Nordmann Fir

The Nordmann Fir is Britain's favourite Christmas tree, and the reason is simple. It does not drop its needles.

Put a Nordmann Fir up in the first week of December and it will still look right on Christmas morning. That is not marketing. It is the whole point of the tree, and it is why more than eight in ten real Christmas trees sold in the UK are Nordmanns.

Ours are British grown on family farms, hand-selected, and cut to order. Delivery is free and you choose the date.

Why the Nordmann Fir holds its needles

Most trees drop because the needles dry out and let go. The Nordmann is built differently. Its needles are thick, waxy and glossy, and that waxy coat holds moisture in. The tree loses water slowly, so the needles stay attached long after a spruce would have carpeted your floor.

Keep it watered and a Nordmann Fir will hold four to five weeks indoors. Let the stand run dry and even a Nordmann will give up on you, so top up the water daily. It is the one job the tree asks of you.

What a Nordmann Fir looks like

A conical tree with strong, bushy branches growing in tiers. The branches shorten as they climb, which gives the Nordmann its even, symmetrical shape. Ours are pruned twice a year by hand to keep that shape true.

The needles are a rich dark green on top with a paler silver underside, and they are soft. Run your hand along a branch and nothing bites. That matters more than people expect. If you have small children or a curious dog, the Nordmann Fir is the tree that will not draw blood when someone reaches into it to fix a light.

The branches are strong and well spaced. They carry heavy glass baubles without sagging, and the gaps between tiers give your decorations room to hang properly instead of getting swallowed by foliage.

Scent

Here is the honest trade. The Nordmann Fir has almost no scent.

If you want a house that smells of pine, this is not your tree. Buy a Norway Spruce instead and accept that it drops. If you have someone in the house who reacts badly to strong scents, the Nordmann's near-silence is a feature rather than a fault.

You are buying needle retention. That is the deal, and for most families it is the right one.

Where the Nordmann Fir comes from

The Nordmann Fir is Abies nordmanniana, also called the Caucasian fir. A Finnish botanist named Alexander von Nordmann found it in 1838 in the Caucasus, the mountain range between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. It took another century and a half to become the tree in almost every British living room.

It grows slowly. A Nordmann takes around ten years to reach 6ft. That patience is part of what you pay for, and it is why a Nordmann costs more than a fast-growing spruce.

What size Nordmann Fir do you need?

Measure your ceiling, then take off a foot. The stand lifts the trunk off the floor and the star needs room on top. A 7ft tree in a 7ft room does not fit.

Most homes want 5ft to 8ft. We can supply a Nordmann Fir up to 20ft on request, and up to 40ft through our installation service.

Think about width as well as height. A tree is roughly two thirds as wide as it is tall, so an 8ft Nordmann needs about five feet of floor. Push a wide tree into a narrow alcove and you lose a third of it to the wall.

We measure from the base of the trunk to the leader, the vertical shoot at the very top where the star sits.

How to care for your Nordmann Fir

Saw an inch off the bottom of the trunk before it goes in the stand. Sap seals the cut end within hours of harvesting, and a fresh cut reopens it so the tree can drink again. Skip this and the tree cannot take up water no matter how full the reservoir is.

Get it into water straight away. A tree can drink two litres in its first day indoors. Use a stand with a proper reservoir and check it every day. If it runs dry, the trunk seals over and you are back to square one.

Keep it away from radiators, wood burners and sunny windows. Heat is what kills Christmas trees. A cool corner will buy you weeks.

A Christmas tree stand with a wide, deep reservoir does both jobs at once. It holds the tree straight and holds the water. It is not the place to save ten pounds.

Nordmann Fir or Norway Spruce?

This is the only real decision most people face.

Choose the Nordmann Fir if you want to decorate early, you hang heavy ornaments, you have children or pets, or you would rather not hoover needles every day. It holds longer, its branches are stronger, and its needles are soft.

Choose the Norway Spruce if the smell of pine is the thing you love most about Christmas, and you are happy to put the tree up later in December to get it.

If you want something alive that goes back outside in January, look at our pot grown trees instead.

More detail in our guide to real Christmas trees.

Ordering and delivery

Once you order, your Nordmann Fir is hand-selected from our farm. We cut and pack it the working day before your delivery date, so it spends as little time in transit as possible.

Each tree is netted, then loaded into a heavy-duty tree carrier with a cane inside to protect its shape. It comes out of the bag looking like it did in the field.

Delivery is free anywhere on the UK mainland. You choose the date at checkout, deliveries run 8am to 6pm, and you do not need to be in. If a tree arrives damaged, tell us and we will replace it free of charge.

See our full Christmas tree delivery details.

Nordmann Fir FAQs

Does the Nordmann Fir really not drop needles?

It drops far fewer than any spruce, and a well watered one will hold four to five weeks. No real tree drops nothing at all. Let it run dry and it will drop like any other.

Is the Nordmann Fir safe for cats and children?

The needles are soft and blunt rather than sharp, so it is the kinder tree to have around small hands and paws. If cats are the problem, look at our cat-proof Christmas tree, a Nordmann with the lower branches removed.

Why does a Nordmann Fir cost more?

It takes about ten years to grow to 6ft, roughly twice as long as a Norway Spruce. You are paying for the time in the ground and the needle retention that comes with it.

Does the Nordmann Fir smell of Christmas?

Barely. It is close to scentless. If scent matters most to you, buy a Norway Spruce.

When should I have my Nordmann Fir delivered?

Any time from the start of December works. It will hold to Christmas Day if you water it. Order early, because the best delivery dates go first.