Fresh Cut Christmas Tree Varieties

Linder’s Garden Center carries a variety of fresh cut Christmas trees. The following is a description of each type. It lists the virtues of each as well as their flocking capabilities.

Scotch Pine: A full appearing tree with dark green needles. Its stiff branches make it an ideal tree for hanging ornaments. It will hold its needles for the holiday season. It is one of the varieties that are painted green in the growing field because its needles naturally turn yellow in the fall. It takes 6-8 years to grow a 7-8 foot tree.

White Pine: This tree has soft, green needles, which gives it a full and graceful appearance. It has good needle retention. Its needles are also painted green in the growing field because the needles turn yellow in the fall. Because it does not have stiff branches like the Scotch pine, it should not be flocked.

Red/Norway Pine: This is the Minnesota state tree. Its sturdy branches hold ornaments well. Its long, elegant needles turn bronze in the fall so it also needs to be painted.

Fraser Fir: This tree has the best needle retention of all the trees Linders carries. Its strong branches are turned slightly upward to give it a compact appearance. It has short, dark green needles. Fraser Firs are grown in North Carolina and Wisconsin. Its pleasant aroma makes it an excellent choice. This is the best choice for flocking.

Balsam Fir: The fragrance, shape, and needle retention allows this to be the most popular tree. It is great for decorating. It has soft, short flat needles that give it a feathery appearance. It is the only true fir tree native to Minnesota. It takes 9-10 years to grow a 6-7 foot tree. It is a wonderful choice for flocking. This season we will be carrying a limited supply of unsheared Balsams for customers looking for a more natural and traditional type tree.

Douglas Fir: This fir tree has soft needles that when crushed give off a sweet scent. It has great needle retention. Because it does not have stiff branches, flocking is not recommended.

Colorado Blue Spruce: This old time favorite has attractive blue foliage. Its stiff branches are excellent for decorating. It is the last of the varieties to be brought into the tree house because it does not have good needle retention. Due to the sharpness of its needles, it is unable to be flocked.

Noble Fir: This tree is grown in the Cascade Mountains of Washington. It has a wonderful fragrance. Its needle retention makes this tree a wonderful choice. Its spaced branches are great for hanging ornaments. It can be flocked.

Concolor Fir: This tree has a citrus fragrance. It is a nicely shaped tree with good needle retention. It is great for hanging heavy ornaments. Flocking is not recommended with this tree.

Grand Fir: This variety is grown in the Cascade Mountains. It takes 8-10 years to grow before it is marketable. It has a citrus aroma and is a very fragrant tree. This beautifully shaped tree has excellent needle retention. It is difficult to flock and is not recommended.

Flocked Trees: Out of all the varieties of trees the Fraser fir and Balsam Fir are the best to be flocked. A flocked tree does not need to be watered unless it is given a light flocking to resemble a fresh snowfall. The flocking compound is made from wood shavings and glue, which allows the tree to last throughout the holiday season. All Linders flocked trees are flame retardant.