We are now one month away from the year’s biggest national holiday, Christmas! You know what that means? That means spending time going out shopping for a Christmas tree to put up in your house or elsewhere. There are many great examples of trees that can work as your shining beacon for the holiday, and it’s our job to inform you of them and explain how you can best take care of them so that they look great by the time Christmas begins.
In this blog, we will give you a simple guide to the best Christmas trees and explain which ones are the best and how you can take care of them.
The Best Places to Buy Your Tree in Western New York
Amongst many of the different varieties of Christmas Trees that you can buy, you also have to find the best places to get them, and we have several recommendations here in Buffalo and Western New York:
Badding Farm Market and Garden Center
Russell’s Tree and Shrub Farm LLC
There are many other options in and around Western New York, and two other key pieces of information that will help you with searching for a place to buy from are that most are opening their Christmas tree sales at the end of November. On top of that, most, if not all, of these places sell very similar tree types, most of which are what you’ve seen before, and that helps us to transition into the next part of the blog!
The Most Popular Christmas Trees
So now that we have several places fresh in our minds, let’s actually break down what those popular trees are:
Spruce Trees
Photo credit: https://www.naturallywood.com/species/sitka-spruce/ (Jonathan Taggart)
Spruce trees are one of the most common trees used for Christmas; you’ve definitely seen them a lot by how they are defined with their needle-like branches. Their dense foliage and perfectly shaped silhouette are very important features that work very well with holding the ornaments that you put on them.
There are variations of the spruce tree (white and blue as examples), and while the tree is not native to the WNY region, it’s still planted here as a way for tree businesses to prepare for the Christmas holiday and sell them to people who want to use them in their house or plant them in their yards as decorations.
Fir Trees
Photo credit: https://www.thespruce.com/white-fir-growing-guide-5195385 (The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova)
Depending on who you are, fir trees along with spruce trees are probably the most popular Christmas trees people buy. Like with the spruce tree, the composition of needles on the branches allows for ornaments to hang well without falling off. The branches are sturdy and strong, and the shape of the tree is perfect for the occasion, like the spruce.
Like the spruce, there are also variations of the fir tree, like the Fraser fir or Douglas fir, and the thing that makes this tree excellent is its needle retention, meaning they stay fresh longer after being cut. So if you wanted to keep this tree for the holiday for years to come, this one might be your best bet. Nothing about the different variations makes them stand out too much from the other, but we believe it’s important to understand what you’re working with before you make a purchase.
Pine Trees
Photo credit: https://wallpapersafari.com/pine-tree-christmas-snow-wallpapers/
Once again, what do all three of these specific trees have in common… It’s those needled branches. It’s a classic kind of tree that also like the fir and spruce, is not native or common in WNY and is mainly used as a Christmas tree in stores and tree farms to plant and sell.
The two most popular variants are the white pine and the scotch pine. Scotch pines have those stiff branches that can hold up your ornaments well, and white pines tend to have softer branches that work best with lighter decorations. We know that ornaments aren’t the only things that are put on trees; people like to put on lights and other decorations, so that detail is important to keep in mind.
The best part of all three of these trees is that they are all sold at every one of the places that we named above in the beginning. When you go to these places, make sure you ask about these trees to get a better understanding of what you want to work on, especially if you want to own that tree for the long term without having to buy a new one every year.
Christmas Tree FAQ
How should I care for my Christmas tree to keep it fresh?
This is the most important question when it comes to Christmas trees, and it’s one that we can assist you with. If you are looking to take care of your trees, there are some important steps in the process to keep in mind:
Most of the time, if you put the tree inside your house, you are going to be putting it away in a box somewhere and storing it for next year, but let’s say you also plant some Christmas trees outside, that’s when caring for them takes some major steps. You must be sure to water them effectively, use the proper soil but also, most importantly, to keep them in mint condition, you will have to prune and trim them from time to time to keep the look consistent and not let it weigh down the whole tree.
To learn more, read into our Pruning and Trimming processes to learn the differences and when each one becomes important for you to call us about! We know the Christmas holiday is quickly approaching, and if you are looking for a great opportunity to buy a Christmas tree, we hope this helps you. If you have any more questions, reach out through our contact form, and we can’t wait to help!