Plants of Current Interest: December
Supplied by Christopher Weddell, Information and Interpretation Technician @ Wisley
The positions in the Garden where each plant can be found is also given.
This month, plants associated with modern and traditional Christmas and New Year festivities are being highlighted.
Some plants, like holly, ivy and mistletoe have been associated with this time of year for thousands of years while others, such as the now traditional Christmas tree, were only introduced in the 18th century. Even more recently cyclamen, Christmas cacti and poinsettias have become popular as both decorations and gifts.
Many plants have traditions linked to ancient customs, often practised to improve the following year's harvest. The Yule Log is common in folklore in most parts of England. It would be the largest piece of wood, often oak (Quercus), which could fit on the family hearth. The log would be brought in on Christmas Eve and lit with a piece of Yule Log saved from the previous year. Care was taken to keep it burning as it was considered very unlucky if the fire was allowed to go out on Christmas Day. A similar practice was followed in the West Country but ashen faggots, bundles of ash (Fraxinus) sticks bound with hazel (Corylus), were used instead of a Yule Log.
Between Christmas and New Year orchards were often wassailed to encourage a good crop in the coming year. Songs would be sung and the tree trunks beaten with sticks or splashed with cider. Though with the jollity and amount of cider drunk it could just have been a good diversion from all the winter pruning being carried out!
Holly (Ilex)
Arboretum, Battleston Hill and Pinetum
Without doubt the most popular plant at Christmas time, holly, has been used to decorate houses and buildings in Britain since the Middle Ages. The use of evergreens as decoration was begun in Roman times as the Romans regarded winter greenery as a symbol of undying life and used it in magical rites to ensure the return of vegetation in the spring.
Evergreen holly grows around the world, from tropical to temperate regions, and can be found throughout Britain. Well known for its foliage and berries, most holly leaves are simple with spine-toothed, spiny or smooth margins. Male and female flowers are usually borne on separate plants in spring or early summer with the female plants bearing somewhat poisonous red, or occasionally yellow, orange or white berries in autumn.
Holly grows best in moist but well drained, fertile, humus-rich soil in full sun or partial shade and can be formally clipped. Seeds can be sown but can take up to three years to germinate. The preferred propagation method is to use semi-ripe cuttings taken in late summer.
Holly has several associated traditions, most of which are positive. However, it is said to be unlucky to bring holly into the house at other times of the year. Many say holly should be removed by Twelfth Night as one misfortune would befall for each leaf left past that time. Some also say it should be burned on Shrove Tuesday in order to cook the pancakes.
Ivy (Hedera)
Wild Garden and Rock Garden
A genus of evergreen, woody stemmed, trailing or self-clinging climbers found in woodland from Europe to the Himalayas, North Africa, China, Korea and Japan.
Commonly used for Christmas decoration since the Middle Ages ivy is often thought of as a poor relative to holly when used to decorate the home. Unlike holly it is said that ivy should not be burned.
Ivy has 3- to 5-lobed or entire leaves which are sometimes variegated. The plant shows two distinct stages of growth, a creeping or climbing juvenile stage and an adult stage of compact aerial 'bushes' with entire leaves and spherical clusters of yellow flowers in autumn, followed by poisonous black fruits. Ivy tolerates a range of conditions but grows best in fertile, humus-rich, moist but well drained soil. Green leaved ivies are shade tolerant but variegated plants prefer more light.
Christmas tree
Arboretum and Pinetum
This symbol of Christmas is generally assumed to be a German custom introduced to Britain by Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, but this is only partly true. The British Royal Family have had a Christmas tree since the days of George III when he married Princess Charlotte of Mecklenberg-Strelitz in 1761. It only became fashionable in the 1840's when the Illustrated London News featured Queen Victoria and family gathered around the tree at Windsor Castle in 1848. Now the most famous Christmas tree is the one set up each year in Trafalgar Square, London, which has been donated by the citizens of Oslo since 1947.
Norway spruce (Picea abies)
The traditional British Christmas tree. Recognisable by the blunt, four sided, dark green needles which point forwards and upwards on orange to brown shoots. The bark is normally a red-brown colour.
Nordmann fir (Abies nordmanniana)
A popular Christmas tree - because of its 'no needle drop' characteristics with glossy deep green foliage and a very attractive shape. The needles point forward and are soft and thick with white lines on the underside. The bark is smooth and grey in colour.
Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris)
Widely used as a Christmas tree, the needles range from 2.5-.75cm (2-3in) in length and have a spread of colour from bright to dark green. The underside of the needles is characterised by several prominent rows of stomatal openings.
Noble fir (Abies procera)
In the wild these trees can grow to over 60m (200ft) high. The needles are bluish green but with a silver appearance due to the two white rows of stomata on the underside. The bark is smooth and grey in colour.
There are several folk tales that relate to Christmas trees. Some tell that the tree should not be brought indoors before Christmas Eve. Others say that Christmas trees should not be burned as it will cast bad luck. Many gardeners may also say burning is a waste of material as it could easily be shredded, composted and used as a mulch.
Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera)
Glasshouses
Commonly called Christmas cactus, due to the normal flowering period from November to March, these perennial cacti are from the tropical rainforests of south east Brazil.
The flowers are open trumpet-shaped with narrow petals and are borne on the ends of flattened stems which appear to be divided into leaf-like segments. Flower colour varies according to cultivar but can range from white through shades of pink to orange and red.
Cyclamen
Glasshouses
Mediterranean Cyclamen have become popular Christmas houseplants in recent years. Cultivars of C. persicum have been selected to produce larger flowers in a greater range of colours from purple, deep pink and red to white. Naturally flowering from early winter through to spring, the flowers are produced on tall, slender stems set off by heart-shaped deep green and silver mottled leaves.
Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima)
Glasshouses
Popular as Christmas plants because of the deep red bracts of some cultivars, the poinsettia is native to Mexico where it grows wild as a perennial shrub reaching a height of 3m (10ft).
The coloured bracts, which vary from white and pink to red, are often mistaken for the flowers. However, the flowers are actually small and insignificant and usually found clustered at the base of the colourful bracts.