Six popular varieties of christmas tree are put through their paces by Martin Fish (with a little help from his family), so you'll know what to buy

Reproduced from the December 06 issue of Gardeners' World magazine. This month's issue on sale now. Subscribe now by direct debit and save 25 per cent.

If you want your Christmas tree to keep up its magical display and are fed up with your carpet becoming a sea of fallen needles, you just need to pick the right one.

We always have a real tree in our house, because we love the atmosphere it creates. But we can never agree on which type to go for (there are so many on the market these days), and it usually ends up looking a bit bare by the end of the festive season.

So, last Christmas we tried out six of the most popular types of tree - yes, all at the same time - in a quest to discover which performs best. Follow my guide to help you make the right choice this year.

How we judged the Christmas trees

• Needle drop Even needle-retaining trees drop some of their spikes
• Overall tree shape This varies, depending on the type of tree and whether it's trimmed
• Colour Ranging from light green through to blue/green
• Scent We tested whether room warmth would activate the tree's scent
• Ease of decorating The effect of the needles' size and shape

Blue spruce (Picea pungens Glauca Group)
£20 for 1.5m tree*

Originally from the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming and Colorado, this is a tough tree. Although it had a good shape, it looked a little sparse and hiding the lighting wire was tricky.

We felt that to make the tree look full, twice the number of baubles would be needed. Decorating was slightly hazardous because we kept catching our hands on the sharp needles. But, on the plus side, this tree did have the strongest 'pine' scent of them all, and the boughs drooped very little.

Be aware this is not a tree to have in a home with small children. We had to tuck ours in a corner well away from visitors, because the short stiff needles were extremely sharp. It also had one of the greatest needle losses, and these were difficult to pick up as they got stuck in the carpet.

Verdict: Our least favourite due to the sparseness and hazardous nature of the needles.

• Needle drop 8/20
• Shape 15/20
• Colour 15/20
• Scent 18/20
• Ease of decoration 2/20
• Overall 58/100

Fraser fir(Abies fraseri)
£25 for 1.5m tree*

A fairly recent addition to Britain's choice of Christmas trees, the Fraser fir is popular in the eastern US and originates in North Carolina and Virginia.

The mid-to-dark-green needles are soft, wide and flat, with very little scent. The quite dense branches covered wires easily, and there were plenty of boughs towards the top.

Its appearance is similar to the Nordman, but it's not as wide at the bottom - so, great if space is limited. The tree often has a crooked leader, but this is the way that it grows naturally and it will add to its character.

It drank the least amount of water, with little needed after the first two days. By the end, there was moderate needle loss and branches drooped a little. This tree kept its colour best through our trial period.

Verdict: A good all-rounder that held its colour well, with a shape ideal for smaller areas.

• Needle drop 15/20
• Shape 18/20
• Colour 18/20
• Scent 10/20
• Ease of decoration 18/20
• Overall 79/100

Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia)
£20 for 1.5m tree*

Our tree had a good, tight shape with slightly twisted, yellowish-green needles, which grow in pairs of up to 9cm long. There was no noticeable scent. Lighting cables were disguised easily, but the long needles made it difficult to slip the decorations on.

There was little droop, although the tree changed shape slightly as the branches opened out - rather like a pine cone - over the first few days of testing.

Although the needle drop was only very slight, the length of the needles clogged up the vacuum nozzle.

Verdict: A break from the traditional look, this tree made a very attractive feature.

• Needle drop 16/20
• Shape 19/20
• Colour 18/20
• Scent 8/20
• Ease of decoration 17/20
• Overall 78/100

Norway spruce(Picea abies)
£15-£19.95 for 1.5m tree*

The traditional British Christmas tree for many years and native to southern Scandinavia, central and southern Europe, the Norway spruce was planted extensively as a forest tree in the 18th century.

Pointed, short, dark-green needles stand on tiny pegs and have a slight pine scent. The gently drooping branches on our tree formed a conical shape, while spaces between the branches made it an easy tree to decorate and the baubles hung freely.

However, on the down side, lighting wires needed to be positioned carefully in order to cover them from view. Regular top-ups of water were required and, by the end of the test, there was moderate to heavy needle drop. The heavier mirror ball baubles we used were also drooping noticeably.

Verdict: Good for children, as the baubles went on easily, but lost a lot of its spikes.

• Needle drop 10/20
• Shape 16/20
• Colour 17/20
• Scent 14/20
• Ease of decoration 18/20
• Overall 75/100

Noble fir(Abies procera)
£30 for 1.5m tree*

Introduced to Britain in 1830, the Noble fir is a native of Oregon and Washington in the US, and is capable of growing to great heights.

Very little scent came from the tree's long 25mm spikes. Upswept, blue-grey needles grow almost at right angles to the branch and create a very dense feel. The one we tested had quite a large gap between the top tiers, which made hiding the lighting wires a bit difficult, but lower down they were well concealed among the foliage.

The tree was easy to decorate, because the needles were quite flexible. However, some of the heavy baubles made the branches droop. Needle loss was only moderate, some of it forming clumps, making it easier to clear up by hand than to go round with a vacuum - saving time.

Verdict: A dense tree, which needed plenty of space. Its healthy look faded by the end.

• Needle drop 15/20
• Shape 16/20
• Colour 12/20
• Scent 8/20
• Ease of decoration 17/20
• Overall 68/100

Tried & Tested choice

Nordman fir (Abies nordmanniana)
£25 for 1.5m tree*

Originally from southern Russia, the Nordman fir was brought to Britain in 1848 and is becoming increasingly popular as a Christmas tree. This was our overall favourite.

Ours had a good shape, with needles that were soft, wide and flat. The foliage was a deep green and, when crushed, gave off a pleasant, citrus scent.

The denseness of the branches covered the lighting wire convincingly, and there was very little sagging to note when baubles were popped on by the children. Often described as 'non-drop', there was, indeed, very little needle loss, although they felt quite brittle towards the end. In the final stages, some of the lowest branches had begun to droop - especially where we had hung heavier baubles - but not by a substantial amount.

Verdict: A dense tree, which needed plenty of space. Its healthy look faded by the end.

• Needle drop 15/20
• Shape 16/20
• Colour 12/20
• Scent 8/20
• Ease of decoration 17/20
• Overall 68/100

Top tips for a happy tree

• Once you've got your tree home, remove any packaging and stand it in water outside until you are ready to bring it into the house.
• Don't be tempted to bring the tree into your home too early in the run up to Christmas. For minimum needle drop, aim to have the tree indoors for no more than three weeks.

• Never allow the tree to dry out once it's indoors.
• Keep the tree away from a direct heat source.

Water wonderland
To show just how important it is to keep your tree well watered throughout the holidays, we kept an extra Nordman fir and a Norway spruce entirely dry.

The Nordman fir lost more needles than when watered, its boughs drooped more, and its colour quickly faded to a slightly dull grey-green. The Norway spruce dropped substantially more needles than usual, so much so that the bottom branches were bare. This proved what I suspected - that watering works.

Testing conditions Our trees were all British and from a sustainable source. We stored them outside in buckets of water, in a cool spot. Once indoors, each tree was placed in a Cinco 7 Christmas Tree Stand, with about 7.5cm sawn off the base. Small spikes pierced the base of the trunk, while bolts held it in place. The reservoir of the Cinco 7 was easy to top up, and we were careful to check levels daily, giving them more water when needed. The trees were placed around our house (where the average room temperature is 20°C) and kept away from radiators. We decorated each tree with an equal number of baubles, the same mix of weights and sizes, and an identical set of lights. We had many large family get-togethers over the holidays, so all the trees were equally brushed up against and admired.

Useful contacts

• Jadecliff The Christmas Tree Specialists supplied our trees. Call 01635 254 485, or visit www.jadecliff.co.uk
• British Christmas Tree Growers Association Call 0131 664 1100, or see www.christmastree.org.uk
• Forestry Commission 0845 367 3787, www.forestry.gov.uk
• Cinco Stand in different sizes from The Christmas Cabin. Call 01780 411144 or email info@thechristmascabin.com

*Tree prices and sizes given are an average and may vary.