EverWinter: Evergreen Care: "The Firs An Introduction"

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Evergreen Care: "The Firs An Introduction"

12:16 AM | Posted by Thomas Marcucci |

These are my favorites out of all the conifers. One key feature of Firs is their needles, They are an Emerald Green on the top side of their needles and a silvery blue on the bottom. This presents in a duel colored tree and the color changes if the wind blows. The needles on a Fir are not positioned in a 360 degree circle around the branches. Rather they are concentrated at 180 degrees to the branch. This gives the branches a fuller almost fuzzy appearance. It's no surprise that the firs are the most popular choice for Christmas trees each year. The most commonly used are the Balsam and Frasier Firs. These two also provide the best aroma inside the house that we all know and love. If you want to do something special one Christmas, consider getting a live tree instead of a cut tree and plant it outside in your yard after the holiday. But, enough about that, I'll do a post that goes into more detail closer to the holiday.

There are quite a few different specimen choices when it comes to Firs; Douglas Fir, Noble Fir, Frasier Fir, Balsam Fir, Concolor Fir, Grand Fir, Caanan Fir, and the Korean Fir. The last one I mentioned, the Korean Fir could possibly be one of the most attractive of all the firs. Its needles are an iridescent green and it produces beautiful bright purple cones. Many people lean towards Spruces when it comes time to choose the trees they want in their landscape design. I think people should consider Firs and the features they can provide.