The Detroit News Mary Rybicki adjusts Christmas trees after they arrive at Allemon Florist and Garden Center in Detroit. But knowing can mean the difference between having a beautiful tree survive until Christmas morning and having a sorry-looking one that litters needles all over the living room carpet. The range should be from dark green to blue green. If it snaps, it's not fresh.
Excellent types are fir trees.
But Scotch pines will do, too. You don't want anything that comes from Ohio or beyond. No matter where you get your tree, if it's precut find out exactly when the cut was made, said Larry Allemon, manager of Allemon's Florist and Garden Center in Detroit. You will be fine with a tree cut in late October or early November. For long-lasting wreaths, try a balsam, cedar or pine.