Balsam fir, Douglas fir and Fraser fir are popular, soft needled and nice to work with. They hold their needles relatively well and are good to bring indoors. Junipers are very prickly, but they have very attractive blue berries. The berries often have a dusty cast. Juniper looks great in pewter containers.
Scotch pine makes a prickly, stiff, good space filler in an arrangement.
Blue Spruce and spruce are also prickly, stiff and good space fillers. The tips have good color, but dry out quickly. White pine is good for a wispy, graceful, soft affect. It is fragrant, and very attractive when paired with flowers like roses and tulips. Yews are an attractive, dark green, narrow-leaved evergreen shrub.