A Guide to Popular Fir Trees for Your Garden Landscape

When we say, “fir” we immediately think of Christmas trees, but there is much more variety within this genus, Abies, than you may imagine. And this is useful to identify them all… One of the most widespread and well known conifers of mountain forests, these ancient plants are famous for their towering tall trunks, lean and pointed crowns, evergreen needle like foliage, and imposing beauty. But there are big differences between the many varieties we know! And for gardening, this is quite a godsend!

Ideal because they provide beauty, structure and, quite often, a great vertical accent in gardens and large parks, low maintenance and very strong, fir trees come in many versions, many types, to the point that some are hard to identify at all in fact! They are different from other conifers, and very different between themselves as well.

Fir trees are conifers of the Abies genus, which comprises between 48 and 56 natural species and a few cultivars. Native of mountainous temperate forests of the Northern Hemisphere, these evergreens can vary significantly in size, foliage and cone coloring, as well as in the shape of the crown and bark color and cracking. There are also some trees which have “fir” in their common name, like Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga mensiezii), and joint fir (Ephedra spp.), but these are not real fir trees.

And you are about to see how they are not all conical, not all dark green, and not all big! From turquoise to purple, white and silver, huge and minuscule, you will now learn to identify – and love – the most beautiful varieties of fir trees ever!

Botanists divide the Abies genus into 10 sections based on their origin, but for gardeners, fir trees are better divided into natural species and cultivars, so, we chose this practical categorization, and here is our choice:

You will soon see how different they all are, but first we need to understand what a for tree is, and why it is such a unique conifer…

FIR TREES – AN OVERVIEW

Fir trees are any of the species or cultivars of the genus Abies, most closely related to cedars, or Cedrus. They are evergreen conifers of the Pinaceae family (the pine family) originating from mountainous regions of the Northern Hemisphere, North and Central America, Europe Asia and North Africa.

They are the iconic Christmas trees, with the classical conical or pyramidal crown shape, and this is because they are all monopodial, unlike pines; this means that the branches grow from the trunk in a fishbone pattern.

The needles are short and flat, and they grow individually on the branches, while the cones always grow upwards, and they are paper like, not woody. When they are young, they can be of many colors, but when they age, they turn brown and they usually break.

They can grow to considerable heights, up to 262 feet, or 80 meters, and in fact, the Latin name means “to rise”. Some are quite fast growing, and this has made firs very useful for the logging industry. Conversely, the common name comes from the Old Norse “fyri”, which means “pine forest”.

Firs have found their place in gardening thanks to their beautiful shape, which can provide a sculptural element and vertical accent, the coloring of the needles, which can vary quite a lot, and all year round evergreen foliage. The cones too can add a decorative touch with their interesting coloring.

Finally, they are also adaptable, even to very cold places, and easy to grow, and, compared with other trees, like oaks, firs are fast growing.

Only a final note, which may disappoint you: the famous Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) is not a real fir at all… The cones and the needles are far too different from the original Abies varieties to match. It’s just a common name, not a scientific one…

FIR TREE FACT SHEET

Sometimes it is easier to have all the details about a tree or plant variety in easy to use bullet points; so, here’s a detailed fact sheet about firs, or Abies.

• Botanical name: Abies spp.
• Common name(s): fir.
• Plant type: evergreen conifer.
• Size: 33 to 330 feet tall (10 to 100 meters), the tallest is 393 feet tall (120 meters); 10 to 100 feet in spread (3.0 to 30 meters); the trunk is between 20 inches and 13 feet in diameter (0.5 to 4.0 meters). Cultivars can be very small, a few feet tall and in spread.
• Outdoor soil: fertile, deep, well drained clay, loam or sand based soil.
• Soil pH: 5.0 to 7.4, it prefers acidic soil, tolerating very low pH (3.5) and only mildly alkaline soil.
• Light requirements outdoors: full Sun, many varieties also partial shade.
• Watering requirements: keep the soil humid, but most varieties need little or no watering apart from rainfall once established, some  are moderately drought tolerant.
• Fertilizing: not necessary. Use some compost when you plant it and in its first years.
• Bloom time: N/A.
• Hardiness: it depends on the varieties, roughly between USDA zones 3 and 9.
• Place of origin: North and Central America, Europe, Asia and North Africa.

FIR TREE IDENTIFICATION GUIDE

It is easy to confuse a fir tree with other conifers, and there are many species and cultivars within the Abies genus that we need to identify and recognize. So, here are some guidelines that you can use.

Identify Fir Trees by Their Shape

Naturals species of fir trees always have a conical, pyramidal or even needle like shape. The branches are always in a fishbone pattern, and they may point up or bend downwards, because these conifers are monopodial. The trunk does not split into branches; it continues straight to the top. Instead the branches come to the sides, while the trunk continues as a leader.

However, many cultivars can have different crown shapes, including round, and even prostrate.

Identify Fir Trees by the Needles

Fir tree needles are short to fairly short, 0.95 to 20 cm (0.37 to 8 inches), and they are flat. If you look at the bottom of the leaf, you will see two whitish lines as well, formed by wax covered stomata. The tip can be notched, pointed dull or rounded.

Needles come individually on the branch, and not in groups, as happens with pine trees. The color can range in shades of silver, blue and green.

The length, shape, density and even direction of the needles can help you identify different fir varieties. For example, in European silver fir, Abies alba, they are curves upwards, while in other varieties they grow flat at the sides of the branch.

Identify Fir Trees by the Cones

All fir cones grow from the upper side of the branches. They never grow under the branch itself, though in some cases they bend downwards, arching over the branch. The size is usually between 2 and 10 inches long (5.0 to 25 cm). They are not woody, like in pine trees, but light and paper like. When they ripen, they usually break into pieces.

The size of the cone can help you identify the exact fir variety, as does their color, especially when unripe: they can be purple, reddish, violet, green, blue… but when they ripen, they tend to be brown, light or dark.

You can also use the shape of the cones; it can be roundish, oblong, or pointed.

Identify Fir Trees by the Seeds

Unlike pines, fir trees produce winged seeds; the actual seed is attached to a thin membrane, which, when dry, acts like a sail, and it is used to scatter the seed far from the mother tree.

However, it is not easy to distinguish different varieties of fir tree by the seed shape; you would need to be a real expert to do this.

Identify Fir Trees by the Bark

The color and texture of the bark of fir trees can be useful to identify the different varieties. Ranging from grayish to dark brown, each species has its own to al range. Also, the cracking in the bark itself is sometimes telling: it can roughly follow vertical lines, or it can have an irregular pattern, like a mosaic. What is more, it can have more or less deep cuts, and the pieces can be larger or smaller.

However, younger trees and some varieties can also have a smooth or almost smooth bark.

FIR TREE VARIETIES: NATURAL SPECIES

Of the 48 to 56 natural species of fir trees, or Abies, that exist in the world, some are more common, others more rare; and we shall see some of the best known and popular in gardening and landscaping.

1. European Silver Fir (Abies alba)

European silver fir is one of the most well known species all over the world. Reaching 160 feet in height (50 meters) but with a relatively slender trunk (4 feet and 11 inches, or 1.5 meters), it has a tall and slender appearance, conical and pointed. The bark gives it is name, as it is gray or pale brown, fairly finely cracked when adult, but almost smooth (and paler) when young.

The crown is quite dense at first, but it thins out as this conifer ages. The branches often pint slightly upwards. With short green needles, (0.71 to 1.18 inches, or 1.8 to 3 cm), arranged flatly on the sides of the branches, it produces cones that are between 3.5 and 6.7 inches long (9.0 to 17 cm), forts green, then brown with a touch or russet and with about 150 and 200 scales each.

European silver for is the original Christmas tree; you can grow it in big gardens or parks, where it will provide a very iconic shape, and it will certainly give your landscaping a strong vertical accent.

• Hardiness: USDA zones 5 to 8.
• Light exposure: full Sun, partial shade and even full shade.
• Unripe cone color: bright green.
• Foliage color: mid to deep green.
• Origin: mountains of Europe.
• Size: 130 to 160 feet tall (40 to 50 meters), exceptionally up to 200 feet (60 meters) and 40 to 60 feet in spread (12 to 18 meters).
• Soil and water requirements: fertile, deep, well drained and evenly humid loam, clay or sand based soil with pH from acidic to neutral.

2. Balsam Fir (Abies balsamea)

Balsam fir is easy to identify thanks to the regularity of its branching. They give birth to smaller branches in almost perfect geometric precision, and they are coated in shortish needles (0.6 to 1.12 inches, or 1.5 to 3.0 cm), deep green in color. You can clearly see the shape of the trunk and branches when looking at it.

The cones are very distinctive, cylindrical and blue violet when unripe, then golden brown when mature, but smallish, between 1.6 and 3.1 inches long (4.0 to 8.0 cm). And the bark too is fairly e for fir trees: pale grayish brown, it is smooth with bumps (resin blisters) it the ruptures and it becomes rough when it ages.

Balsam fir is an excellent garden variety; its geometric shape makes it very decorative, and its colorful cones add a point of interest as well, and, what is more, it is not a large tree, only reaching 66 feet tall maximum (20 meters). Ideal for most types of design, including city and urban gardens.

• Hardiness: USDA zones 3 to 6.
• Light exposure: full Sun or partial shade.
• Unripe cone color: blue violet.
• Foliage color: deep green.
• Origin: eastern and central Canada and USA.
• Size: 46 to 66 feet tall (14 to 20 meters) and 13 to 20 feet in spread (4.0 to 6.0 meters).
• Soil and water requirements: fertile, well drained, evenly humid loam, clay or sand based soil with pH from acidic to mildly alkaline.

3. Grand Fir (Abies grandis)

Grand fir is correctly named, because it is a giant, reaching a whopping 230 feet tall (70 meters), and exceptionally 330 feet (100 meters)! This natural skyscraper has a relatively slim trunk though, only up to 6 feet and 7 inches (2.0 meters), which, with its conical shape, gives it a very upright, towering presence.

The slightly upward pointing but almost horizontal main branches have gently descending secondary ones, so, from a distance, they look like fronds. While its size is colossal, the rest is rather diminutive… The glossy mid to dark green needles are 1.2 to 2.4 inches long (3.0 to 6.0 cm), and the cones, bright green when young, are also fairly small, 2.4 to 4.7 inches long (6.0 to 12 cm).

Grand fir is mainly grown for its wood, but if you really have a large garden, or a stately park, it could find a worthy place as a tall, towering giant that even faraway neighbors would envy you for.

• Hardiness: USDA zones 5 to 6.
• Light exposure: full Sun or partial shade.
• Unripe cone color: bright green.
• Foliage color: dark green.
• Origin: Northwest USA and West Canada.
• Size: 130 to 230 feet tall (40 to 70 meters), exceptionally 330 feet (100 meters) and 20 to 40 feet in spread (12 to 24 meters).
• Soil and water requirements: deep, fertile, well drained, evenly humid loam, clay or sand bases soil with pH from acidic to neutral.

4. White Fir (Abies concolor)

If you think you can identify white fir by the name – well, you need a few more details. Actually it is not the color of snow, but its bark is gray, and it is cracked and very thick, 4 inches deep (10 cm). But it looks whitish from a distance, because the needles are blue green on the upper side, and they have two blue white bands underneath.

Usually growing to about 200 feet (60 meters) it also has a large trunk at the base, up to 15 feet (4.6 meters). The branches point outwards, and mature specimens have a fairly open habit. Finally, the cones are 2.4 to 4.8 inches long (6.0 to 12 cm) and they can be green or purple when young, then pale brown when ripe, with 100 to 159 scales.

A bright looking tall and upright conifer, white fir is not a popular garden variety; yet again, you would need a large plot of land to grow it, but if you do have it, a silver conical tree will always be a great, glittery presence to lift up wooded areas.

• Hardiness: USDA zones 3 to 7.
• Light exposure: full Sun or partial shade.
• Unripe cone color: green or purple.
• Foliage color: green blue, with white blue stripes underneath.
• Origin: western United States.
• Size: 82 to 200 feet tall (25 to 60 meters) and 15 to 30 feet in spread (4.5 to 9.0 meters).
• Soil and water requirements: deep, fertile, well drained, evenly humid loam, clay or sand based soil with mildly acidic to neutral pH. It is moderately drought tolerant once established.

5. California Red Fir (Abies magnifica)

Yet another towering member of the genus Abies, California red fir is easier to identify when it is mature. This is due to its bark, which, when the plant is young is smooth and grayish with resin blisters. However, as it comes to maturity it becomes orange red, rough and cracked.

The strong color of trunk and slightly descending branches contrasts with the glaucous green of the needles, which are also very short, reaching a maximum of 1.4 inches (3.0 cm) and they have two blue green stomatal lines at the bottom. The cones are fairly big, up to 8.3 inches long (21 cm) and they can be yellow green or occasionally purple.

A lover of high altitudes, this variety of fir from California is not a common garden tree; it needs a large space, but its red upright, straight and majestic trunk would certainly provide a vertical visual imperative in a large park.

• Hardiness: USDA zones 4 to 8.
• Light exposure: full Sun.
• Unripe cone color: yellow green or occasionally purple.
• Foliage color: glaucous green.
• Origin: California and Oregon.
• Size: 130 to 200 feet tall (40 to 60 meters) and 15 to 25 feet in spread (4.5 to 7.5 meters).
• Soil and water requirements: deep, fertile, well drained and evenly humid loam, clay or sand based soil with moderately to r acidic pH.

6. Subalpine Fir (Abies lasiocarpa)

Subalpine fir is quite distinctive and easy to recognize, because it has a very distinctive needle like crown that starts from as low as 3 feet 3 inches from the ground (1.0 meters) and it tapers to a very thin top. It looks like the Eiffel Tower in fact, but it is not a giant species, usually reaching 66 feet tall (20 meters) and only exceptionally up to 160 feet (59 meters).

The bark is smooth with resin blisters when young and finely cracked when adult, but always pale gray. The needle like leaves are short, maximum 1.2 inches long (3.0 cm) and glaucous green, with blue white stripes at the bottom, but they are arranged in a spiral around the branches, so, easy to identify. The cones are maximum 4.7 inches long (12 cm) and dark purple when young, then ripening to brown. This trait too is quite unique.

Popular for its wood and as a Christmas tree, Subalpine fir is also a good garden variety, thanks to its sculptural crown, colorful cones and usually modest size. It can work well in most garden styles as a specimen plant or in wooded areas, and it is also common in bonsai form.

• Hardiness: USDA zones 5 to 6.
• Light exposure: full Sun, partial shade or even full shade.
• Unripe cone color: dark purple.
• Foliage color: glaucous green.
• Origin: Western Canada and Northwestern United States.
• Size: usually up to 66 feet tall (20 meters), exceptionally up to 160 feet (59 meters), and up to 23 feet in spread (7.0 meters).
• Soil and water requirements: deep, fertile, well drained and evenly humid loam, clay or sand based soil with pH from very acidic to mildly acidic.

7. Korean Fir (Abies koreana)

Korean fir is a very decorative variety from Asia, quite small, reaching only 60 feet tall (18 meters), and easy to identify. It has a very clear conical shape, with a broad and low base, and a dense crown, thick with glossy and short needle like leaves that only reach 0.8 inches long (2.0 cm), with vivid white bands on the under page. They are also arranged in a spiral around the branches, adding to the fullness of the ensemble.

The unripe cones are fairly small, up to 2.8 inches in length (7.0 cm) but very colorful: they are purple blue with green or yellow bracts that stick out of the scales like little tongues. The bark too is distinctive, because it stays smooth, grayish brown and with resin blisters all through the life of this conifer.

Of the natural species of Abies, Korean fir is one of the best loved by gardeners, and in fact it has won the Award of Garden Merit by the Royal Horticultural Society. Its small size, bright and colorful presence, and sculptural shape make it ideal for all sorts of temperate gardens, formal and informal alike.

• Hardiness: USDA zones 5 to 9.
• Light exposure: full Sun or partial shade.
• Unripe cone color: purple blue with yellow or green bracts.
• Foliage color: glossy green.
• Origin: South Korea.
• Size: 33 to 60 feet tall (10 to 18 meters) and 10 to 20 feet in spread (3.0 to 6.0 meters).
• Soil and water requirements: fertile, well drained, evenly humid loam, clay or sand based soil with pH from moderately acidic to neutral. It is moderately drought tolerant once established.

8. Fraser Fir (Abies fraseri)

Fraser fir may be one of the easiest to recognize, but not from a distance… In fact, it has a pyramidal, full crown, with thick almost horizontal branches, fully covered in short needles, green on the top side and with two silver stomata bands underneath. And so far, nothing very unusual… The bark too is gray brown and smooth with resin blisters when young, and then it cracks… Again, nothing distinctive.

But get close and you will smell a strong turpentine aroma coming from the needles! Then you will know! And if you see the unripe cones, then you can be certain… Reaching 3 inches long (7.5 cm), you can hardly see their surface, because the protruding bracts with a thin tail cover them almost completely, with their pale, silver or yellow green color. Look underneath and you will see that they are actually pastel violet.

This small variety grows quite slowly, 6 to 12 inches per year (15 to 30 cm) and to about 50 feet in height (15 meters), so, Fraser fir is by far one of the best natural Abies species to grow in a garden.

• Hardiness: USDA zones 4 to 7.
• Light exposure: full Sun or partial shade.
• Unripe cone color: pastel violet, but covered in pale silver green or yellow green bracts.
• Foliage color: green on the upper sides, silver stripes underneath.
• Origin: Appalachian Mountains.
• Size: 30 to 50 feet tall (9.0 to 15 meters) and 10 to 25 feet in spread (3.0 to 7.5 meters).
• Soil and water requirements: fertile, well drained and evenly humid loam, clay or sand based soil with pH from moderately to mildly acidic; it tolerates neutral soils.

9. Nordmann Fir (Abies nordmanniana)

Nordman fir, or Caucasian fir, is yet another decorative species of Abies, thanks to the regularity of its branching, especially when young. The opposite branches are in fact geometrically spaced and arranged, but they also form a dense canopy, thanks to the glaucous green or sometimes bluish needles that grow in a spiral over them. These are short, only 1.4 inches long (3.5 cm) and they have two white stomatal lines underneath.

New shoots have a bright green shade with a touch of yellow! The cones are bright blue or violet and with visible yellow or pink brown bracts when unripe, and large, up to 8 inches long (20 cm). But this variety has a last surprise for you: it is the tallest tree in Europe and Russia, reaching the dizzy height of 256 feet (78 meters)!

Loved as a Christmas tree because its needles do not drop easily, Nordmann fir is also popular in parks and large gardens, and its cultivar ‘Golden Spreader’ has won the Award of Garden Merit by the Royal Horticultural Society.

• Hardiness: USDA zones 4 to 6.
• Light exposure: full Sun or partial shade.
• Unripe cone color: blue or violet with yellow or brownish pink bracts.
• Foliage color: glaucous green, sometimes bluish.
• Origin: south and east of the Black Sea, Turkey, Georgia and the Russian Caucasus.
• Size: 180 to 200 feet tall (55 to 60 meters), sometimes up to 256 feet (78 meters) and 20 to 40 feet in spread (6.0 to 12 meters).
• Soil and water requirements: deep, fertile, well drained and evenly humid loam, clay or sand based soil with pH from moderately acidic to neutral.

FIR TREE VARIETIES: CULTIVARS

Most of the natural species of Abies, stunning though they are, are hardly suitable for normal gardens, given their giant size, but breeders have developed so many beautiful fir cultivars that are small and much more “practical”, and, trust me, they are so different from their parents that you will hardly recognize them. So, let’s see the best transformations of of this amazing tree!

1. ‘Golden Spreader’ Caucasian Fir (Abies nordmanniana ‘Golden Spreader’)

Starting from where we left, it’s hard to identify ‘Golden Spreader’ as the daughter of nordmann fir, but it is despite its diminutive size (only 3.3 feet, or 100 cm tall!) With a dense crown and of course needles arranged in a spiral around its branches like its mother, it forms a perfect but very broad cone, the base reaching 5 feet in spread (1.5 meters).

With the telltale blue or violet cones of the species, with yellow or pink brown bracts attached, it also offers you another intriguing and colorful twist: the foliage is soft green throughout the year, but in winter it takes on a yellow glow!

Perfect for a winter garden, ‘Golden Spreader’ Caucasian fir is an excellent choice to light up shady gardens, as foundation planting, in rock gardens and even as part of beds and borders. And remember, this is a winner of the Award of Garden Merit by the Royal Horticultural Society!

• Hardiness: USDA zones 4 to 6.
• Light exposure: full Sun or partial shade.
• Unripe cone color: blue, violet with yellow or pink brown bracts.
• Foliage color: soft green and yellow green.
• Size: 2 to 3.3 feet tall (60 to 100 cm) and 4 to 5 feet in spread (120 to 159 cm).
• Soil and water requirements: fertile, organically rich, well drained and evenly humid loam, clay or sand based soil with pH from moderately acidic to neutral.

2. ‘Spreading Star’ Pacific Silver Fir (Abies amabilis ‘Spreading Star’)

Here is another tiny dwarf variety of for you would hardly identify as an Abies species at all! It is so short and large that it looks like a prostrate shrub, unlike its natural relatives that always grow up and thin into the sky! It forms a cushion of soft and fine looking needles coating small branches in a spiraling fashion, fluffy and welcoming.

They are green, but with silver undersides, which creates interesting light games. The cones are purple violet when young, offering you an interesting contrast. As you would expect, this cultivar is very slow growing indeed: only 3 to 4 inches per year (7.5 to 10 cm)!

You’d never thought that you could use a fir as ground cover but with ‘Spreading Star’ you can! Or you may have it in a rock garden flower bed, even in a border if you wish. It is ideal for low maintenance gravel and urban gardens, even in full shade!

• Hardiness: USDA zones 6 to 8.
• Light exposure: full Sun, partial shade or full shade.
• Unripe cone color: violet purple.
• Foliage color: green with silver undersides.
• Size: 2 to 3 feet tall (60 to 90 cm) and 5 to 6 feet in spread (150 to 180 cm).
• Soil and water requirements: fertile, well drained and evenly humid loam, clay or sand based soil with pH from mildly acidic to mildly alkaline.

3. ‘Compacta’ White Fir (Abies concolor ‘Compacta’)

As the name suggests, ‘Compacta’ is another dwarf Abies cultivar, this time of white fir. But what the name does not tell you is that it has an absolutely stunning color! In fact, he short, pointed and upward curved needles that completely cover the branches are in fact of a bright powder blue color, sometimes on the turquoise range, that really brighten up gardens and stand out against green foliage!

The shape is irregular, and this top sets it apart from its sisters; roughly ovoid but very shrub like. This variety also diverts from the mother species in the color of its, unusually round, cones, which are brown to purple, so, they too add some intriguing chromatic contrast. It too has won the Award of Garden Merit by the Royal Horticultural Society, no wonder…

If you need blue foliage in your borders, in a rock garden, in a city or gravel garden or indeed in any informal green space, including in a container on your patio, ‘Compacta’ white fir is your man!

• Hardiness: USDA 4 to 7.
• Light exposure: full Sun or partial shade.
• Unripe cone color: brown purple.
• Foliage color: very blue!
• Size: 2 to 3 feet tall (60 to 120 cm) and 2 to 4 feet in spread (60 to 120 cm).
• Soil and water requirements: fertile, well drained and evenly humid loam, clay or sand based soil with pH from mildly acidic to neutral.

4. ‘Kohout’s Ice Breaker’ Korean Fir (Aboes koreana ‘Kohout’s Ice Breaker’)

It’s easy to spot ‘Kohout’s Ice Breaker’ Korean fir among other varieties of the Abies genus! It simply looks almost white! Yes, because the dense and short needles that fully coat the equally small branches have a very striking color indeed… while the upper page is bright green, you can hardly see it at all because the leaves are very curled, so, from a distance, all you see is the white blue undersides!

This light filled and bright effect makes it a stunning garden cultivar indeed, and the small but elongated purple coned add dots of warmth to this freezing shrub like conifer. While it is globular when young, it then tends to turn into a pyramidal shape when adult. This snowy dwarf that grows only 1 to 3 inches per year (2.5 to 7.5 cm) has also won the Award of Garden Merit by the Royal Horticultural Society, but it also won the Conifer of the Year prize in 2014!

For a splash of bright light and an icy look in beds, borders, rockeries, foundation planting, even containers, ‘Kohout’s Ice Breaker’ Korean fir has no match!

• Hardiness: USDA zones 5 to 9.
• Light exposure: full Sun.
• Unripe cone color: purple.
• Foliage color: bright green on the upper side, white blue on the under side.
• Size: 1 to 3 feet tall (30 to 90 cm) and 2 to 3 feet in spread (60 to 90 cm).
• Soil and water requirements: fertile, well drained and evenly humid loam, clay or sand based soil with pH from moderately acidic to neutral. It is moderately drought tolerant once established.

5. ‘Alpinestar’ Korean Fir (Abies koreana ‘Alpin Star’)

From snow bright to night darkness: meet another small transformation of the Abies genus, ‘Alpinestar’ Korean fir. Arguably the variety with the darkest ever foliage in the world, the dense needles that grow in spirals all around the short branches are of the deepest forest green ever! But they do reserve you some light games too, because the undersides are striped in white.

Starting off as a globular, shrub like conifer, this dwarf cultivar then develops into a pyramidal or conical but miniature tree with very regular, sculptural branches. The cones are a bit of a surprise… Sometimes violet blue, sometimes purple, they also show little bracts, which can be white, green or even red!

What a little wonder is ‘Alpinestar’ Korean fir! Yet again, suitable for many places in your garden, from rockeries to borders and foundation planting. If you want depth, color and a dark look with a twist, go for it!

• Hardiness: USDA zones 5 to 7.
• Light exposure: full Sun.
• Unripe cone color: violet blue, purple, small bracts in green, white or red.
• Foliage color: very dark forest green with white stripes on the undersides.
• Size: 1 to 2 feet tall and in spread (30 to 60 cm).
• Soil and water requirements: fertile, well drained, evenly humid loam, clay or sand based soil with pH from moderately acidic to neutral.

6. ‘Glauca’ Blue Noble Fir (Abies procera ‘Glauca’)

We close our list with a bigger cultivar than the others, the medium sized conifer ‘Blue Noble Fir’, easy to identify by its colors! The upward pointing, slightly curved needles that coat the branches completely are of one color, on both sides, and it is blue, in the silver to turquoise range! But this tree is a real artist, with an exquisite and very refined palette.

In fact, it complements the unusual hue of its foliage with the jam to mulberry purple shade of its cones! It’s a match made in heaven if you have a taste for delicate chromatic contrasts… Growing into a medium sized specimen of maximum 50 feet (15 meters) it will also display a sculptural conical crown that starts from ground level as an adult, while it is globular and shrub like when young.

‘Glauca’ blue noble fir definitely deserves center stage in your garden, grow it as a specimen tree in a focal position, or for foundation planting maybe just beside your main door. And yes, of course it has won the prestigious Award of Garden Merit by the Royal Horticultural Society!

• Hardiness: USDA zones 5 to 6.
• Light exposure: full Sun.
• Unripe cone color: jam to mulberry purple.
• Foliage color: fully silver to turquoise blue.
• Size: 30 to 50 feet tall (9.0 to 15 meters) and 10 to 20 feet in spread (3.0 to 6.0 meters).
• Soil and water requirements: fertile, well drained, evenly humid loam, clay or sand based soil with pH moderately acidic to neutral.

FIR TREE VARIETIES: GIANTS DWARFS AND IN MANY COLORS!

Maybe the most striking thing of fir trees is that they are towering giants in Nature, but then there are so many really tiny cultivars coming from them! It’s a bit like Gulliver’s Travels in the world of highland forests! Then again, this is a blessing for gardeners… because even if you cannot fit a colossal grand fir in your back garden, there are many smaller varieties that you can even grow on a terrace…

And the good thing is, they come with all their differences, in size, yes, but also shape, personality, and above all, colors, of the bark, of the needles, and of the comes as well, and by now, you can surely identify the main varieties – so you can now “adopt” one of this mountain beauties!