

*They have strong branches that can hold heavy ornaments.

*Their needles don't prick you.

Fraser Fir was hands down the best (and most expensive) variety we grew. We also grew Virginia Pine, White Pine, and toward the end, Leyland Cypress - which suck real bad in my opinion.

I used an Eastern Red Cedar a few years back. It stuck and pricked me to death. I thought I would never stop itching.

[TWantiques]

Pre light Walgreen's in a box. Actually none if the wife and kids didn't get all sad faced on me..

See he's not all that grumpy! Don't let that screen name and avatar fool you. :D


In the south Fraser Fir is king. By far the best for the reasons Herbman listed. I would have never opt for an artificial tree until my son and wife started sneezing every time they walked into the family room, then I had no choice.

Terry

[OvenMaster]

We gotta fake tree about 2 feet tall with lights wrapped around it. Sitting atop the night stand in the spare bedroom.
Our 2-footer sits on the piano in the living room; we simply don't have room for a full-size tree in this shoebox of a house. When I was smaller and we lived in a bigger house, I have no clue as to what the real ones were that were up to 7 feet tall. But jeez, did they ever smell wonderful!
Tom

[onepixel]

As a kid we had this fake tree for years. And with 4 brothers that thing got knocked down quite a few times. Near the end Charlie Brown's tree looked great in comparison. I've been getting a Noble Firs ever since I got married. This year I got a great deal on a seven footer.

[dnewma04]

We only get Fraser's here. Cut our own, actually, since I'm the biggest and have no back issues, I get to cut down my tree, my brother in laws and my father in laws. But, I get a free 70.00 tree out of it. Fraser's are GREAT christmas trees.

Herbman, they must not be as isolated as you think. They are at just about every tree farm in MI. :)

[dnewma04]

Wow, i just replied to a banned user on a REALLY old thread.

[Andyman]

I grew up with double balsams, but we've gone the artificial route probably for the last 20 years. I think we did get a live one a year or two ago after we lost ours in that fire, but the artificial ones are really quite nice looking, at least compared to the phony ones back in the 1960s. Remember aluminum trees, flocked trees and those rotating color wheels...........

BTW, what's a live tree runs these days? A decent one has got to be $50 easy, prolly more like $100???

[dnewma04]

Around here, you can get an 9-10' Douglas fir for 50 or so (if you cut it down) and a Fraser will run you about 65-75.00 for the same height.

[markb]

It's noble fir here every year, the wife picks it, I pack it. We used to go out and cut our own, Up the coast from Santa Cruz Ca. but since we moved to Oregon we drive around the corner to the lot and get a pre cut.
Now that we have a tall ceiling we get a 8' or 9' tree, way back when we came back with a 10' tree , had to cut off 2' of the top to get it in house, it looked like it grew right through the roof. I miss those trips up the coast.

[x_25]

We have a fiber optic artificial tree. It high tech. :yes: