Gorgeously bushy Abies nordmanniana is the classic Christmas tree, but the genus offers many more delectable species and cultivars, often compact and available in a range of shapes and colours, making wonderful Christmas gifts in themselves
PHOTOGRAPHS ANNAÏCK GUITTENY
Like the Nutcracker Prince vanquishing the Mouse King, the Nordmann fir (Abies nordmanniana) has emerged triumphant in the battle of the Christmas trees. Ever since Prince Albert introduced the German custom of bringing a tree indoors and decorating it, Norway spruce (Picea abies) was the Christmas tree of choice but gradually, the Nordmann fir has taken the crown. It hasn’t got the same Christmassy aroma as the traditional spruce, but it has won fans everywhere thanks to its superior needle-retaining qualities and bushy shape – a joy to bedeck with baubles.
Let loose in the garden however, Abies nordmanniana will ultimately grow into quite a large conifer, eventually reaching upwards of 20m, so it may not be the most sensible choice for those with smaller gardens. But there is more to the Abies genus than the species that’s come to be associated with Christmas, with different shapes and habits, as well as needle colours, to add layers of evergreen texture to the garden in winter and all-year-round.
Abies koreana or the Korean fir is a good place to start. This smaller species, which reaches around 10m tall, has bright apple-green new growth in spring and produces beautiful violet-blue upright cones in summer and autumn, even when it is quite a young tree. It’s given rise to a number of interesting cultivars including several truly tiny plants. A. koreana ‘Cis’ for example, will never get larger than 60cm tall, and is perfect for containers or rock gardens, as is globe-shaped ‘Blauer Eskimo’, which is even smaller at 30cm and has silvery blue needles. ‘Ice Breaker’ is another minuscule option at around 40cm tall. Its needles are tightly curled, which reveals their silvery undersides and gives the entire plant a wintry shimmering appearance.
It’s an effect that’s replicated on other more conventionally sized cultivars, such A. koreana ‘Silver Show’ (1.5m), ‘Horstmann’s Silberlocke’ and ‘Frosty’ (both 2m), all of which have the same curled needles that show off their silver backs. Often, these more unusual cultivars originate as ‘witch’s brooms’: spontaneous sports found on older trees, with sufficiently different c
