How To Pick Your Perfect Christmas Tree
Winter has arrived in Ohio and so has Christmastime! It’s time to choose the perfect live Christmas tree for your home.
At Timbuk Farms, we have one of the oldest Christmas tree farms in central Ohio. Our Ohio tree farm spans over 300 acres, and we have thousands of trees for you to choose from. But which tree is right for you and your family? How can you tell if a tree is fresh? What type of Christmas tree should you get for your home?
Don’t worry! Here is an easy-to-follow guide for choosing a Christmas tree so that you can bring home a healthy and beautiful tree for the holidays.
Measure Your Space
Before you get to the farm, measure the space you have for your Christmas tree. While watching the Griswald family squeeze a massive tree into their home during National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is funny to watch, it’s not so fun to experience yourself.
Our Timbuk Farms staff is happy to help you choose a tree that will work for you and your home, and having the following measurements will doubly help you in your tree-choosing process. So, make sure that you measure (and write down the measurements) the following:
Ceiling Height
Measure from your floor to your home’s ceiling. Then, here’s the trick, subtract six inches from the height to account for your tree stand and topper. This number is the maximum height that your tree can be.
Available Width
How much space do you want your tree to take up within your chosen room? Once you decide that, measure the width of that space. When you get to the tree farm, this width will be the tree’s maximum girth (or width).
Doorway
Trace a pathway from your car to where you want your tree to be. What is the smallest area along that path? Is it the door? Is it a hallway? Whatever it is, measure that space to ensure that you can move your tree through that space and to your chosen room.
While live trees are bundled at the tree farm, which can make for easier travel and maneuvering, a bundled tree doesn’t compact much more than that. Keep this in mind as you’re choosing your tree.
Choose a Cut-Your-Own Tree or a Pre-Cut Tree
At Timbuk Farms, we have both cut-your-own trees and pre-cut trees. Which one you choose will be based on your available time, mobility, and desired experience.
Many people love roaming the farm and looking for that perfect Christmas tree with their family. People remember cutting down a Christmas tree with their parents or grandparents and want to pass down that holiday tradition to their children. Indeed, cutting your own tree is a great way to make Christmas memories, and kids often love this experience. If this is something you want and envision for your family, then a cut-your-own tree would be a great choice for your family.
Other people may not have the time or physical ability to cut their own trees. If this is the case, then a pre-cut tree is a great choice. You still get a high-quality Christmas tree without the physical exertion or time commitment.
Test for Freshness
Whether you cut your own tree or choose a pre-cut tree, freshness is the key to enjoying your Christmas tree for a long time. A fresh tree will hold its needles longer, drink water better, and look good until the New Year (or even longer!) compared to tree that’s been sitting unloved a little too long. A tree that is grown locally and cut recently will have the best freshness.
To test a tree’s freshness, try the drop test and the needle pinch test.
Drop Test
Pick up the tree a few inches and then tap the tree’s base on the ground. A small number of inner needles dropping is normal. However, if you get a shower of needles, then the tree is dry and perhaps past its prime.
Needle Pinch Test
For the needle pinch test, take one of the tree’s small branches between your thumb and index finger and gently pull the needles toward you. For fir trees, the needles should be supple and stay put on the tree. If the needles shed or feel brittle, then the tree isn’t very fresh. For spruce trees, the needles will snap if they are dry.
Choose the Right Tree Variety
There are several Christmas tree species to choose from, so which one should you choose? Each tree has its own personality, but choosing the right variety of tree depends on your needs as well as your desired aroma, needle retention, and branch strength.
Here are the species that we have at Timbuk Farms and why they may be right for you.
Blue Spruce
Colorado blue spruce, or blue spruce (pictured above), makes for a beautiful Christmas tree. It has a narrow, pyramidal shape and cone-shaped crown. Its needles are uniquely blue-gray to silvery blue and 1 to 1.5 inches long on lower branches with somewhat shorter needles on upper branches. You’ll usually find them ranging from 6 to 9 feet tall.
Why It May Be Right for You
If you have cool-toned ornaments and decorations, then a blue spruce may be a perfect choice for your home. Blue spruces are wonderful for creating wintery wonderlands, and they are great for people who want a unique Christmas tree.
Canaan Fir
The Canaan fir (pictured here) is Timbuk Farms’ favorite Christmas tree, and it was first bred right here in Ohio! This makes the Canaan fir the ultimate local Christmas tree for Ohio residents.
The Canaan fir is cousin to the popular Fraser fir, and it grows to be about 6 to 15 feet tall. Its needles are firm, yet soft, and it has great needle retention.
Why It May Be Right for You
This tree’s strong branches beg for ornaments! So, if you have heavy ornaments, the Caanan fir is your tree. Also, if you love a lasting evergreen aroma, then look no further than the Caanan fir.
Concolor Fir
Also known as a white fir, this is a true fir with its seed origin being the same as the Douglas fir. The concolor fir has excellent needle retention, and its branches can handle heavy ornaments. Its height ranges from 6 to 10 feet.
Why It May Be Right for You
The concolor fir is the most aromatic of all Christmas tree species. So, if you want to be enveloped in the aroma of evergreens this holiday season, then choose a concolor fir.
Douglas Fir
The Douglas fir is a classic Christmas tree. Its height ranges from 7 to 11 feet, and it has soft, short needles with firm branches. You’ll love its long-lasting color and good needle retention.
Why It May Be Right for You
This is the classic Christmas tree. So, if you’re going for a classic, traditional look, then choose a Douglas fir. Plus, its aroma will remind you of memories of Christmas past.
White Pine
The white pine is another traditional Christmas tree that averages from 6 to 10 feet tall. Its soft, long needles and soft branches make for a welcoming and graceful look. White pines have long-lasting color and great needle retention.
Why It May Be Right for You
If you like dense greenery in your tree, then you’ll love the white pine. White pines are also great for ribbon and popcorn string decorations. Plus, there are some reports that white pines have low allergy risk compared to other tree species.
White Spruce
The white spruce (pictured here) is a breathtaking tree that averages 6 to 10 feet tall. The tree is full of countless branches, and its short, firm needles are arranged in beautiful spirals. It has great color and good needle retention, but the needles can be a bit sharp. Also, they tend to need more love and care than other trees.
Why It May Be Right for You
Choose a white spruce if you want a showstopper Christmas tree and you don’t mind giving your tree a little extra care.
Visit Timbuk Farms for Your Ohio Christmas Tree
We have thousands and thousands of Ohio-grown Christmas trees at Timbuk Farms. Plus, we’re hosting the North Pole this holiday season, which means lots of fun activities for kids, holiday decorations in our Ohio Garden Center, yummy treats at the café, and Santa visits. So, kids can visit Santa at Timbuk Farms and the family can make Christmas memories while choosing the perfect tree this season.
Make this winter season your best one yet. We can’t wait to see you!
