The story below is from our November/December 2025 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
From choose-and-cut farms to specialty large trees, Roanoke Valley Christmas tree growers share tips for selecting, transporting and caring for the perfect holiday tree.
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Christmas tree shoppers in the Roanoke Valley have many options when it comes to selecting Christmas trees. Whether someone wishes to cut their own tree or purchase a pre-cut tree from a farm or a lot, there are an abundance of options.
Three of the area’s leading tree farms offered a taste of the Christmas tree business and offer some insights into how consumers can make the most of their fir, spruce or pine.
“I have a regular customer base that I’ve had for a long time. Some of our customers have been coming here for 30 years or more,” says Frank Nelson, proprietor of Nelson’s Christmas Tree Farm, located in Fincastle. Frank’s parents started the farm more than 35 years ago and he has kept the Botetourt County business operating for the past quarter century.
Nelson’s contains roughly 30 acres of trees on a 144-acre property. They sell Norway Spruce, Canaan Fir, Concolor Fir and White Pine trees. Fir trees are known for their great Christmas fragrance. Nelson notes the Concolor’s uniquely citrusy smell as a unique twist on seasonal scents.
Courtesy of White Horse Farm
Murray Cypress Trees
While many tree farms sell a range of products, Nelson’s focuses on the basics.
“People come to the lot, and we give them a saw. They bring the kids, and they go out and run around the fields. I tell them to stay as long as they want to,” Nelson says. Once customers cut down a tree, they drag it to Nelson’s camper and pay.
Most of the trees on Nelson’s property are 6 or 7 feet tall. He brings in taller Fraser Fir trees from North Carolina each week of the season for customers in search of the much-beloved species.
“I just can’t grow Frasers at our altitude. It’s just not high enough elevation,” Nelson says. “My mother did a lot of work and found that Fraser’s didn’t grow very well here,” he continued.
Nelson’s opens the Friday after Thanksgiving and is open each weekend through Christmas.
Stuart Sours of White Horse Farm echoes Nelson’s sentiments.
“There’s some fir trees like Canaan Fir that grow pretty well at this elevation, but drainage and elevation dictates where you can grow Fraser,” Sours says.
Cindy and Stuart Sours operate White Horse Farm in Callaway. White Horse Farm has six acres currently in production.
Stuart is a retired forest warden who has been growing Christmas trees since 1986. His business started in Roanoke, but he moved his operation to its current location about 25 years ago. White Horse Farm has an assortment of pines with some firs, spruce and Cypress.
“This is a choose-and-cut farm. I’ll be glad to cut it down for them if they want to tag one,” Sours says. Many customers bring their own saw or borrow one of Stuart’s to get the full tree cutting experience.
If customers have a pickup truck, he recommends they bring it for transporting their tree or “we can either wedge it under the trunk or put it on top by tying it through the windows under the grab handles,” Sours says. The butt of the tree should always be facing forward in the car. It’s more aerodynamic that way and it keeps branches from being damaged by the wind.
White Horse Farm has a gift shop which features wooden items handcrafted on the premises.
Every year, Sours keeps pre-cut examples of each of his tree species on display so customers can see what White Horse Farm has to offer. White Horse Farm is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. starting on Black Friday.
Richard Miles of Dancing Hill Tree Farm has a slightly different Christmas tree business. Located in Bedford, the longtime farm has evolved from a traditional Christmas tree farm into one that specializes in large trees.
“We won’t be cutting anything less than 12 feet tall,” Miles says of the 2025 season. Finding a farm that specializes in large trees is difficult. Miles notes that many proprietors use large trees to make wreaths and garlands, which can net producers significant profits.
Like Sours, Richard Miles is a retired forest warden who spent his career working with trees.
“I sell them to different businesses, nursing homes, churches and some individuals. I have a few clients that look for 15- to 20-foot trees every year for private residences,” Miles says. Miles works one-on-one with customers to select these specialty trees, which start at around $400.
Miles grows what he describes as “exotic firs,” many of which come from the Mediterranean. Many of his large trees are either Trojan Fir or Greek Fir, both of which thrive in the Roanoke Valley’s climate. Some of his largest trees have been growing for more than 25 years.
Hosting such a large tree requires more planning, something that Miles’ regulars prepare for each season.
“You’re going to need something that’s going to hold water for that large tree. A bigger tree is going to suck up more water,” Miles says.
Beyond the specifics of their operations, the three Christmas tree proprietors interviewed for this story offered more general advice on how to keep your tree thriving throughout the season.
Buyer beware was a sentiment they all shared, particularly if you plan to buy a tree from a big box store or a short-term tree lot. The trees for sale at many chain stores get cut as early as October to meet the massive seasonal demand for the product.
Nationally, there has been a Christmas tree shortage in recent years, as many large family tree farms in all parts of the country have ceased operation. Many parents who started tree farms in the 1980s and 1990s are now at retirement age. Often, their children don’t want to continue in the business.
“You should do a fresh cut on the butt of the tree, wherever you buy the tree,” Nelson says.
For a fresh cut, Sours recommends taking a half-inch off the bottom.
“If you want to get one off the lot, you’ve got to know the people running a lot and who’ll tell you how long that tree’s been cut before it appeared on the lot,” Miles says. If you purchase a tree from a chain store, Miles suggests that you might as well get it early, as the trees there on Black Friday will likely be the same trees that are there in mid-December.
“Even if you’re not ready to put it up, make a fresh cut on it every couple days. Put it in water. It will last much longer,” Miles says.
Get your tree into water as soon as you get it home, they all recommend. Keep your tree watered throughout the season and consider setting up a humidifier in the room to keep the tree from getting dry.
“Have a dedicated place for your tree that’s not near a heat return or a fireplace. And one that allows them to have it decorated on at least one side. Some people get a really nice tree, and have it crammed in a corner,” Sours says.
Sours says that customers need to be particularly diligent with watering white pines. Scotch pine, by comparison, are less temperamental. Some proprietors also believe that Norway Spruce tend to drop their needles early.
“Just make sure the tree is well balanced. If you have kids or pets, perhaps anchor the tree up high somewhere, like you would a bookshelf,” Sours says.
Whatever tree you select for the season, the most important thing is making sure it’s one that suits your preferences.
“It doesn’t have to be the prettiest tree. Charlie Brown trees work just fine. Find one that makes you happy and go with that,” Nelson says.
The story above is from our November/December 2025 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!