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Powerful and durable trees with a narrow pyramidal and low crown, rounded at the top in old trees. The bark of many species is smooth gray, with protruding nodules that store resin. In some fir trees, with age, the bark thickens and cracks into pieces of bark. The skeletal branches are arranged more or less whorled, directed obliquely upward or spread horizontally.

The needles of vegetative shoots are flat, usually with a rounded or notched top, with two light stomatal stripes below, while generative shoots are tetrahedral, with stripes on all edges. As can be seen in the photo, the fir needles are narrowed at the base, and then expanded into a rounded heel, which leaves a mark on the shoot after falling. It can be located comb-like, cover the upper part of the shoot with a flooring, or stick up.

Male cones are single, located in the axils of the needles on the upper side of last year's shoots. Female cones are vertical, with numerous seed and covering scales. The seed scales are broadly rounded at the top, narrowing towards the base into a stalk. Covering scales with pointed tips are especially noticeable on young cones during the dusting period. When the seeds ripen, the cone disintegrates, leaving a protruding rod on the branch. The seeds ripen in the first year, angular, with a large wing.

One of the main characteristics of fir is the absence of resin ducts in the wood. Unlike other conifers, the resin ducts of fir are concentrated in the bark, and resin nodules are formed in the places where they are intertwined.

The healing properties of fir have been known since ancient times. Medicines are made from all parts of these plants: bark, needles, buds, leaves. Fir resin is also widely used in medicine. Fir is a source of essential oil with a high content of active components and tannins.

Our photo gallery contains photos of the main types of fir. In total, there are about 50 of them, including hybrids, common in the mountain and taiga forests of the temperate and subtropical zones of the Northern Hemisphere; one species is found in Mexico and Guatemala.

All types of fir are divided into ten sections:

Amabilis

Balsamea

Bracteata

Piceaster

Pseudopicea.

Most types of fir are characterized by low frost resistance, and some are not frost-resistant at all, for example, Guatemalan fir. Mostly fir trees, common in the taiga zone of the Northern Hemisphere, are frost-resistant. In addition, fir trees are demanding on soil fertility and moisture conditions in habitats.

Planting and growing fir

Agricultural technology. Among the firs there are many lovers of mild climates, only a few can tolerate the conditions of the middle zone. When growing fir, you should remember that these trees grow well in the sun, but are quite shade-tolerant and require shade at a young age. They like fertile, deeply cultivated soils, as a rule (except for single-colored fir), do not approve of too dry air, and watering is advisable during drought. Sensitive to industrial air pollution.

For planting fir, it is preferable to choose cloudy, warm days, and it is best to plant these plants during rain. It is best to replant fir in spring (April) or autumn (from late August to early October)

Application. Very beautiful, neat and slender trees, suitable for parks, alleys and group compositions. Numerous varieties of different formats expand the possibilities of use in flower beds, rock gardens, rockeries, etc.

Balsam fir - Abies balsamea

In nature, the height is 15-25 m. In culture, by the age of 20 it reaches 7 m (Moscow). The bark is grayish, smooth when young, brown and flaky on old (more than 100 years old) trees. The branches are ash-gray, briefly pubescent. The buds are greenish with a purple tint, highly resinous. The needles are 15-25 (35) mm long and 1.5 mm wide, rounded or slightly bipartite at the top, dark green above, with narrow whitish stripes below, combed and protruding, on weak branches simply combed, extends from the branch under an almost straight line corner, fragrant when rubbed. Balsam fir cones are purple before ripening, 10 cm long, 2-2.5 cm in diameter. The covering scales are approximately 1/2 the length of the seed scales, almost round, serrated on top, with a short point and a narrow stalk. Found in eastern North America from Labrador to Virginia and Iowa, it forms forests. Cultivated since 1697

Recognizable by its rather short, protruding needles, in which a more or less clear “parting” can be seen. Very winter hardy.

Varieties of balsam fir

About 20 varieties of balsam fir are known. Both the wild form and some of them are found on sale.

Fir variety ‘Nana’(‘Globosa’) (until 1866). A very popular dwarf variety with a dense crown of a rounded-flattened shape. At 10 years, height is 0.5 m, width is 1 m. The branches are short, randomly spread. The needles are shorter than those of the wild form, 4-10 mm long, emerald green, deflected downwards, located radially on young shoots, comb-like on old shoots, with a clear parting.

Fir variety ‘Piccolo’(1987, Germany). A smaller variety than Nana, but similar in shape. The needles are bluish-green, often located radially, deflected downwards.

Fir variety ‘Kiwi’. A very dense dwarf variety with a round shape. The needles are bluish-green, located radially.

White fir, or European fir - Abies alba

In nature it grows up to 30-60 m in height. In cultivation it grows slowly, at 10 years old - about 2 m (Moscow), at 30 years old - 5 m (St. Petersburg).

The branches are horizontally spread, the lower ones die off early. The bark is smooth, grayish, cracking in old age. The branches are gray, with short and hard brown pubescence, often with blackish warts. White (European) fir buds without resin. The needles are 15-30 mm long, 2-2.5 mm wide, rounded or bipartite at the top, dark green above, shiny, with two white stripes below. Arranged comb-like.

The cones are 10-17 cm long, 3-5 cm in diameter, greenish before ripening. Seed scales are 25-30 mm wide, wedge-shaped, rounded, with a rather long (up to 9 mm) stalk, felt-like on the outside. The covering scales are longer than the seed scales, protrude and bend back. Found in the mountains of Central and Southern Europe, it forms pure and mixed stands with various deciduous species, mainly beech. The wild form is quite rare on sale.

It freezes in harsh winters and recovers.

About 6 varieties are registered. The most common of them is ‘Pyramidalis’ (‘Pyramidalis Compacta’) (1850, England). It is a slow-growing, dense and narrow pyramidal form with short raised branches, reaching 3 m in height by 10 years. Maximum height 10 m. The needles are dark green, 1-2 cm long, radial.

Tall or noble fir - Abies procera (A. nobilis)

In good conditions it is a tall tree with reddish-brown bark. In cultivation, noble fir grows as a bush, reaching 1.2 m in height (St. Petersburg). Branches with small rusty pubescence. The buds are resinous. The needles on old shoots are comb-shaped, on young shoots they stick out upward, on the upper side of the shoot they are shorter than on the side, 25-35 mm long, 1.5 mm wide, rounded at the end, bluish-green, with narrow pale stripes on the lower side. There is a form (var. glauca, can be offered as the variety ‘Glauca’) with completely blue needles. The cones are large, cylindrical. Found on the west coast of the USA. In cultivation since 1831. Hardy in the middle zone.

Noble fir varieties with photos

There are more than 10 varieties, mostly produced from the glaucous form. Dwarf and prostrate forms that can winter under snow are recommended.

Noble fir variety ‘Blaue Hexe’(1965, Germany). Dwarf variety with a wide cushion-shaped crown. The shoots are short. The needles are short, wide, bluish-green. Witch's broom.

Noble fir variety ‘Bizarro’. Dwarf wide-pyramidal shape, very dense. The needles are bluish-green. By the age of 10 it reaches 1 m in height.

Noble fir variety ‘Glauca Prostrata’(‘Compacta’, ‘Procumbens’) (1928, England). Cultivation. Slow growing, prostrate variety with irregular branching. Height 1 m, width -1.5 m. The needles are very blue. Obtained by grafting a side branch of the ‘Glauca’ variety. To maintain shape, you need to periodically pluck out the leading vertical shoots.

Vicha fir - Abies veitchii

In nature it grows to a height of 30-40 m (in 10 years up to 15 m). In cultivation at 40 years, more than 12 m tall (Moscow). It grows slowly and freezes slightly. The bark is smooth grayish. The branches are gray, brown, densely pubescent. Vicha fir has purple, highly resinous buds. The needles are dense, almost comb-like on old branches, protruding obliquely forward on young ones, 10-25 mm long and about 2 mm wide, notched at the apex, shiny dark green above, with bright white stomatal stripes below. The cones are cylindrical, 4.5-6.5 cm long, bluish-purple until ripe. The covering scales slightly protrude and are bent.

Native to the mountains of central Japan. Introduced in 1861

It is close to Korean fir, from which it differs in longer needles. The same beautiful tree with two-colored needles, the contrasting color of which is noticeable from a distance.

Vicha fir varieties

6 varieties are registered, but they are rarely listed on sale.

Wicha fir variety ‘Heddergott’(‘Hexenbessen Heddergott’) (1986, Germany). Dwarf shrub with a vase-shaped crown. Annual growth is 3-5 cm. The needles are bright green with a silver lining.

Wicha fir variety ‘Pendula’(‘Jeddeloh Weeping’) (1970, Germany). Graceful form with drooping branches, the central leader can also bend. Height at 10 years is about 2.5 m.

Wicha fir variety ‘Rumburk’(c. 2001, USA). Dwarf, dense, cushion-shaped. Annual growth is 2.5-5 cm per year.

Korean fir - Abies koreana

Korean fir is one of the most beautiful and winter-hardy firs, widespread in culture. It is characterized by a neat arrangement of short, rounded needles, which makes the shoots look like dish brushes.

A relatively short tree, reaching 18 m in nature. In cultivation it grows approximately 3 m in 20 years. The bark is smooth, gray, reddish-brown in age, cracking. The branches are yellowish with sparse pubescence, later becoming bare. Korean fir buds are almost without resin. The needles are hard, thick, protruding, evenly covering the upper part of the shoot, 1020 mm long, 2-2.5 mm wide, slightly wider at the top, with a rounded or pointed (in young plants) tip, dark green and shiny above, pale wide below stomatal stripes. Cones are 4-7 cm long, 2.5 cm in diameter, violet-purple until ripe. The ends of the covering scales slightly protrude and bend back. Homeland - Korea, where it grows in mountain forests. In culture since 1908

One of the most beautiful and at the same time winter-hardy fir trees, widespread in cultivation. It is characterized by a neat arrangement of short, rounded needles, which makes the shoots look like “brush brushes” for dishes.

Varieties of Korean fir in the photo

From us you can purchase both the wild form and many varieties of Korean fir, of which at least 70 are registered in total. Among them there are a lot of hard-to-distinguish dwarf compact “pillows” that can be grafted onto a standard.

Korean fir variety ‘Aurea’(1956, Canada). Lower (up to 3 m) and slower growing than the wild form. The needles are yellow, especially bright in autumn. ‘Luminetta’ may also be offered under this name.

Korean fir variety ‘Blauer Eskimo’(1990, Germany). Witch’s broom variety ‘Blaue Pfiff’, even denser, irregularly cushion-shaped or hemispherical in shape. The annual growth is about 2 cm. The needles are bluish-gray.

Korean fir variety ‘Blauer Pfiff’(‘Blue Hit’) (Germany). A small tree with irregular branching and no clear central leader. The crown can be wide-conical or oval. The needles are bluish. This variety of Korean fir was obtained by induced mutation (irradiation of seeds).

Korean fir variety ‘Blue Emperor’(2002, England). A dense compact variety with a wide crown, grows vertically, but does not have a pronounced central leader. The needles are intense blue. The cones are purple.

Korean fir variety ‘Blue Magic’(1990, Germany). A very beautiful dwarf pyramidal variety with blue needles and abundant lilac cones. Improved 'Blauer Pfiff'.

Korean fir variety ‘Brillant’. Dwarf, low and dense, with an even crown, growing in width. The needles are bright green. By the age of 10 it reaches 20 cm in height.

Korean fir variety ‘Cis’(1989, Holland). Miniature, very dense, in the shape of a wide hummock. The needles are dark green and small. Growth is 1-2 cm per year.

Korean fir variety ‘Compact Dwarf’('Compacta'). As the name suggests, a smaller copy of the wild form, wider and denser, symmetrical. The needles are bluish-green. Rarely brings cones. Growth is 5-8 cm per year. By the age of 10, it does not reach even 1 m in height.

Korean fir variety ‘Dark Hill’(until 1990, Germany). The crown is compact, flattened and rounded. At 15 years old it reaches 0.7 m in height and 1.2 m in width. The needles are very dark.

Korean fir variety ‘Doni Tajusho’(circa 2001). A miniature ball-shaped variety, bright green. The needles are very small.

Korean fir variety ‘Green Carpet’(1990, Holland). Semi-dwarf low variety without a central leader with widely spread branches. The needles are pure green. Annual growth is 10 cm. By the age of 10 it reaches 1 m in height with a width of at least 2 m.

Korean fir variety ‘Inga’. Dwarf. A wide compact pyramid with bluish, even needles.

Korean fir variety ‘Ice Breaker’(circa 2004). Witch's broom from the 'Silberlocke' variety. A miniature variety with inverted needles, so that only their lower, silvery side is visible. Annual growth is about 3 cm. Effective on a trunk.

Korean fir variety ‘Kula’. A dwarf, slow-growing variety in the form of a wide, dense pyramid. By the age of 10 it reaches 50 cm in height. The needles are pure green, very short.

Korean fir variety ‘Luminetta’(‘Lutea’) (Holland). The needles, especially on young shoots, are yellowish and turn green in the fall. Grows slower than the wild form.

Korean fir variety ‘Molly’. Compact, slow growing variety with dark green needles. The branches are raised, the central leader is clearly defined.

Korean fir variety ‘Oberon’. A miniature variety with a round, later somewhat conical crown. The needles are dark green, very even, short, arranged spirally. At the age of 10 years, height is 30 (40) cm.

Korean fir variety ‘Pancake’. Dwarf, pillow-shaped. The branches are short and protruding. The needles are bluish.

Korean fir variety ‘Piccolo’(until 1979, Holland). A variety with an unexpressed, lodging central leader. The branches are outstretched and drooping. It mainly grows in width and can reach 1.5 m at the age of 10 years at a height of 30 cm. The needles are sparse, bluish, tucked.

Korean fir variety ‘Pinocchio’(1981, USA). A miniature witch's broom with bright green, very dense and small needles. Annual growth is up to 5 cm. It is usually grafted onto a standard and has a round shape.

Korean fir variety ‘Silver Star’. Variation on the theme of the more famous 'Silberlocke'. Perhaps it has sparse and splayed branches.

Korean fir variety ‘Silberkugel’(‘Silver Globe’, ‘Pompon’, ‘Hexenbesen Wustermeyen’) (until 1986, Germany). Dwarf, very dense, with a rounded crown formed by horizontally spread branches and somewhat twisted around the trunk. Growth is about 1 cm per year. The needles are up to 1 cm long, yellowish or light green on top, slightly inverted, like those of ‘Silberlocke’.

Korean fir variety ‘Silberlocke’(‘Horstmann’s Silberlocke’, ‘Silver Curls’, ‘Silverlade’, ‘Silverlock’) (until 1983, Germany). There are forms in the form of a straight tree, obtained by grafting a shoot of the central axis, and in the form of a lopsided tree, obtained by grafting a side branch. It grows slowly, with difficulty reaching 1.5 m in height. The needles, especially on young shoots, are curled upward and inward, so that the silvery underside is visible. Fruits abundantly, the cones are green or purple. With an excess of fertilizers, it tends to straighten the needles.

Korean fir variety ‘Taiga’(“Procumbens”) (1984, Germany). Dwarf prostrate variety. The needles are dark green. Fruits at an early age, purple cones.

Korean fir variety ‘Tordis’. Dwarf, pyramidal with a symmetrical crown. The needles are dark green, slightly curled upward.

Korean fir variety ‘Tundra’(until 1993). A dwarf variety with a hemispherical or almost rounded crown. Height 0.4 m, width - 0.6 m. The surface is smooth and dense. The needles are bright green and small. Fruits at an early age. The cones are bluish.

Korean fir variety ‘Veredlung’. Semi-dwarf, asymmetrical, up to 1.5 m tall and 3 m wide, grown as a wide shrub, for which the central leader is cut out. Annual growth is up to 10 cm. The needles are smooth, pure green. It begins to bear fruit early. The buds are red-violet.

Korean fir variety ‘Verdener Dom’(until 2001, Germany). Semi-dwarf dense variety in the form of a pyramid with a clear central leader. The needles are bright green. Fruits, purple cones.

Korean fir variety ‘Zipfelmutze’. Hybrid variety (A. koreana x A. pinsapo) with splayed grayish-green needles, sparse but very neat. Perhaps it is not winter-hardy enough, since Spanish fir is very thermophilic.

Nordmann fir, or Caucasian fir - Abies nordmanniana

Caucasian fir is a tall tree up to 50 m. In cultivation at 10 years of age the height is 1.3 m (Moscow), at 25 years - 4.4 m (St. Petersburg), it freezes over in harsh winters. The bark is grayish-brown, cracking with age. The branches are light brown, pubescent, but quickly balding. The buds are not resinous. The needles are dark green, shiny, above and with whitish stripes below, 1540 mm long and 1.5-2.5 mm wide, bifid at the apex, comb-like on the old part of the shoot, flat at the tops. The cone is cylindrical, 12-20 cm long, reddish-brown with protruding covering scales.

The culture received its second name (Nordmann fir) after Alexander von Nordmann (1803-1866), a professor of botany at the University of Helsinki.

The homeland of Caucasian fir is the Caucasus, Türkiye. In culture since 1848

The wild form is often sold as a "Christmas tree".

Varieties of Nordmann fir in the photo

There are more than a dozen varieties. Given the low winter hardiness, creeping and dwarf forms are preferred.

Fir ‘Barabits Compact’(until 1990, Hungary). A dwarf compact variety with a flat top. The needles are green. Annual growth is 5-7 cm.

Fir ‘Golden Spreader’(‘Aurea Nana’) (1961, Holland). Semi-dwarf, very dense and slow growing variety. The crown is initially cushion-shaped, with age it takes the form of a wide pyramid with dense layers of outstretched branches. Annual growth is 4-5 cm. The needles are yellow, up to 2.5 cm long.

Single-color fir - Abies concolor

In nature it reaches 40 m, in culture at 30 years the height is 8 m (Moscow). The bark is gray, smooth, and cracks on old trees. The branches are yellowish-green, almost bare, the buds are resinous.

The needles are located rather chaotically, but are generally crescent-shaped and twisted upward, monochromatic, bluish-green, long, 4-6 cm and 2-2.5 mm wide, sharp or rounded at the top, convex on the upper side, and especially on the lower side . The cones are 7-12 cm long, greenish or purple until ripe, the seed scales are narrow - up to 2.5 cm wide, the coverts are hidden.

Homeland - mountains of the southwestern United States. In culture since 1872

One of our most common fir trees. Very winter-hardy, beautiful and well recognizable by its long, chaotic and monochromatic needles.

Varieties of single-color fir

There are about 30 varieties of single-color fir - all of them have a wide variety of shapes and possible colors. The number of dwarf and miniature varieties is constantly growing; this fir is one of the favorite objects for selection.

Single-color fir variety ‘Archer’s Dwarf’(until 1982, England). A dwarf variety with a dense crown, which changes with age from flattened to broadly cone-shaped. Height at 10 years is 0.8 m. The needles are very blue.

Single-color fir variety ‘Blue Safir’(‘Blue Saphir, ‘Blue Sapphire’) (Czech Republic). Miniature variety. At 10 years of age, the height is 0.3 m. The crown is cushion-shaped, very dense. The needles are short and blue. Witch’s broom variety ‘Violaceae’.

Single-color fir variety ‘Kalleberg’s Weeping Blue’(Austria). Weeping variety with silver needles. Several other varieties with a weeping crown are known: ‘Pendula’, ‘Fagerhult’ (before 1933, Sweden), etc. They can be grafted onto a standard to limit growth.

Single-color fir variety ‘Kojakovice’(Czech Republic). Miniature. The crown is flattened and dense. The needles are narrow, blue, spaced. Witch's broom.

Variety of single-colored fir ‘Violacea’(‘Atroviolacea’, ‘Purpurea’) (1879). Group of clones and seedlings. Has the same habit as the wild form. The needles are intense silver-blue. The buds are purple-violet. Found in nature and among seedlings in nurseries.

Single-color fir is one of the most common firs in Russia. Very winter-hardy, beautiful and well recognizable by its long, chaotic and monochromatic needles. In nature it reaches 40 m, in culture at 30 years the height is 8 m (Moscow).

Single-color fir variety ‘Wintergold’(until 1979, Germany). The habit is similar to that of the wild form, but grows more slowly. The needles on young shoots are yellowish-green, turning green with age. Especially bright after frost.

Single-color fir variety ‘Wintergold Prostrata’. The crown is spread out, the branches are creeping. The shape of the needles is like that of the wild form, green in summer, turning yellow in winter.

Kidney-scaled fir, or whitebark fir - Abies nephrolepis

Tree up to 20 m in height. The crown is dense. The bark of young trees is very light, with numerous resin nodules, and darkens with age. Young shoots are yellowish with red pubescence. The buds are ovoid, blunt, with thick resin. The needles are 13-25 (30) mm long, 1.3-2 mm wide, dark green, shiny, with whitish stripes below, arranged radially. Cones 4.5-6.5 x 2-2.3 cm, first reddish, then purple. Covering scales are not noticeable.

The most common type of fir in the Far East, bud-scale fir is also found in China and Korea. Introduced in 1908. Winter-hardy, can be damaged by spring frosts. At a young age it grows slowly. Demanding on air humidity, shade-tolerant.

Several less common varieties have been registered.

Sakhalin fir - Abies sachalinensis

In nature, up to 40 m tall. The crown is dense, conical. The bark is smooth, gray with resinous nodules. Young shoots are light or reddish brown, with long light hairs in the grooves. Sakhalin fir buds are small, violet-tinged, and resinous.

The needles are thick and radial. Needles with a rounded or slightly pitted top, 16-35 (40) mm long and 1-2 mm wide, with whitish stripes below. Cones 6-8 x 2.5-3 cm, young greenish, mature almost black. It grows on Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands, and Japan. In culture since 1878

Winter-hardy. Demanding on air humidity.

Siberian fir - Abies sibirica

In nature it reaches 30 (40) m in height, in culture at 40 years the height is about 8 m (Moscow), there are trees up to 25 m. The bark is smooth, gray. The lower branches hang down to the ground and take root. The branches are yellow-gray, finely pubescent. Siberian fir buds are small and resinous.

The needles are relatively soft, fragrant, 15-40 mm long and about 1.5-2 mm wide, rounded or notched at the end, bright green and shiny above, with narrow grayish stripes below, comb-like on shaded shoots or densely covering their upper surface with a covering side. The cone is 510 cm long, brown-red or bluish until ripe. The seed scales are about 1.5 cm long with a serrated edge, the covering scales are half as long as them. It is found naturally in the taiga zone of Russia, in the mountains of Mongolia and Kazakhstan. In culture since 1820

Found in gardens and parks. Bred by local nurseries. Very winter-hardy and grows relatively quickly.

There are more than 10 varieties of Siberian fir, but they have not become widespread.

Subalpine fir - Abies lasiocarpa (A. subalpina)

In nature, subalpine fir grows up to 50 m in height, in cultivation at 20 years it is about 6 m, and at a young age it grows slowly. The bark is smooth, silver-gray. The branches are gray, with short reddish hairs, the buds are resinous.

The needles are thick, ruffled, directed upward and forward, 15-40 mm long and 1.5 mm wide, pointed or round at the apex, light, bluish-green, slightly notched above and with stomatal stripes, with wide light stripes below. Cones are 6-10 cm long, with narrow scales, covering scales are hidden.

It is found in the western states from Alaska to New Mexico in mountain forests. Arizona variety var. arizonica, which is found in the mountains of Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico, can be separated into an independent species - Arizona fir (A. arizonica). It is notable for its particularly light bark and silvery, clearly combed needles. In culture since 1863

A very beautiful and completely winter-hardy fir with a characteristic color of protruding needles.

Varieties of subalpine fir

More than 30 varieties are known, derived mainly from the Arizona variety:

Fir variety ‘Argentea’(‘Arizonica Argentea’, ‘Glauca’, Abies arizonica var. argentea, Abies lasiocarpa var. arizonica ‘Argentea’) (circa 1900, Germany). Has a wild form habit. The needles are exceptionally beautiful, silvery. There may be several clones distributed under this name.

Fir variety ‘Compacta’(‘Arizonica Compacta’) (1879, Holland). Semi-dwarf, dense, slow-growing variety with a rounded crown, which becomes broadly pyramidal with age. At 55 years old, he is 5.1 m tall (St. Petersburg). The needles are silver. Some do not consider these names to be synonymous and distinguish between the greener and taller variety ‘Compacta’ and the completely silvery ‘Arizonica Compacta’ (‘Compacta Glauca’).

Fir variety ‘Green Globe’(until 1979, USA). Dwarf variety, with a dense rounded crown. The needles are more green than bluish. Annual growth is 2.5-5 cm.

Fraser fir -Abies fraseri

In nature, Fraser fir reaches 25 m, in cultivation at 14 years the height is up to 5 m (Moscow). Similar to balsam fir, from which it differs in smaller cones with protruding curved tips of covering scales and the number of stomatal lines. Balsam fir has 4-8 of them on each strip, Fraser fir has 8-12. It is considered even more winter-hardy. In nature, it is found in the southeastern United States in the Allergan Mountains. In culture since 1811

There are at least 25 varieties, not recorded in Russia.

Whole leaf or black Manchurian fir - Abies holophylla

The height of wild trees is up to 60 m, in cultivation at 30 years the height is 8 m (Moscow), in St. Petersburg there are trees up to 17 m in height. The bark is dark gray-brown, even almost black, rough, in old trees with large longitudinal cracks. Whole-leaf fir branches are yellowish-gray, bare, resinous buds.

The coniferous fir tree is an ideal plant for shady areas. They are so undemanding to the presence of light that they can develop successfully even in the most shaded conditions, but only in the presence of soils with a high degree of fertility and moderate humidity. One of the distinctive features of this plant from other conifers is that the cylindrical fir cones are located on the branches straight up.

Fir tree ( Abies) belongs to the Pine family (Pinaceae). The genus includes about 40 species distributed in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere, and only a few of them penetrate through mountain systems as far as Mexico and Guatemala.

On this page you can see photos and descriptions of different types and varieties of fir, as well as learn how to grow fir in your garden.

What does a fir look like: photo and description of an evergreen tree

Firs are large evergreen trees, reaching a height of 60-100 m with a trunk thickness of up to 2 m. The trunk is straight, slowly clearing of branches that persist for many years, which is why even in mature plants they are located close to the ground. The crown of the fir looks like a cone; it is formed by branches collected in whorls and arranged in tiers.

The bark of most species is thin, smooth, with small cracks, usually located at an angle to each other.

The needles are needle-shaped, collected in spiral rows on a large, developed base, which is why after they fall, a round flat trail remains. The needles of vegetative shoots are soft, flattened, slightly grooved above, keeled below, with two light stomatal stripes. The needles of fruiting shoots are tetrahedral with whitish stripes and stomata on all faces.

Look what the fir trees look like in these photos:

All “flowers” ​​are located in the upper part of the crown. The male ones develop from the apical buds and carry pollen, the female ones are located in the upper part of the shoots and form cones after pollination. The cones are solitary, erect, from ovate-oblong to cylindrical. After ripening, the cones disintegrate down to the stem. The seeds are small winged “nuts”.

Types and varieties of fir: photos and botanical description

Abies alba- White fir.

Forms pure and mixed with deciduous forests. Grows in the mountains of Central and Southern Europe.

This is a slender tree 30-50 m high with a straight, candle-like trunk. The branches are collected in horizontal whorls. The bark is gray, smooth, and scaly on old trees. The needles are needle-shaped, shiny, wrinkled, jagged or double-headed at the ends. On the branches it is located comb-like and collected in rows. The needles are 2-3 cm long, dark green on top with a bluish tint, and below with two clear white stripes, which is why this species got the name “white”. The cones are erect, 10-14 cm long. Young cones are greenish, mature ones are brownish.

In extremely harsh winters, young plants may freeze to the level of the snow cover. In adult specimens, the top growths of the previous year may freeze.

It has a number of quite spectacular varietal forms. When describing a fir tree of this species, it is worth noting that, unfortunately, these plants are of little use for growing in gardens in the North-West and Central Russia due to their poor frost resistance. To be fair, it should be noted that some mini-varieties can winter safely under snow cover.

Abies amabilis- The fir is pretty.

A very beautiful tree 75-80 m high, growing in the mountain forests of North America - from British Columbia to Oregon.

The crown is smooth and cone-shaped. The branches are arranged in clearly separated horizontal tiers, collected in whorls and starting from the ground itself. The bark is thin, gray to white.

The needles are 20-30 mm long and 2 mm wide, dark green, wrinkled, with two wide white stripes below, with shortened tips.

As you can see in the photo, this type of fir tree has needles growing in rows:

The cones are erect, ovoid-pin-shaped, 10-14 cm long.

In severe winters, young plants may freeze to the level of the snow cover. In adult plants, during extremely harsh winters, the top growths of the previous year suffer.

This type of fir has many varieties with a compact crown shape, including spherical and spread.

Until now, this type of fir is a rather rare guest in our gardens. At the moment, only one variety can be recommended that has been tested by them for several years - this is A. amabilis Spreading Star.

Recommended variety of sweet fir - A. amabilis Spreading Star. A dwarf variety of pretty fir. The shape is rounded and flattened. The needles are large, soft, dark green, silver. Annual growth within 10 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Abies balsamea - Balsam fir. It forms giant forests and occupies vast areas in North America. It is of exceptional value not only because of the wood, but also because of the resin.

Tree 15-20 m high. The crown is pin-shaped, tapering upward. Just like all firs, the branches are collected in whorls and arranged in tiers, but this is not too noticeable due to the strong branching.

Look at the photo - the bark of this type of fir is ash-gray with numerous resinous deposits, often scaly:

Young branches are yellow-gray, partially overgrown. The needles are dark green with two white stripes below, small and thin. When rubbed, they emit a sharp balsamic smell. The cones are erect, small, oblong, 5-7 cm long, violet-purple before ripening.

When planted in open areas in extremely harsh winters, partial freezing of young specimens at the level of snow cover is possible. Mature plants are resistant to frost.

It has many varietal varieties with a dense spherical crown shape and shortened needles.

Abies balsamea Eugene Gold.

A medium-sized, narrow-columnar variety of balsam fir. The needles are dense, soft, golden, light green at the base of the branches. Annual growth is 15-20 cm. This variety of balsam fir is completely frost-resistant.

Abies balsamea Jennie(synonymous with WB 3).

Abies balsamea Renswoude.

Mini variety of balsam fir. The shape is spherical. The needles are short, soft, green. The buds are pronounced. Annual growth is 3-5 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Abies concolor- Fir is one color.

A slender and extremely beautiful tree, 2.5-40 m high, growing in the Colorado tori.

The crown of this fir is clearly pyramidal, since the lower tiers of branches are very wide and the upper ones are short. The branches are collected in horizontal whorls, located at a considerable distance from each other, which somewhat exposes the trunk and further emphasizes the impeccable shape of the crown. The bark is light gray, smooth on young plants, but rough on older plants. The needles are bluish-green, soft, flat, sometimes crescent-shaped, 40-60 mm long. This is the only fir with blue needles. The cones are cylindrical, 7-12 cm long, greenish or slightly reddish before maturity. The degree of drought resistance is higher than that of most species. It has a number of spectacular varieties with white-gray and blue needles.

Сoncolor Birthday Broom.

Mini-variety of single-color fir. Dense, rounded-flattened shape. The needles are long, silver-blue. Annual growth is about 3 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Abies concolor Blue Saphir.

Mini-variety of single-color fir. Dense, cushion-shaped. The needles are short, twisted, blue-blue. Annual growth is within 3-4 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Abies concolor Bryce Canyon.

Mini-variety of single-color fir. Very dense, pillow-shaped.

Pay attention to the photo - the needles of this fir variety are single-colored, blue-green, and have the shape of a month:

Annual growth is within 3-4 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Abies concolor Cimaron.

Mini-variety of single-color fir. Very dense, round-oval shape. The needles are gray-blue. Annual growth is within 3-5 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Abies concolor Fagerhult.

Medium-sized variety of single-color fir. Weeping form. The needles are long, blue. Annual growth is within 20 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Abies concolor Kresice.

Mini-variety of single-color fir. Very dense, round-oval shape. The needles are gray-blue. Annual growth within 3 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Abies concolor Kucera.

Mini-variety of single-color fir. Very dense, round shape. The needles are short, twisted, gray-blue. Annual growth within 3 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Abies concolor Nechiba.

Mini-variety of single-color fir. This variety of fir has a very dense, rounded shape. The needles are short, gray-blue. Annual growth within 3 cm. Completely frost-resistant,

Abies concolor Od Maleho.

Mini-variety of single-color fir. Dense, rounded-flattened shape. The needles are straight, gray-green-blue. Annual growth within 5 cm, completely frost-resistant,

Abies concolor Olesna.

A dwarf variety of single-color fir. Irregular growth of branches. The needles are short, blue-green. Annual growth is within 8-10 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Abies concolor Osek-Topinka.

Mini-variety of single-color fir. Dense, rounded-flattened shape.

As you can see in the photo, the needles of this single-color fir variety are straight, gray-blue:

Annual growth within 5 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Abies concolor Piedra.

Mini-variety of single-color fir. Dense, rounded-flattened shape. The needles are straight, gray-blue. Annual growth is within 4-5 cm, completely frost-resistant.

Abies concolor Piggelmee.

Mini-variety of single-color fir. Dense, rounded-flattened shape. The needles are straight, gray-blue. Annual growth is within 3-5 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Abies concolor Shawns Cone.

Dwarf form. A modern variety of single-crown fir. The exact size of annual increases and final sizes have not yet been established. The needles are long, deep blue, frost-resistant.

Abies concolor Winter Gold.

Medium-sized variety of single-color fir. Narrow pyramidal shape. The branches grow vertically and then fall down. The needles are long and curved. Light green in summer, golden in winter. Growth within 30 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Abies concolor Zabela.

Mini-variety of single-color fir. Round shape. The needles are short, straight, gray-blue. Growth is 3-4 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Abies concolor Blue Cloac.

Pyramid variety of single-color fir. There are also specimens that can be grown as prostrate forms. The needles are long, deep blue, the branches of the pyramidal forms have a vertical direction of growth, then fall down. Annual growth is within 15-20 cm, completely frost-resistant.

Abies concolor Compacta

A dwarf variety of single-color fir. Pyramid shape. The needles are long, silver-blue. Annual growth within 10 cm, completely frost-resistant.

Abies concolor Hidden Lakes.

Mini-variety of single-color fir. Rounded flattened shape. The needles are long, sickle-shaped, gray-blue. Annual growth is 5-7 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Abies concolor Igel.

Mini-variety of single-color fir. Very dense, round shape. The needles are short, blue-blue in color. Annual growth is within 3-4 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Abies concolor Violacea.

Full-grown variety. Pyramidal shape of single-color fir. The needles are long, curved on the back side of the branches, and deep blue in color. Annual growth is 30-50 cm, increasing with age. Completely frost-resistant.

Abies concolor La Veta.

A dwarf variety of single-color fir. Dense, round shape. The needles are long, straight, blue. Annual growth is within 5-8 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Abies concolor Saxana.

Dwarf form. A modern variety of single-color fir. The exact size of annual increases and final sizes have not yet been established. The needles are long, deep blue, frost-resistant.

Below you can see photos, names and descriptions of fir trees of other varieties.

Other varieties of fir: photos, names and descriptions

Abies korean- Korean fir.

A slender tree about 15-20 m high, it is a forest-forming species in Korea.

The crown of this variety of fir is clearly pyramidal, formed by flexible but dense, arranged tiers and branches collected in whorls. The bark of young trees is soft and smooth, while that of old trees is rough. The needles are glossy, dark green above and almost white below, short (10-30 mm long). They are arranged in rows very tightly. On fruiting shoots, the needles are turned upside down, making the tips appear white. The cones are erect, cylindrical, 4-7 cm long. Mature cones are violet-purple.

Both adult and young plants are completely frost-resistant.

It has many original varieties, most of which have inverted white needles.

Abies koreana Adelboden.

Mini variety of Korean fir. Densely branching pyramidal shape. The needles are dense, short, dark green above, silvery below. Annual growth is within 3-4 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Abies koreana Aurea.

Large-sized golden variety of Korean fir. Dense, pyramidal shape. The needles are light green-golden. Annual growth is 30-40 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Abies koreana Blauer Pfiff

Dwarf variety of Korean fir. Pyramid shape. The needles are short, blue-green above, bluish-white below. Annual growth is within 15 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Abies koreana Blue Emperor.

A very spectacular variety of Korean fir. The most common form is pyramidal, less often cushion-shaped. The needles are short, blue-green above, bluish-white below. Annual growth is within 8-10 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Abies koreana Bonsai Blue.

Dwarf variety. Pyramid shape. The needles are short, blue-green above, bluish-white below. Annual growth within 10 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Abies koreana brilliant.

Mini variety. Rounded flattened shape. The needles are short, green above, bluish below. Annual growth is within 3-5 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Abies koreana Compacta.

Dwarf variety. Pyramidal shape, short needles, blue-green above, bluish-white below. Annual growth is within 10-12 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Abies koreana Grubele(synonyms - Doni Tajuso, Kristalkugel, Arbor's Hexe).

Mini variety. Densely branching rounded-flattened form. The needles are dense, short, dark green above, silvery below. Annual growth is within 3-4 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Abies koreana Kohout's Icebreaker(synonyms - Ice Breaker, Silberlocke W.B.).

Micro variety of Korean fir. The shape is round, dome-shaped, densely branched. The needles are short, strongly curved, white-silver. Annual growth is within 3 -4 cm, completely frost-resistant. Garden decoration.

Abies koreana Kohout's Nehe

Mini variety of Korean fir. Very dense, spherical shape. The branches are short, the needles are small, short, dark green above, silvery below. Annual growth is within 3-4 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Abies koreana Oberon

Dwarf variety of Korean fir. The most common form is pyramidal, less often cushion-shaped. The needles are hard, short, curved, strongly pressed to the branches, blue-green above, silvery below. Annual growth is within 5-8 cm, completely frost-resistant.

Abies koreana Pancake

Mini variety. Cushion-shaped, highly branched, dense shape. The needles are hard, short, curved, blue-green above, silvery below. Annual growth is within 3-5 cm, completely frost-resistant.

Abies koreana Pinocchio

Mini variety, spherical shape. The branches are short, the needles are small, short, dark green above, silvery below. The needles are hard, short, curved, blue-green above, silvery below. Annual growth is within 3-5 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Abies koreana Schneestern

A rare variety of Korean fir. Narrow pyramidal, abundantly branched form. The needles are hard, short, blue-green above, silvery below. Annual growth is within 3-5 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Abies koreana Silver Show.

Dwarf variety of Korean fir. Pyramid shape. The branches have a vertical direction of growth. The needles are short, strongly curved, white-silver. Annual growth is within 12-15 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Abies koreana Silberlocke.

Medium-sized variety of Korean fir. Pyramid shape. The branches have a vertical direction of growth. The needles are short, strongly curved, white-silver. Annual growth is within 20-25 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Abies koreana Taiga.

Mini variety of Korean fir. Cushion-shaped, tiered, rather dense shape. The needles are hard, short, blue-green above, silvery below. Annual growth is within 3-5 cm, completely frost-resistant.

Abies lasiocarpa- Subalpine fir.

Grows in North America: in forests from Alaska to Oregon and in the highlands of Utah and New Mexico. This fir is one of the most beautiful and elegant. Reaching a height of 30 m, it retains a dense narrow pyramidal crown until old age.

Look at the photo - the branches of this type of fir are arranged in dense tiers, and the branches are densely branched:

The young bark is smooth, silver-gray. The needles are pale greenish-gray, 25-40 mm long, brush-shaped, directed upward and unevenly collected in rows. The cones are numerous, close to each other, erect, oblong, 6-10 cm long, dark purple when young.

In extremely harsh winters, partial freezing of young plants at the level of snow cover is possible, but mature trees are resistant to frost.

It has many varietal forms with green, dove and blue needles. The shape of the crowns of cultivars is varied - from classical pyramidal to spherical.

Abies lasiocarpa Alpine Beauty.

Micro-variety of subalpine fir. Round shape. The needles are soft, green-blue. Annual growth is 2-3 cm. When describing this variety of fir, it is worth noting its complete frost resistance.

Abies lasiocarpa Blue Cone.

Dwarf pyramidal variety of subalpine fir. The needles are soft, rich green-blue in color, with a silvery tint. Annual growth is within 20-25 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Abies lasiocarpa Compacta.

Dwarf variety of subalpine fir. In favorable growing conditions, annual growth of 20-25 cm is possible and the cultivar reaches a medium-sized size. Dense, pyramidal shape. The needles are soft, rich silver-blue in color. Completely frost-resistant.

Abies lasiocarpa Cvicov.

Mini variety of subalpine fir. Cushion shape. The needles are short, silver-blue. Annual growth is 3-4 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Abies lasiocarpa Kenwich Blue.

Medium-sized variety of subalpine fir. The needles are soft, rich blue. It is considered one of the bluest among subalpine firs. Annual growth within 30 cm, completely frost-resistant.

Abies lasiocarpa Kyles Alpine.

Micro-variety of subalpine fir. spherical shape. The needles are soft, silver-blue. Annual growth is 2-3 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Abies lasiocarpa Prickly Pete

Mini variety of subalpine fir. Cushion-shaped, tiered shape. The needles are silver-blue, somewhat elongated, vertically directed. Annual growth is 3-5 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Abies lasiocarpa Toenisvorst.

Mini variety of subalpine fir. spherical shape. The needles are short, bluish-green-blue. Annual growth is 3-4 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Abies lasiocarpa Utah.

Mini variety of subalpine fir. Funnel-shaped, slightly flattened shape. The needles are short, bluish-green. Annual growth is 3-4 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

Abies lasiocarpa Logan Pass (syn. Glacier).

Micro-variety of subalpine fir. spherical shape. The needles are soft, green-blue. Annual growth is 2-3 cm. Completely frost-resistant

Abies lasiocarpa Lopalpun.

Micro-variety of subalpine fir. spherical shape. The needles are soft, green-blue. Annual growth is 1-2 cm. Completely frost-resistant. It is considered a subalpine fir, which has one of the smallest annual growth rates.

Abies nordmanniana- Nordmann fir, or Caucasian.

One of the forest-forming species of the Caucasus. A noble, long-lived, slender tree 40-50 m high. Under favorable conditions (rich soils and high air humidity), it reaches a height of 80 m. The branches are arranged whorled and evenly, descending almost to the ground, which is why the crown takes on a clear conical shape. The bark is black-gray. The needles are dense, brush-like, dark green, 20-30 mm long and 2-2.5 mm wide, not collected in rows and hang down. The cones are erect, greenish and resinous when young.

In nature, Nordmann fir is quite frost-resistant and in the mountains it reaches the forest boundary, approaching the alpine belt. In the parks of Western Europe and North America it does not freeze. In Northern Europe, during severe winters, young plants may freeze to the level of the snow cover, and mature trees may freeze the top growth of the previous year in extremely severe winters. For this reason, cultivars of this type of fir have not become widespread in the gardens of central Russia.

There are isolated attempts to grow a very decorative variety, Golden Spreader.

Abies nordmanniana Golden Spreader.

Dwarf. Pyramid variety of Nordmann fir. Golden form. The needles are soft. When planted in partial shade, it has a light green-golden color, and in the sun, it has a bright golden color. Annual growth is within 10-15 cm. Conditionally frost-resistant.

Abies procera- Noble fir.

The main habitat of this fir is the western regions of North America. These tall, narrow-conical trees, up to 70 m high, grow at altitudes of up to 1500 m above sea level. Most branches have a vertical growth direction. The branches of the lower tier fall down. The bark is grayish, with deep cracks and wide growths. The needles are green-blue, slightly twisted. Cylindrical purple cones up to 20 cm. Turn brown when ripe. Quite frost-resistant.

In recent years, cultivars of this species have increasingly begun to be grown in Russian gardens.

Abies procera La Graciosa.

Dwarf, pyramidal variety of noble fir. Often in the first years it has a cushion-like, creeping shape. Subsequently, the leading shoot extends in a vertical direction. The needles are soft, gray-green. Annual growth is within 15 cm. It is quite frost-resistant, but full conclusions about resistance to severe frosts in the gardens of the northern temperate zone of Russia can only be made after longer periods of its cultivation.

Abies procera Rat Tail.

Dwarf, pyramidal variety of noble fir. At the age of 20 years and older it can reach medium height. The branches are straight and narrow. The needles are short, gray-green. Annual growth is from 15 to 30 cm, Quite frost-resistant, but full conclusions about resistance to severe frosts in the gardens of the northern temperate zone of Russia can only be made after longer periods of its cultivation,

Abies procera Sherwoodii(synonyms - Aurea, Mount Hood)

Large-sized golden variety of noble fir. Irregular pyramidal shape. The branches are somewhat vertically directed, falling at the ends. The needles are soft, slightly curved, light green-golden. At the age of 20 years, the annual growth is more than 30 cm. It is quite frost-resistant, but full conclusions about its resistance to severe frosts in the gardens of the northern temperate zone of Russia can only be made after longer periods of cultivation.

Abies sibirica- Siberian fir.

This classic fir is one of the main forest-forming species in the northern regions of Russia. Its range is huge - from northeast Russia to China. A slender tree with a straight trunk up to 30 m high.

The crown is columnar-pyramidal, formed by horizontal, widely spaced branches collected in whorls. The bark is smooth, gray. The needles are light green, tender, soft, up to 3 cm long.

The cones are cylindrical, 5-8 cm long, bluish before maturity.

Both adult and young plants are completely frost-resistant.

It has a number of garden forms with a denser and more compact crown shape. In recent years, they have begun to appear in Russian gardens.

Abies veitchii— Vicha fir.

Habitat: subalpine forests at altitudes up to 2500 m, on the Japanese islands of Honshu and Shikoku.

Tall tree up to 25-30 m with a narrow-conical crown. The bark is smooth, gray. The branches are short, horizontally directed. The needles are flat, soft, up to 2.5 cm long.

Dark green above, with 2 white stripes below. The cones are cylindrical, 5-6 cm long, bluish when young, later turning brown, turning brown.

Abies veitchii Den Langhen.

Abies veitchii Rako.

Mini-variety of Vicha fir. Round shape. The needles are soft, yellow-green with white stripes. Annual growth is within 3-5 cm. Completely frost-resistant.

How to care for fir: planting and agricultural techniques for outdoor care

Firs are extremely shade-tolerant plants. They prefer fertile loamy, slightly acidic soils, but they also develop quite successfully on loose sandy loam soils. Dwarf fir trees should not be grown in overly rich soils, as they may lose their typical crown shape.

Adult specimens do not need fertilizer because they have a powerful branched root system. Young fir trees, when cared for during cultivation, can be fed in the spring after the snow melts with complex or combined mineral fertilizer on wet soil.

Fir trees are planted in early spring before the buds begin to bloom, or in the fall. It is not advisable to deepen the root collar. Young plants tolerate replanting easily. Plants with actively growing shoots do not take root well. Large specimens can be replanted only after preliminary preparation of the root ball. After planting, when caring for fir trees, the trees require abundant watering, and during spring replanting, spraying until rooting.

Firs need to create growing conditions with a sufficient level of humidity, but they do not tolerate stagnant groundwater. Mature, well-developed plants are drought-resistant.

When planting and caring for fir trees in the open ground, keep in mind that all species are cold-tolerant, but their frost resistance varies. Most species are not able to withstand frosty winters for long. Mature trees are more resilient than young ones. Young summer growth often suffers from late frosts.

Following the correct agricultural techniques for growing fir trees, when caring for trees, only young specimens need shelter from frost in snowless winters. The best shelter is light, air-dry insulation with pine spruce branches. Multi-stemmed varietal fir trees need to be slightly pulled together - this will protect them from breaking under heavy snow and losing their shape.

In spring, to ensure uniform awakening of plants, it is recommended to water them abundantly. This is especially important after severely frosty winters that freeze the soil. In many species, at the end of winter - at the beginning of spring, the apical shoots of the previous year suffer. This can be avoided by covering the apical shoots with gauze.

Below is how you can grow fir from seeds.

How can you grow fir from seeds?

Only freshly collected seeds are suitable. If you store them in an airtight container at a temperature of 0...+5ᵒ C, then germination will remain for more than 15 years, but under normal conditions it will be lost after a year. Seeds freshly dropped from cones are capable of immediate germination. Seeds with hardened integuments have a dormant embryo.

There are several ways to germinate seeds.

The simplest is winter sowing in a ridge to a depth of 1.5-2 cm with mulching with peat to a height of 1 cm. In the spring, after germination, the plants are planted, pinching the root, or left in place until autumn or next spring.

Snowmaking. Seeds are sown in boxes in autumn or winter and taken out under the snow until spring. After the emergence of seedlings, the plants are planted in a ridge or left in boxes until autumn.

Cold stratification. At the end of winter, the seeds are mixed with coarse, clean, slightly damp sand, sawdust or sphagnum moss, placed in plastic bags and stored in the refrigerator or basement at a temperature of +3...+5 ° C for 1-2 months, or sown in boxes or bowls, filled with rotted leaf soil, peat and coarse sifted sand in a ratio of 3:1:1. After sowing, the seeds are stored in the same conditions for 1-3 months.

After undergoing stratification, the seeds stored in bags are washed and sown in boxes or bowls. Crops are exposed to light at a temperature of +18…+23 °C for germination. Seedlings require protection from direct sunlight and moderate watering. Excessively dense shoots dive. When the weather warms up, the seedlings are taken out into the garden, where after hardening they are planted in a bed.

When propagated by seed, varietal varieties weakly repeat their characteristic characteristics, and it is very difficult to identify them in the first year. To propagate varietal forms, vegetative propagation is used.

The last section of the article is devoted to how to propagate fir from cuttings.

How to propagate fir: methods of propagation by layering and cuttings

With the vegetative method of fir propagation, horizontal layering does not guarantee the preservation of the typical crown shape; in the vast majority of cases, lopsided or creeping plants grow from rooted branches. Fir trees take root using this method within 1-2 years.

Cuttings root relatively well only from young varietal plants. Cuttings taken from plants with a compact, densely branched crown form even better roots. Cuttings from “wild” species, especially from old specimens, root very poorly.

To propagate fir trees by cuttings, the substrate must be loose, clean and “breathable”. The base is always coarse washed sand, to which perlite, high acidic peat or finely chopped pine bark are added. Place the cuttings in the substrate without turning the branches upside down.

Cuttings carried out in the spring before or at the very beginning of the awakening of the buds or in the summer after the end of the first wave of growth, when the young growths harden. However, in the latter case, the cuttings do not have time to form roots and overwinter only with influxes of callus, risking freezing.

Cuttings take root at a temperature of +20...+23ᵒ C. When cuttings in spring, before buds begin to bloom, it is necessary to maintain a lower temperature - +15...+18 °C and only then increase it to +20...+23 °C. Raising the temperature above +25 °C is not recommended. To avoid overheating, boxes with cuttings must be slightly shaded from direct sunlight.

The combination of moderate substrate moisture and high air humidity is the key to success.

In the spring, shoots of last year's growth are taken for rooting; in the summer, hardened shoots of the current year are taken. In columnar and narrow pyramidal forms, only vertical, but not the most powerful shoots are cut, in creeping varieties - everything except vertical ones; Any cuttings can be taken from plants with a loose, oval or spherical crown.

There are often cases when cuttings do not form roots for 2 years, while at the same time having a thickening at the cut site - wound callus tissue. In this case, they can overwinter under air-dry shelter. Well-rooted plants overwinter without shelter. Cuttings rooted not in the ground, but in boxes, are dug into the ground along with the boxes and covered or stored in light, cold greenhouses or rooms until spring.

is an evergreen plant with a conical crown. The top of the fir starts from the base of the trunk. In mature trees, the top of the crown is rounded or notched.

The color of the periderm is gray, it is not wrinkled in most. The periderm of mature trees becomes thicker and cracks over time. Some garden species have green-gray or green-blue needles. The needles of most trees are flat, dark green in color with milky stripes below.

Fir has a pleasant pine smell. There are about forty species of fir, but not all of them are suitable for garden design, since individual plants grow up to sixty meters. The cones are located at the top of the crown. The development of buds takes decades. Fir cones fall to the ground in stiff parts. The fir root is taprooted and strong.

There are fir trees with decorative cones, these include the following types: Korean fir, Wich fir, single-color fir, Fraser fir, Siberian fir. Fir is divided into species, which, in turn, have various varieties. Below are the most popular and widespread varieties of fir.

Did you know? A distinctive feature of fir plants is the location of resin ducts in the periderm, and not in the wood.

Homeland: North America and Canada. The crown of the tree is symmetrical, dense, pin-shaped, and located low. Plant height is from 15 to 25 meters. With age, the periderm changes its color from ash-gray to red-brown, and the shoots change from ruby ​​to red-brown. The branches are arranged in a ring shape in tiers. The needles are shiny, poisonous green, with a pronounced balsamic smell, small cones of lilac color.
The cones are cylindrical, up to ten centimeters long. This type of fir is shade-tolerant, frost-resistant and fast-growing. The branches of the lower tier take root well. Balsam fir is represented by several decorative garden forms of such varieties as Nana and Hudsonia.

Balsam fir variety Nana is a slow-growing plant in the form of a dwarf bush. The bush is earthy, cushion-shaped, the height does not exceed fifty centimeters, and the diameter is eighty centimeters. The needles of the bush are short, ruby ​​in color, strongly knitted, and smell pleasant. Nana is winter-hardy, but does not tolerate high temperatures and drought.

The homeland of single-color fir is the mountainous regions of the United States and northern Mexico. Trees grow up to sixty meters. The crown is wide and conical. The periderm is dense, light gray in color with oblong cracks. The needles of single-color fir are the largest among other species, their length is about six centimeters.
The color of the needles is matte bluish-green on all sides, they are soft and have a pleasant lemon aroma. The cones are dark purple in color, their length reaches 12 cm, and their shape is oval-cylindrical. Single-color fir is a fast-growing tree that is resistant to winds, smoke, drought and frost. Lives about 350 years. Single-color fir has several decorative forms, among them popular varieties such as Violacea and Compacta.

Violacea is a lilac single-color fir. The top of the tree is wide, conical, and the height does not exceed eight meters. The needles are oblong, white and blue. This form of fir is rarely found in ornamental plantings.
Campacta is a dwarf, slow-growing shrub with randomly placed branches. The length of the needles reaches forty centimeters, the color is blue. Just like Violaceu, it can be found very rarely.

Cephalline fir (Greek)

Cefallin fir lives in the south of Albania and Greece, in the mountains at an altitude of up to two thousand meters above sea level. The plant grows up to 35 meters in height, the diameter of the trunk reaches two meters. The crown is thick, conical, low. The periderm becomes cracked over time. The young are bare, polished to the touch, shiny, bright brown or red-brown in color. The buds are cone-shaped, resinous, red-purple in color.
Needles up to 3.5 cm in length and no more than three millimeters wide. The tops of the needles are sharp, the needles themselves are shiny and thick, dark green at the top and pale green at the bottom. The needles are arranged in a spiral, close to each other. The cones are narrow, cylindrical, resinous, and large. At first the cones are purple in color, and as they ripen they become brownish-purple. Greek fir is drought-resistant, grows slowly, and is afraid of cold winters.

Whole leaf fir (black Manchurian)

The homeland of whole-leaved fir is the south of Primorye, Northern China and Korea. The tree grows up to 45 meters. The crown is dense, broadly pyramidal, loose, lowered to the ground. A distinctive feature of this type of fir is the color of the bark - at first it is dark gray and then black. Young seedlings have a yellow-gray periderm. The needles are dense, hard, sharp, solid. The top of the dark green needles is shiny, and the bottom is lighter.
The needles are arranged in waves on the branches. Black Manchurian fir changes its needles every nine years. The cones are cylindrical, light brown in color, resinous, velvety pubescent. The first ten years of life it grows slowly, and then growth increases rapidly. The lifespan of a tree is 400 years. The tree is winter-hardy, shade-tolerant, wind-resistant, and requires high soil and environmental humidity.

Nordmann fir (Caucasian)

The homeland of Caucasian fir is the western Caucasus and Türkiye. Nordmann fir grows up to 60 meters in height, with a trunk diameter of up to two meters. The crown is narrow, cone-shaped, densely branched. Young plantings have a shiny light brown or yellow periderm, which turns gray over time. The young are shiny red-brown and then white-gray in color.
The needles are dark green, dense, the bottom of the needles is silver. Rarely seen, since the tree has low winter hardiness. There are several varieties of fir for decorative cultivation: Pendula Aurea, Gtauka, Albo-spicata.

Did you know? The lifespan of the Nordmann fir is five hundred years.

Sakhalin fir is native to Sakhalin and Japan. The plant is highly decorative, up to thirty meters high, has a smooth periderm of a dark steel color, which becomes darker as it grows. The diameter of the seedling does not exceed one meter. The branches of the wide-conical dense crown are slightly curved upward.
The needles are soft, dark green in color, with milky stripes underneath. The length of the needles reaches four centimeters, the width is no more than two millimeters. The cones are placed vertically, the shape is cylindrical. The color of the cones is brown or black-blue, length 8 cm, diameter 3 cm. The plant is frost-resistant and requires increased moisture in the air and soil.

Subalpine fir (mountain)

Mountain fir is native to the high mountains of North America. The height does not exceed 40 meters, the trunk is 60 cm in diameter. The tops of the trees are low-growing, narrowly conical. Subalpine fir has a smooth, gray periderm covered with small cracks. The top of the needles is a matte grassy blue, and the bottom has two white stripes. The needles are attached in two rows. Subalpine fir has cylindrical cones; ripening occurs annually at the end of August. There are types of mountain fir suitable for ornamental cultivation.
Argentea is a mountain fir with silver needles. Glauka is a subalpine fir up to 12 meters high, with a pyramid-shaped crown and elongated steel or blue needles. Compacta is a dwarf fir no more than one and a half meters in height with a wide, well-branched crown. The needles are silver-sky in color, with bluish stripes at the bottom. The shape of the needles is similar to a sickle, length is 3 cm. The needles are located tightly. Low-growing varieties are widespread among amateur gardeners.

Important! Young fir seedlings must be covered for the winter, as they are afraid of spring frosts.

It grows in mountain ranges from one hundred to 1850 meters above sea level in the south of the Korean Peninsula and Jeju Island. This type of fir was discovered in 1907. The seedling does not grow higher than 15 meters. The young are first yellow and then red, covered with thin fibers. The needles are short, shiny dark green at the top and white at the bottom. The cones are a beautiful bright blue with a purple tint. Grows slowly, winter-hardy.
Varieties such as Blue Standard are widespread - tall trees with dark purple cones; Brevifolia is a tree with a rounded crown, marsh-green needles at the top and gray-white below, and small purple cones; Silberzverg is a low, slow-growing variety of fir with silver-colored needles, a rounded crown and short, densely branched branches; Piccolo is a shrub about thirty centimeters high, reaches a diameter of up to one and a half meters with a flat spreading crown, the needles are dark herbaceous in color.

Tall fir (noble)

The tall fir reaches a height of 100 meters. The homeland of noble fir is the western part of North America. The habitat is river valleys and gentle slopes near the ocean. This is practically the tallest type of fir. It has a cone-shaped crown when the seedlings are young, and as the seedling ages, the crown will become dome-shaped. Young growth has a gray-brown smooth periderm, and older seedlings have a dark brown periderm covered with oblong cracks.
Young branches are olive-green or red-brown, in cannon. Older branches are bare. The needles are small, curved at the base. The top of the needles is shiny green and the bottom is bluish. The shape of the cones is oblong-cylindrical, length up to 12 cm, diameter 4 cm. Not ripe cones are emerald or red-brown in color, but ripe ones are dark brown-gray resinous. The lifespan of noble fir is about 250 years. The seedling grows quickly.

Did you know? The periderm, needles and buds of fir are used to make medicinal preparations. They contain essential oils and tannins.

The homeland of fir is Central Japan, its habitat is mountains. The height is about forty meters. The branches of the plant are short, located perpendicular to the trunk, the crown is pyramid-shaped. The trunk is covered with a smooth white-gray periderm. The young are covered with a pubescent periderm of gray or emerald color.
The needles are soft, slightly curved, no more than 2.5 cm. The top of the needles is shiny dark green, the bottom is decorated with milky stripes. The length of the cones is about 7 cm. Unripe cones of a red-blue-lilac color eventually acquire a chestnut color. The plant is winter-hardy, fast-growing, and resistant to smoke.

The homeland of this fir species is North America. The height of the tree is 25 meters, the top is pyramid-shaped or conical. The young fir trunk is covered with a gray periderm, and the old trunk is red, the branches are yellow-gray. The needles are short, shiny dark green above and silvery below. The cones are short, decorative, and purplish-brown in color when mature.
The plant is winter-hardy, but does not tolerate air pollution well. Fraser fir is used for landscaping parks, forest parks and suburban areas. There is a shrub with perpendicular placement of branches - prostrate Fraser fir.

The homeland of Siberian fir is Siberia. Rarely found in landscaping. The height of the plant does not exceed thirty meters. The crown is narrow, cone-shaped. The branches are thin, lowered to the ground. The periderm at the bottom of the trunk is cracked, at the top it is rough and dark gray. The shoots are covered with thick pile. The needles are soft, narrow and blunt at the end, up to three centimeters long.

The color of the needles is dark green shiny at the top and two parallel milky stripes at the bottom. Siberian fir changes its needles every 11 years. The cones are erect, cylindrical, initially light chestnut or light purple, and then light brown in color. The plant is winter-hardy and shade-tolerant. There is Siberian blue, white, and motley. They differ only in the color of the needles.

Important! Fir cannot be planted in absolute shade, since its crown is fully formed only with sufficient lighting.

White fir (European)

White fir is a plant that grows up to 65 meters with a trunk diameter of up to one and a half meters. The crown of the plant is cone-shaped. The periderm is white-gray with a red tint. Young European fir are green or light chestnut in color, but over time they become gray-chestnut. The needles are dark green, silvery below. The European fir is native to the countries of Central and Southern Europe. The tree grows slowly and does not like windy areas. times already
helped

Do you know what type of tree is fir? It is an evergreen with a root system that goes deep into the ground. It has a wide conical shape with outstretched branches. The tree grows slowly, with annual growth ranging from 3 to 5 centimeters. At 30 years old, the size of a fir tree reaches two to three meters in height, and in general, some species of this plant can grow up to sixty meters.

In nature, it prefers open sunny places and partial shade. Fir needles can be either gray-blue or dark green. It has tough and relatively thick shoots. Loves fresh, deep, slightly acidic soil. It can even grow on sandy, dry soil. The best time to plant fir is from March to November. This plant looks great either planted alone or alone. The flowering of the fir tree (photo of the tree is presented in this article) is beautiful.

A tree lives for 300-400 years; old-time fir trees are also known in history, which were more than 700 years old.

The name of the plant comes from the German Fichte, which means “spruce”.

How to distinguish fir from spruce?

The fir tree (the description will be presented to your attention below) looks like a spruce, and an inexperienced person can easily make a mistake. However, the differences between these two plants are significant.

What does a fir tree look like? Its crown is located at the base of the trunk, unlike spruce and pine. The needles are very soft, with long and flat needles. Spruce needles are hard, short and prickly. Each fir needle has two white stripes on the underside. The needles can be slightly sharp, located on reproductive shoots, or rounded at the end (such needles grow on vegetative branches).

The needles on fir branches grow only on both sides, so the shoots themselves look “flat”. Spruce needles are arranged in a circle on the shoot.

Fir cones come in two types - the male ones are more like earrings made of small “flowers”. Female cones are large, cylindrical or ovoid, growing upward, as if “sitting” on a branch. Spruce cones usually hang down.

In winter, fir needles remain bright, unlike other coniferous trees, whose needles dim slightly during the cold season. If you cut a fir branch and bring it home, the needles will not dry out and fall off, unlike Christmas tree needles. Therefore, fir is often used in home decoration for the New Year holidays; beautiful compositions are created from branches that can look good for a very long time.

Types of fir

There are about 50 species of fir in total, some of them are very short, only 30 cm in height and are more like shrubs. There are also mighty trees, up to 80 m high. Some varieties grow in southern countries, for example, in Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico. But fir is most common in the forests of Europe and Russia, from the Southern Urals to the Arctic Ocean. Accordingly, the frost resistance of fir depends on its type.

Siberian fir

The Siberian fir tree species is a frost-resistant plant that is common in the northern taiga forests of Russia. Usually it chooses places to grow closer to water, for example, in river valleys and highlands. Siberian fir (photo of the tree is given below) has a cone-shaped and fairly narrow crown. The needles are dark green in color with soft, shiny and narrow needles. The length of the needles is three centimeters. Traditionally there are two white stripes on the underside of each needle. The size of mature Siberian fir trees is quite impressive. They reach a height of 30 meters.

The trunk of the plant is gray, the bark is smooth, thin at the top and on the branches, and thick and cracked at the bottom.

The cones are light brown in color and grow straight up on the branch.

There are several varieties of Siberian fir - blue, variegated, graceful.

Siberian fir is a valuable plant and is protected by the state.

Nordmann fir (Caucasian)

This is an endemic plant, found only in the Caucasus, and is therefore included in the list of protected plants. Lives in nature for 500 years.

Caucasian fir is a tall, powerful tree that grows up to sixty meters in height. In this case, the thickness of the trunk can even reach two meters. The crown of this tree is low, the shape is conical, and the top is narrow.

Dark green needles, with slightly pointed, long four-centimeter needles. There are two white stripes on the underside of each needle.

The bark on the trunk is smooth and shiny, even in its lower part. Only when the tree reaches eighty years of age can cracks appear on the trunk below.

The cones are ovoid and large. They are usually twenty centimeters long and five in diameter. Young cones are dark green in color, and when ripe they turn brown.

Nordmann fir also has its own varieties - golden, gray, weeping, erect.

Korean fir

The homeland of this plant is the mountains of the southern part of the Korean Peninsula. This plant tolerates high altitude conditions well, including winter frosts, since it grows at an altitude of 1800 meters above sea level. The peculiarity of this type of fir is that it grows very slowly at a young age. However, after a few years, its growth accelerates greatly. This is a relatively low fifteen-meter tree, with a fairly thin trunk up to eighty centimeters. The crown is traditionally cone-shaped.

The peculiarity of this species is the color of the bark. Young trees have thin, smooth, ash-colored bark. With age, this color changes to purple or dark brown with a chestnut tint. At the bottom of the trunk of trees that have lived for several decades, the bark becomes covered with cracks.

The needles of Korean fir are very beautiful, thick and lush. However, the needles are harsh and slightly curved upward, having a saber shape. From below, each needle is ash-silver in color, which spreads along two stomatal stripes.

The cones of this type of fir are very beautiful, cylindrical in shape, and have an unusual purple color. However, the size of the cones is small, reaching only three centimeters in diameter and only seven centimeters in length.

This very beautiful tree is very popular in landscape design, since its varieties are very different from each other. For example, "Blue Standard" has bright purple buds, while "Piccolo" reaches only 30 centimeters in height.

Balsam fir

This type of fir (photos of the tree and cones are presented in this article) was brought to Eurasia from overseas, since it is naturally distributed in the USA and Canada. Balsam fir grows in latitudes with fairly harsh climates, right up to the tundra. It is also found in the highlands, at an altitude of up to two thousand meters above sea level. The peculiarity of this plant is that it is not long-lived, like other types of fir; its limit is 200 years.

Balsam fir is not very tall - up to twenty-five meters. The thickness of the trunk can reach seventy centimeters.

The bark is ash-colored and smooth on young trees. Brown trunks with a reddish tint are found in old plants.

Balsam fir needles are up to three centimeters in length. The needles are not sharp, dark green, soft. If you rub several needles in your palms, you can feel a pleasant characteristic smell. The peculiarity of the needles of this tree is that its needles are “long-lasting”; they do not fall off for seven years.

This fir has very beautiful, interestingly shaped cones, up to ten centimeters long, but narrow - only a little more than two centimeters in diameter. The young buds are very beautiful and have a dark purple color. When they ripen, they change color and become brown and resinous.

Varieties of balsam fir are interesting. "Hudsonia" is a dwarf tree with dense branches and a wide crown and variegated needles. “Nana” is also a low plant, similar to a shrub, only 50 centimeters in height. The color of the needles is unusual; it has a yellow-green tint.

How to plant fir correctly?

Like all conifers, the fir tree (the photo and description of which became the subject of our review) is an unpretentious plant. However, certain features and rules when planting and caring for this tree must be known.

When planting, it is better to take a container crop, since such plants can be planted almost all year round. They take root well in spring, summer, and even autumn. The only time it is not recommended to plant plants is during severe frosts in frozen ground.

What are the advantages of container crops?

The root ball is preserved as a whole. This is extremely important for conifers. The fact is that on the roots of all coniferous plants, including fir, there lives a special microorganism - mycorrhiza, which helps plants absorb moisture and nutrients from the soil. When this microorganism dries out, it dies. If you are offered to buy a coniferous seedling with an open root system, then under no circumstances should you buy it. Most likely, such a tree will not take root.

The coniferous fir tree is a record holder for endurance and can withstand drought perfectly. However, it needs to be planted correctly so that it subsequently grows well and looks beautiful and fluffy. One of the first conditions for properly planting a fir is choosing a location. It should be well lit, sunny or, at least, light partial shade. The second condition is to correctly dig a hole in which to plant the fir.

How to properly dig a hole when planting?

It is necessary to dig a hole for the future plant, approximately 20 centimeters wider and 30 centimeters deeper than the clod of earth protecting the roots of the seedling. How to correctly determine the depth of a dug hole? This is easy to do - place the handle of the shovel across the hole. It will serve as the defining level. Place the seedling with a lump of earth in the hole and look at the level to see how deep the plant will be planted.

Under no circumstances should the root collar be buried; the first root of the seedling will grow from there after planting. This place only needs to be lightly sprinkled with earth. Therefore, if you have deepened the hole too much, you must add soil or make a drainage layer. You can use broken bricks as drainage. Fir does not like it when moisture stagnates in the roots.

Working with the drainage layer and feeding the plant

The drainage layer is lightly sprinkled with earth. After which you should again measure the depth of the hole, whether it is suitable for the seedling or not, not forgetting to use the handle of a shovel. If everything is in order, then you can add a little mineral fertilizer to the layer of soil covering the drainage; one hundred grams will be enough. After this, be sure to mix the soil so that there is no direct contact of the fertilizer with the roots of the plant.

We place the seedling in the hole and fill the open space around the roots. It’s good if you use a special mixture:

1. - 3 parts.
2. Sand - 1 part.
3. Peat - 1 part.

Proper planting of fir and watering

Try to plant the plant strictly vertically. The soil around the trunk of the seedling should be compacted slightly with your hands to settle any voids that may have formed during planting. You can form a border from the soil around the plant so that the water does not spread when watering. Immediately you need to water the plant well. This should be done using a watering can or hose, placing your hand under the stream of water so that the soil does not erode.

You can pour water directly on the top of the fir, on the branches - coniferous plants love this very much. Water the seedling three times, allowing the water to soak into the soil each time. In total, you need to pour out about a bucket of water.

The first watering is very important for the survival of the plant, which must be saturated with moisture. In addition, all the voids that still remain in the hole are gradually filled with heavy, wet soil.

Mulching

After the moisture has been absorbed, it is advisable to mulch the plant. You can do this with peat or pine chips; thuja spruce branches will also work. Cover thoroughly with this material on the ground, and there is no need to remove it during subsequent watering. It will perfectly allow moisture to pass through and prevent it from evaporating unnecessarily.

Fir care

After planting, coniferous plants are watered quite often. Once a week you should pour a bucket of water under the tree. The minerals that were introduced into the root system during planting will last for approximately 2-3 years. During this entire period of time, the plant does not need fertilizing.

Sunburn

The young coniferous fir tree is afraid of sunburn. In spring and summer, when the sun begins to get very hot, fir needles can burn, turn yellow and then fall off. This can be avoided if you lightly shade the plant with straw, spruce branches or craft paper, burlap, leaving gaps for diffused lighting. It is also necessary to protect the seedling from the wind. To do this, it should be tied to a peg.

When and how to use fertilizers?

After the plant takes root well, and this will happen in 2-3 years, you can begin to fertilize it. Fir is an evergreen plant; it does not require rapid replenishment of nutrients like deciduous trees. Therefore, it does not need a lot of fertilizer.

The best fertilizer for conifers (including fir) is to add good humus or compost to the tree trunk circle. How to do it? Lightly loosen the soil, add fertilizer and mix it with the soil. You just need to be careful when doing this, since the root system of fir is shallow, so you should add fertilizer only to the very surface of the soil.

The following mineral fertilizers are suitable for fir: 30-40 grams of nitroammophoska per square meter of tree trunk circle. Fertilizing is applied once a year, in spring or at the very beginning of autumn. Under no circumstances should you fertilize the soil for fir in late autumn. This can provoke the growth of new shoots, which will not have time to ripen and will suffer in the winter and become frozen.

Trimming

Nature has endowed the fir with a very beautiful crown; as a rule, this plant does not need pruning. Unless in the spring you notice after winter a broken twig or one that has dried out as a result of some kind of physical impact. For example, there was too much snow, and the branches of a young tree could not withstand the load.

If the fir grows and develops in suitable conditions, then the plant’s immunity will be strong. The tree will not suffer from diseases or pests. However, if the plant has experienced stress, for example, during a hot, dry summer there was little watering and the branches dried out and the needles began to fall off, such a plant may be affected by diseases.

Fir usually suffers from fungal diseases. A damp, warm winter is especially favorable for the appearance of fungus. You can fight this by using special medications.

Phytotherapy

Of all the species of this plant, Siberian fir is mainly used for medicinal purposes (photos of the tree and leaves, or rather needles, were presented above). Many different medicines are produced from its resin.

Fir resin is formed in special formations, nodules, on the trunk of the plant. It contains 30% essential oil and 70% plant resins. Turpentine is produced from fir resin, which is widely used. For example, for turpentine baths according to the prescription of Dr. Zalmanov.

Fir essential oils (photo of tree and leaves above) are remarkable because they have a calming effect on the human nervous system, relieve migraines. They can be used for baths and massages by adding them to base oil. Fir essential oil is also used for cosmetics, in particular, for very effective hair masks. There are no contraindications for use of this natural remedy, except for individual intolerance and allergies.

Since ancient times, not only resin or resin has been used for medicinal purposes. Needles, bark and even wood can also help get rid of many diseases. Fir needles contain a large amount of vitamins, especially vitamin C. Its content especially increases in winter, it helps trees and animals that eat needles survive the cold.

In summer, the content of essential oils in fir needles increases. In addition to vitamin C, the needles contain vitamins A and E. Preparations from fir needles and decoctions have diuretic properties and help strengthen the walls of blood vessels. Needles can help a person with heart disease, colds, bronchopulmonary, and rheumatic diseases. The range of uses of fir needles is quite wide. The successful use of preparations from fir needles in post-stroke manifestations is known.

Vitamin infusions are prepared from paws and needles. In order to preserve the vitamin C content of fir needles, they must be collected in winter and stored under the snow in the yard or in the freezer of the refrigerator. In summer, coniferous fir legs can be used immediately.

Fir branches are also used for bath procedures. This is especially useful in winter - adding a fresh, small fir foot to a birch broom for the steam room. This will enhance the healing massage. Under the influence of boiling water, the needles will begin to release beneficial essential oils that smell pleasant and have a good effect on the skin and respiratory organs.

It must be remembered that resin and pine needles should be collected only outside cities, in ecologically clean areas - in the forest, taiga, away from industrial enterprises.

Long walks in the fir forest are very beneficial. Here the air is always clean and saturated with phytoncides that have a great effect on the respiratory system. This strengthens the immune system well and helps asthmatics.

musical plant

Fir is used not only for healing, but also for making musical instruments. This wood has very good properties for creating excellent sound resonance. When the tree dries, empty resin passages are formed inside the trunk and bark, which have a remarkable resonating effect.