(European Silver Fir, Silver Fir)

The tall European silver fir reaches great heights with age. Young trees were traditionally used as Christmas trees in Central Europe before North American fir species were introduced to the market. The pyramidal young trees develop wider, more flattened canopies as they grow. They also become enormous. Populations of grand specimens exist throughout the southern mountains of Europe, from the Pyrennes eastward to the Alps and into the Caucusus.

The flattened needles of this fragrant fir are...

(Silver Fir)

The tall European silver fir reaches great heights with age. Young trees were traditionally used as Christmas trees in Central Europe before North American fir species were introduced to the market. The pyramidal young trees develop wider, more flattened canopies as they grow. They also become enormous. Populations of grand specimens exist throughout the southern mountains of Europe, from the Pyrennes eastward to the Alps and into the Caucusus.

The flattened needles of this fragrant fir are...

(Grecian Fir, Greek Fir)

The highlands of Greece reveal stands of this tall evergreen conifer, appropriately known as the Grecian fir. It grows on calcareous and alkaline soils at elevations between 1,800 and 7,000 feet. When mature, the tree's silhouette is a tall, broadly pyramid with horizontal branches.

When young, the Grecian fir has smooth, reddish brown branches, but with age the bark is gray with streaks of pink and brown on fissured, oblong plates. The flattened needles are glossy dark green with a whitish...

(Japanese Fir, Momi Fir)

The wood of the momi fir is light colored and traditionally used to make coffins in its native Japan. A tall-growing evergreen, momi fir grows in Japan's highlands intermixed with other conifers. This tree grows slowly in its youth, retaining a dense, upright pyramid shape. When mature, the straight trunk becomes massive and the scattered horizontal branches look somewhat like the silhouette of an old white pine.

The emerald green needles are flattened and are alternating on the twigs in two...

(Manchurian Fir, Needle Fir)

Large in size but not as towering as many other firs grown, needle fir has rich green foliage that thickly whorls around its twigs. Becoming a tall, pyramid-like tree with spreading branches, it is native to Manchuria and Korea and extreme southeastern Siberia's (Russia). Its youngest twigs are yellow-gray in color while its smooth bark is a purplish gray to dark sandy brown that will crack into plates once the tree is very old.

The glossy medium to dark green needles are not prickly to the touch...

(Korean Fir)

A smaller-sized fir, Korean fir has glossy dark green needles with silvery undersides and blue-violet tinted green cones. A slow growing conifer from the southern half of the Korean peninsula, this is considered one of the more heat-tolerant fir species. It is best in cooler regions, however.

The horizontal branches of this fir tree grow slowly, and are light brown at their tips. The tree becomes a broad pyramid in shape with considerable age. The needles are soft and dark gray-green with a silvery...

(Korean Fir)

A smaller-sized fir, Korean fir has glossy dark green needles with silvery undersides and blue-violet tinted green cones. A slow growing conifer from the southern half of the Korean peninsula, this is considered one of the more heat-tolerant fir species. It is best in cooler regions, however.

The horizontal branches of this fir tree grow slowly, and are light brown at their tips. The tree becomes a broad pyramid in shape with considerable age. The needles are soft and dark gray-green with a silvery...

(Korean Fir, Silver Korean Fir)

A smaller-sized fir, Silberlocke Korean fir has upright-facing, lightly twisting needles that show off their silvery undersides. A slow growing conifer from the southern half of the Korean peninsula, this is considered one of the more heat-tolerant fir species. It is best in cooler regions, however.

The horizontal branches of this fir tree grow slowly, and are light brown at their tips. The tree becomes a broad pyramid in shape with considerable age. The twisted needles are soft and dark gray-green...

(Chinese Lantern, Flowering Maple, Parlor Maple)

Abutilon, commonly called flowering maple, embodies approximately 150 species and many more cultivated varieties. These may be annuals, perennials or shrubs and naturally exist in sub-tropical to tropical regions globally. Many perennial species and shrubs are grown as a tender perennial for containers and annual flower beds. Common hybrid forms arise from crosses between the two parent species, Abutilon darwinii and Abutilon pictum.

While growing conditions are favorable abutilons...

(Chinese Lantern, Flowering Maple, Parlour Maple, White Flowering Maple)

The white-flowered Chinese lantern is a shrub that is commonly planted as a bedding or house plant. This vigorous hybrid arises from a cross between Abutilon darwinii and Abutilon pictum.

Chinese lantern is everblooming as long as growing conditions are favorable. This cultivar bears profuse small, pendulous, hibiscus-like flowers of white. The maple-like leaves are evergreen in frost-free climates.

Overall, Chinese lantern grows best in sites with full sun to partial shade...