Abies

Abies lasiocarpa ‘Christmas 2018’

About Abies lasiocarpa ‘Christmas 2018’! We found a perfect Christmas tree for the 2018 holiday season, a very tall and narrow subalpine fir (about 20 feet tall by 5 feet wide at its base) with a beautiful blue-green coloration and large thick needles! It was at an elevation of about 4700 ft, among a mix of healthy younger firs, also including amabilis and procera. In fact, we found a colorful variegated Noble fir, Abies procera ‘Skunk Tail’, a couple years prior, in the same area. We were so excited about the structure and color of our new Christmas tree, that we decided to do an experiment, to graft it! We came up with the idea to graft it as we were decorating it, about 3 weeks after it was harvested, and the scions took! So hopefully, many years from now, we will have another “perfect Christmas tree” if the new cultivar stays true to form. This may become a new holiday tradition for us!

Mike getting ready to harvest subalpine fir Chritmas tree!
Mike is revved up to get our new Christmas tree!
Christmas tree made it home in 1 piece!
The next morning, after a nervous ride home from the mountains in the dark, with multiple stops to check the tree along the way!