Guide to Florida's Live and Cut Christmas Trees

Florida has a good selection of live and cut Christmas trees to choose from. Whether you prefer to buy your tree from a local tree lot, or cut your tree down yourself from a tree farm, choosing the right tree can be frustrating. Let's face it, we all want the perfect tree that suits our family. However, picking out a tree is like buying a new car, everyone has their own opinion, and the sales person wants you to buy the most expensive. Keep in mind, Christmas trees are just like anything else, the most expensive doesn't always mean it's the best. This guide will show you the pro's and con's of each tree, to help you make your decision.
Florida's Christmas trees are divided into 3 basic groups, Fir's, Pine's, and Spruce's.

The Fir's are a popular favorite for many upscale tree lots. There are 3 Fir's to choose from, Douglas Fir, Balsam Fir, and Fraser Fir. All three of these trees hold needles great with or without water. What that means for you, is less sweeping, and vacuuming. They have a great strong fragrance, that last throughout the season, making your home smell wonderful. The needles are also very soft on these trees, which keeps down accidental pokes, which is a plus if you have kids, or pets. However, the branches aren't very firm, so you'll have to decorate it light, or deal with saggy branches. As far as the cost, it's average to fair, running $10.00 or more a foot at upscale lots.

The Pine tree's are favorite's for those on a budget, and for fund raiser tree lots. There are 2 basic Christmas Pines, the Scotch and White Pine. These two trees, though both Pines, are very different. The both hold needles great, with or without water, and have a strong Christmas tree scent. The Scotch Pine is perhaps the most durable Live Christmas tree. It has the firmest branches, for all those heavy decorators, and it is the cheapest Christmas tree. But, watch out, the Scotch's needles can draw blood. The white pine on the other hand, has soft needles, but also has soft branches. The White Pine is also affordable, with both pines running between $5.00 - $7.00 a foot, and every cheaper at some lots.

The Spruce family also consist of 3 tree's, White Spruce, Norway Spruce, and Blue Spruce. All of these trees are also very different. The White Spruce holds needles good with water, but not so great without. It has firm branches, and softer needles. However, it has very little to no scent, so you'll need to use artificial tree fragrance if your looking for that fresh tree smell. The White Spruce cost around the same price as the Fir family, $10.00 a foot. The Norway Spruce sheds it's needles bad with or without water. The branches are somewhat firm, and the needles are softer, plus it does have a tree smell to it. But, the Norway Spruce is slightly more then the White Spruce, and I'm not sure cleaning up all those needles are worth the cost. The Blue Spruce, is perhaps a near perfect tree. It holds it's needles great with or without water, it has a great smell, the branches are very firm, and the needles are soft. But. be sure to bring your credit card, the Blue Spruce is the most expensive tree, costing $12.00 and up per foot.

Picking out a real Christmas tree is a lot of work, but great family fun. There is several tree farms in Florida where your family can choose and cut their own tree. For a list of tree lots, and tree farms visit www.pickyourownchristmastree.com. Remember, it's not only about price, it's also about quality, and memories.