£59 – £310
Originating from Hungary the Nordman fir has grown in popularity since being introduced to the British market. The reason for its popularity is its excellent needle retention – it’s the number one non-drop Christmas tree – and its uniform shape. The needles on this tree are large dark green and soft to touch, therefore ideal for youngsters. Read more.
Companies and growers measure Christmas trees in lots of ways, so on our website we’ve tried to keep it relatively simple: our measurements in feet are a minimum height to the top of the tree. So, if you order a 6ft tree it will be at least 6ft from the base of the trunk to the tippy top – typically, it will be a bit taller. Don’t forget to account for this potential extra height – sometimes up to 1.5ft for taller trees.
The long bit on the top of the tree (where you put your star or fairy) is called the ‘leader’. This can be quite long on some trees and much shorter on others – just natural variance – so growers account for this when measuring by taking a height to halfway up the leader (halfway between the top set of branches and the top of the tree). Just to confuse things a bit further, the industry standard is centimetre ranges. Here’s a handy conversion:
Tree ordered - Height to halfway up leader:
4ft tree - 125-150cm
5ft tree - 150-175cm
6ft tree - 175-200cm
7ft tree - 200-225cm
8ft tree - 225-250cm
9ft tree - 250-300cm
With natural products it’s not a perfect science, so these ranges act as a guide and your tree may be a little outside of the ranges in either direction.
If you’re putting your tree in any sort of stand, that will add some height to the tree, so don’t forget to factor it in to the overall measurement! If you need a stand, we sell them here.
Bear in mind that the taller your tree, the wider it will be at the base. Nordman Firs and Norway Spruces in particular get quite big and bushy as they get taller, so make sure you’ve got space!
The Nordman Fir (also spelled Nordmann, Latin: Abies Nordmanniana) has cemented it’s place as Britain’s favourite Christmas tree, so we think it’s about time you learned a bit more about this popular variety. Sometimes called the Caucasian Fir, that should give you a clue as to it’s native home; the mountainous regions of the Russian Caucasus, Turkey & Georgia, around the Black Sea. As well as being used in public parks and gardens, it’s now cultivated across the world for use as, you guessed it, a Christmas tree – more on why it fits the bill so well below.
In its early years the Nordman grows in a very neat, conical shape, with concentric rings of branches being added with each year’s growth. The result is a very symmetrical and aesthetically-pleasing tree, which is just one of the reasons it’s favoured for Christmas. The foliage is a deep dark green, and the needles are relatively broad (especially compared to spruces) and very soft.
The upper side of the needles also have a waxy coating, which gives them glossy finish and also means that the tree can be better for those with allergies.
Left to their own devices, Nordmans can grow up to around 60m tall, but when cultivated as a Christmas tree they tend to have quite a bushy, even ‘fat’ appearance. On our Sussex soil, they grow at a rate of around 1-2ft per year.
Far and away the biggest reason that the Nordman Fir is so popular is because it’s great at retaining its needles. This is easily the number one non-drop Christmas tree; even when it starts to dry out the Nordman will hold on to it’s needles relentlessly (though we’d always recommend keeping your tree watered so it looks nice and fresh).
Aside from that, the Nordman is great choice for it’s:
If you’re unsure of what tree to choose for Christmas, you can’t really go wrong with a Nordman. With the even shape and needle retention, it’s no surprise it’s the nation’s favourite.
Companies and growers measure Christmas trees in lots of ways, so on our website we’ve tried to keep it relatively simple: our measurements in feet are a minimum height to the top of the tree. So, if you order a 6ft tree it will be at least 6ft from the base of the trunk to the tippy top – typically, it will be a bit taller. Don’t forget to account for this potential extra height – sometimes up to 1.5ft for taller trees.
The long bit on the top of the tree (where you put your star or fairy) is called the ‘leader’. This can be quite long on some trees and much shorter on others – just natural variance – so growers account for this when measuring by taking a height to halfway up the leader (halfway between the top set of branches and the top of the tree). Just to confuse things a bit further, the industry standard is centimetre ranges. Here’s a handy conversion:
Tree ordered - Height to halfway up leader:
4ft tree - 125-150cm
5ft tree - 150-175cm
6ft tree - 175-200cm
7ft tree - 200-225cm
8ft tree - 225-250cm
9ft tree - 250-300cm
With natural products it’s not a perfect science, so these ranges act as a guide and your tree may be a little outside of the ranges in either direction.
If you’re putting your tree in any sort of stand, that will add some height to the tree, so don’t forget to factor it in to the overall measurement! If you need a stand, we sell them here.
Bear in mind that the taller your tree, the wider it will be at the base. Nordman Firs and Norway Spruces in particular get quite big and bushy as they get taller, so make sure you’ve got space!