Now that Thanksgiving has passed, we can legitimately turn our focus to Christmas.  Our store has received three shipments of Christmas trees within the last 48 hours.  The menu sports both "cut" trees and live "balled & burlaped" trees.  Varieties include White Pine (live & cut), Scotch Pine (cut), Blue Spruce (cut), Norway Spruce (live), and Fraser Fir (cut).  All of these trees have merits of varying color and texture.  The White Pine is inexpensive and is quite beautiful if you have the patience to decorate the soft and limber boughs.  'Tis the Fraser Fir that stands out as "top of the line" in my mind.

    A Fraser Fir (Abies fraseri) which has been sheared has a near perfect pyramidal form.  The branches are stiff, yet the foliage is relatively soft as compared to the spruces.  The needles sport a lush green upper surface with a silvery reverse of the lower surface.  The stiffness of the boughs makes the tree very easy to decorate with the branches proudly displaying your finest ornaments.  Normal care should be taken in your watering practices, however the needle retention of the Fraser is superior to most Christmas trees.  Furthermore, any fallen needles are gentle to the bare foot.

    The Fraser Fir is similar to the Douglas Fir and the Balsam Fir.  All of these trees prefer colder climates of a higher elevation than the Piedmont area of Virginia has to offer.  For this reason, we only sell this plant in the "cut" form.  Should you encounter a live Fraser this Christmas season, make certain that your climate will encourage its survival.  In Fredericksburg, a hot summer will kill this plant - guaranteed.  Our Frasers are grown in the mountains of western North Carolina.  Balsam and Douglas Fir are usually grown the the north central states, so the Fraser is more popular around here because of the transportation factor.  Regardless of which kind of tree you purchase, be sure that it has been cut some time around Thanksgiving.  A gentle shake of the tree should render only a small amount of needle drop.  If the tree "rains" needles, it is probably  not very fresh and could be a fire hazard.

    I once strapped a Fraser Fir wreath to the grill of my car.  Over a six week period, I drove 1600 miles, mostly at 65 miles per hour.  The wreath was as green the day I took it off as when I put it on the car.  Fraser Firs are fabulous.  Have a great week.

                                                                                    Andy Lynn