It’s the time of year to start talking about Christmas Trees. Although given the unseasonably mild weather we are having it may tough for some to get into the spirit. Let’s give it a try! Here is a guide to help you select the perfect tree for this Christmas from Van Wilgen’s.

Fraser Fir

• Needles are short dark green with a silver underside.
• Soft to the touch.
• Very fragrant with excellent needle retention.
• Branches are strong, great for heavy ornaments.

Douglas Fir

• Needles are long light green in color
• Soft to the touch
• Very full in shape
• Extremely fragrant- it smells like oranges!
• Best needle retention

Blue Spruce

• Needles are deep blue in color
• Sharp to the touch…Kids & Pets be careful!
• Strongest branches…Perfect for heavy ornaments
• Pleasant fragrance
• Good needle retention

Turkish Fir

• A Van Wilgen Favorite!
• Needles are dark green with a silver underside.
• Needles are larger and showier than the Fraser Fir.
• Soft to the touch.
• Best fragrance and needle retention.
• Sturdy branches are perfect for heavy ornaments.

Turkish Fir is quickly becoming our most popular Choose & Cut Christmas trees at Van Wilgen’s. Growing Christmas trees is a labor of love. There is a lot of work that goes into making sure our fields are full of premium Van Wilgen Grown trees. We all know Fraser Fir,

The most popular Christmas tree in our area. They are great for needle retention, great color contrast, and pretty good for holding heavy ornaments. Frasers are slow-growing and may take up to 10 years before they can be harvested. They are also tricky to grow. Frasers do not like hot dry summers and are prone to many pests and fungal problems.

Those are many of the reasons we started looking for alternatives to Fraser Fir for our fields. We needed a tree that had all the great features of Fraser without many of the headaches. We were recommended to try Turkish Fir by many people we know in the industry. At the time none of us knew much about them. All the research on them was positive so we started planting them in our fields. We quickly saw we had a winner! They were growing much faster and fuller than Fraser. That we instantly liked! They have not suffered pest damage or root rot like Frasers either. All positives from a growing point of view.

Turkish Fir is native to the mountains of the Black Sea. Their needles are two-tone green and silvery blue that gives off a shimmery look. They are very full and elegant looking and have been the number one choice for Christmas trees in Europe for many years. They have sturdy branches for heavy ornaments and excellent needle retention. I invite you to come to walk our 15 acres of trees and see how great Turkish Fir are.