Advice for a newbie on Fir trees

[Amateur]

Hello,

 

 I am wanting to buy two fir trees for my garden but thought I would ask the experts for advice before I do this. Is there anything you think I would need to know in advance before I buy them?
How much should I be looking at paying? 

Is there anywhere in particular I should look to buy from?

How should I tend to them? How long before they really begin to grow? 
 

Thanks for your help

[Squaredy]

36 minutes ago, Amateur said:

Hello,

 

 I am wanting to buy two fir trees for my garden but thought I would ask the experts for advice before I do this. Is there anything you think I would need to know in advance before I buy them?
How much should I be looking at paying? 

Is there anywhere in particular I should look to buy from?

How should I tend to them? How long before they really begin to grow? 
 

Thanks for your help

I am no garden expert but avoid any type of Cypress.  In fact what you refer to as "Fir trees" are generally not good for normal gardens.  If you are sold one that is not a dwarf variety it will rapidly get too big.  Most varieties of cypress are impossible to re-shape or trim smaller (you will be left with only dead foliage).

 

If you really want an evergreen you could try Yew, especially Irish Yew.  Or there are numerous other shrubs and small trees that would need very little maintenance and be attractive.  Fir trees originate in forests which is why they tend to be large trees.  Britain's tallest trees are Fir (Douglas Fir) and are over 200ft tall.

[Puffingbilly413]

Seconded for Korean Fir. Lovely shape and gets cones early in its life. Can still be a bit large for smaller gardens though.

 

Could always pot up in a planter to restrict root growth.

[matt padden]

Korean Fir is probably you're best bet for a typical garden, if a Fir is what you're after,

[Steven P]

To note for a garden though, Yew trees - the seeds and needles are poisonous so you might need to be aware of that if children visit.

[Sviatoslav Tulin]

I don’t recommend Fir in the garden unless it’s like half a square kilometre ,they nice trees but grow fast and very big usually, they don’t like pruning much ,and there is some diseases luring around conifers in GB and Ireland can’t confirm they hurting Fir , but seen many other evergreen species deteriorating for last  3 to 5 years. Korean fir actually can be ok choice for medium garden , need sandy and stony substrate  they quite bushy and will grow fast  pretty big as well.

Edited November 16, 2023 by Sviatoslav Tulin

[sime42]

1 hour ago, Steven P said:

To note for a garden though, Yew trees - the seeds and needles are poisonous so you might need to be aware of that if children visit.

 

Interestly, the red fleshy bit of the seeds isn't poisonous though, just the actual seed inside.

They taste mildly sweet but not really worth bothering with; having tried them out of curiosity.

 

[Sviatoslav Tulin]

I lost my GSD PUPPY 6 years ago ,I had small yew in my garden ,and to my shame I didn’t noticed that she is nipping bottom branches with berries on it, died in doggy intensive therapy 2 days later still affected by this.

[Steven P]

30 minutes ago, sime42 said:

 

Interestly, the red fleshy bit of the seeds isn't poisonous though, just the actual seed inside.

They taste mildly sweet but not really worth bothering with; having tried them out of curiosity.

 

 

I've been curious what the taste was like - got to strip the flesh off a lot of them to make anything worthwhile so I haven't got round to it yet.

 

[openspaceman]

1 hour ago, Steven P said:

 

I've been curious what the taste was like - got to strip the flesh off a lot of them to make anything worthwhile so I haven't got round to it yet.

 

Children would suck off the fleshy bit and spit out the seed for a bit of sweetness during sugar rationing, my mother called them snotty gogs

[doobin]

11 hours ago, Steven P said:

 

I've been curious what the taste was like - got to strip the flesh off a lot of them to make anything worthwhile so I haven't got round to it yet.

 

Just suck the flesh off and spit them out. They are pleasant. A little treat when mowing churchyards.