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Species

Our business is centred on four principal species:

Norway Spruce (Picea Abies)

A native of Europe, Norway Spruce formed the bulk of the Christmas tree trade until the arrival of so-called non-drop varieties. It remains extremely popular and forms about 50% of our production at Hole Park.

This is a traditional tree, second-to-none when grown well and presented fresh from the grower. When used inside, it is strongly recommended that Norway spruce should be mounted in a container with a water reservoir to enable it to remain fresh throughout the Christmas period.

studio shot of a christmas tree without ornaments on a white background

Nordman Fir (Abies Nordmanniana, Caucasian Fir)

The very popular modern tree with good needle retention characteristics. it originates from the Caucus region of southwest Russia and northwest Turkey.

Its luxuriant glossy foliage grows in an open, layered form.

Prices tend to be one and a half to twice the cost of the equivalent size of Norway spruce, reflecting this.

Britain imports significant numbers of these trees from Europe, particularly Scandinavian countries, though our production is all home grown, of the highest standard and freshly harvested.

Hole Park Christmas Trees, Rolvenden, Kent.
studio shot of a fresh christmas tree without ornaments, isolated on white

Blue Spruce (Picea Pungens Glauca, Colorado Spruce)

A native of North America. This species has distinctive blue colour when grown correctly and when the correct seed source is used.

Its appearance is more open than its cousin Norway spruce, and the needles can be sharp to the touch. It has excellent needle retention capabilities and is well suited for use in indoor heated public spaces where its pointed needles deter interference and its non-drop characteristics are useful.

As a result of the breeding programme for these trees, they are not generally successful above 6ft.

Blue tinted christmas tree without ornaments on a fresh white background

Serbian Spruce (Picea Omorika)

At first glance, this delightful tree can appear similar to a Norway spruce but its growth is soft and slender forming graceful trees with a distinctive silver underside to the upturned tips of its branches.

It is particularly notable for its compact size and suits smaller homes who want height, reflecting its natural habitat in the Balkans where the trees need to shed snow in order to survive.

It is priced the same as Blue Spruce at about 125% of the equivalent Norway Spruce price.

Other Species

We are keen to be at the forefront of development in Christmas tree growing and we have small trial plots of several species less commonly used for Christmas tree production:

Engleman’s Spruce (Picea Engelmannii)

This spruce is native in the Rocky Mountains of North America. Although it can grow to exceptional size, it has a slender form of growth with distinctive blue-green needles with a silver underside.

Our stock of these trees remains very limited.

Meyer’s Spruce (Picea Meyeri)

A native of China, this tree is very much in the early stages of evaluation as to its suitability for Christmas tree production. It has blue-green coloured needles with conspicuous silver underside.

Our stock of these trees remains very limited.

Ernest’s Fir (Abies Recurvata var Ernestii)

This is a native of the Sichuan province of western China and in some respects appears similar to Nordman Fir. Its dense foliage is glossy green and the needles have a very distinctive curl to them. It is showing great potential for the future but our planted stock of these trees are in their infancy and are not yet available for sale.

Our stock of these trees remains very limited.

Douglas Fir (Pseudodsuga Meziesii)

Douglas Fir comes from western North America and has long been popular as a forestry timber tree. Its use as a Christmas tree is more limited and we are trying a few to ensure that they respond to pruning and shaping to produce quality trees. Its foliage is somewhat similar to Nordman Fir, being soft and flexible with a very distinctive silver underside. It has an open form of growth.

Our stock of these trees remains limited.