Virginia Pine (Pinus Virginianan) is a short-needled pine with pleasant pine fragrance, dense foliage and good growth rates. It has been by far the most widely planted southern Christmas tree over the past three decades and still is the most common species at most farms in the deep South

The west Texas counterpart of the Virginia Pine, this tree thrives in the alkaline soils found in that part of our state. The two trees are very similar in appearance and the Afghan also has sturdy branches and soft needles. Typically, the branches on the Afghan are spaced somewhat farther apart, giving this tree a slightly more open appearance than its east Texas counterpart. It has a mild fragrance and also keeps well as a cut tree

Afghan Pine

The most exciting thing to happen in the short history of the southern Christmas tree industry is the introduction of the Leyland Cypress.

In the 1800's numerous tree species from all over the world were planted in an arboretum at Leighton Hall estate in England (Welshpool, Wales).

 Fraser Fir - brought in fresh each year and displayed in water for freshness.

Fraser fir was named for John Fraser (1750-1811), a Scot botanist who explored the southern Appalachian Mountains in the late 18th century. The species is sometimes called Southern balsam or Southern balsam fir. Locally Fraser fir is known as "She balsam" because of the resin filled blisters on the tree's trunk. Red spruce, often associated with Fraser fir, is called "He balsam" and lacks the distinctive blisters.

In the wild, the trees are tall, beautifully symmetrical and grow to over 200 feet in height. The bark is smooth with resin blisters when young and changes to brownish-gray plates with age.

The needles are roughly 4-sided (similar to spruce), over 1 inch long, bluish-green but appearing silver because of 2 white rows of stomata on the underside and 1-2 rows on the upper surface. The needles are generally twisted upward so that the lower surface of branches are exposed.

The grand fir is one of the tallest firs, reaching heights of 300 feet. It is easily distinguished from other Pacific Northwest firs by its sprays of lustrous needles in two distinct rows. They are usually horizontally spread so that both the upper and lower sides of the branches are clearly visible. The needles are 1 to 1 1/2 inches long with glossy dark green tops and two highly visible white lines of stomata on the undersides.