(Fir)

Comprising some 50 tree species from cool areas of the Northern Hemisphere, firs are used worldwide for lumber, pulpwood, Christmas trees, and ornamental plants. In parts of the North Temperate Zone these coniferous evergreens are dominant forest species, important for erosion control and wildlife forage and cover.

Most firs are medium to large, conical trees with a dominant central leader. Their flattened, straight or up-curved needles sit directly on the smooth branchlets (rather than on...

(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...

(European Silver Fir, Silver Fir)

A densely needled ornamental conifer, the European silver fir selection 'Pyramidalis' has deep green needles with a silvery underside. It was found as a sport on a silver fir growing in England in 1851. Native to southern Europe's mountains, from the Pyrennes eastward across the Alps and into the Caucusus, its shape lends it to more ornate uses in park and garden settings than the parent species. The smooth gray bark will eventually crack into plates.

The branches often grow upwards at an angle...

(Pacific Silver Fir)

A very tall, spire-like evergreen in the wild, the Pacific silver fir remains much shorter and more pyramidal in form when grown in gardens. Native to the panhandle of Alaska southward to Victoria Island and western Oregon's Cascade range, this fir prospers where summers are moist and cool and winters cold and snowy. The bark is light gray and smooth but with age, the trunk displays plates floating on an underbark of reddish brown.

New branch shoots emerge at right angles in opposite pairs,...

(Pacific Silver Fir)

A very tall, spire-like evergreen in the wild, the Pacific silver fir remains much shorter and more pyramidal in form when grown in gardens. Native to the panhandle of Alaska southward to Victoria Island and western Oregon's Cascade range, this fir prospers where summers are moist and cool and winters cold and snowy. The bark is light gray and smooth but with age, the trunk displays plates floating on an underbark of reddish brown.

New branch shoots emerge at right angles in opposite pairs,...

(Balsam Fir)

Balsam fir is a tall coniferous evergreen tree native to the northeastern fifth of the United States and extreme southern Canada. It has a fine pyramidal form, is slow growing and becomes a very tall tree when mature. Its small deep green needles are soft, glossy and smell of sweet balsam. The female cones are full of resin and are brown when mature, and shatter readily when dry. This tree offers year round interest and provides habitat to wildlife, including foliage eaten by deer.

Plants excel...

(Balsam Fir, Dwarf Balsam Fir)

Dwarf balsam fir is a compact evergreen shrub with fragrant balsam-scented foliage. A very slow growing dwarf, 'Nana' offers year-round interest because of its dense deep green needles and rounded silhouette. When it matures, the shrub's top may become more flattened.

Grow the dwarf balsam fir in full sun to partial shade in a slightly acidic well-drained soil. Evenly moist soil that is cooled with an organic mulch is best. Shade from hot, intense mid-afternoon summer sun keeps the needle quality...

(Bracted Balsam Fir, Canaan Fir)

Balsams are such beautiful evergreen trees for the north, especially this super hardy variety. Canaan fir is naturally distributed in the northeastern United States and Canada. It is distinguished by its hardiness, tight pyramidal form with short ascending branches, and distinctive cones, which have long papery bracts extending from the scales.

This tall coniferous evergreen tree develops a fine pyramidal form, but is slow growing. Its fragrant flattened needles are lustrous and dark green above...

(Bornmueller's Fir)

Rare in cultivation but occurring naturally only in a small area of northwestern Turkey, Bornmueller's fir has a controversial identity. While some taxonomists consider it nothing more that a variant of the Caucasian or Nordman's fir (Abies nordmanniana), others think it arose from the natural hybridization of the Nordman's fir with the Greek fir (A. cephalonica). Regardless of origin, this pyramidal but narrow evergreen tree demonstrates increased tolerance to heavier textured...