As I am writing this we are seeing the first “snowfall” of the season, not unexpectedly blanketing my unprepared garden. I was hoping to have a few more days to finish putting it to bed; cutting down some perennials, trimming back the shrub roses and cutting down the spent raspberry canes. I guess Old Man Winter has done it for me. On the bright side we do need the moisture and since the ground is not yet frozen most of it will seep into the ground. If temperatures rise most of the snow will melt, and if they don’t, snow is an excellent insulator so my perennials will be protected. And if the snow sticks around and this is truly the beginning of winter I can look forward to lots of winter interest in my garden this year!
Now that I am forced to come to terms with the sudden change in the season, my thoughts turn to the upcoming holidays and all the plants that we associate with them. I am going to get back up on my soapbox about choosing a live Christmas tree this year, if a tree is part of how you celebrate the holidays. Choosing a live tree over an artificial one is helping both the environment and the economy. Today most Christmas trees are grown on tree farms, an industry that employs more than 100,000 people. Two to three seedlings are planted for each tree harvested and during the 7-10 years that it will take for them to reach maturity they will provide a habitat for birds and wildlife, and remove dust, pollen and CO₂ from the air — each acre of trees will provide the daily oxygen requirement for 18 people.
After the holidays you can prop your tree up in the yard where it can serve as haven for wildlife. After they are picked up by the City they will be chipped and used as wood mulch in our gardens and for newly planted trees. If it is the cost of a live tree that concerns you consider that an artificial tree will only last an average of six years and then spend the next 100 years in the landfill. If you are due for a new tree this year consider going the environmentally friendly route, reducing your carbon footprint and supporting a large industry in Minnesota.
I find the story of mistletoe and how kissing under it became part of the holiday tradition very fascinating. The Old English name was mistiltan — the Anglo Saxon word “misle” meant dungand “tan” meant twig; thus mistletoe meant “dung on a twig,” not exactly the romantic association it has today. Mistletoe is a parasitic plant, meaning it needs a host plant on which to live and that is usually a deciduous tree. It is also evergreen and because of this it is most noticeable in winter after the leaves have fallen off the host. This “lifestyle” may be why mistletoe is associated with ancient beliefs and myths, and how it came to be known as the “kissing plant.”
Ancient belief was that mistletoe sprang to life from bird droppings in the treetop (thus the name “dung on a twig”). Legend has it that the ancient Druids of Old Europe considered mistletoe to be sacred, possibly because the evergreen plant seemed to magically appear in the trees in the winter after all the other traces of green had disappeared. The Druids were required to cut the plant from oak trees with a gold knife, the mistletoe had to fall on a white sheet and be carried away by virgins. Because of its reputation as an aphrodisiac and as an aid to fertility, mistletoe was used in wedding ceremonies, which may have led to the practice of kissing beneath it. Kissing under the mistletoe is a relatively new Christmas tradition however, as years ago this was practiced in England on New Year’s.
The practice of kissing under the mistletoe at Christmas may actually be of Scandinavian origin. According to this custom, any two people meeting under mistletoe are obligated to kiss. In his story, Christmas Eve, Washington Irving states “The mistletoe is still hung up in farmhouses and kitchens at Christmas and the young men have the privilege of kissing the young girls beneath it, plucking each time a berry from the bush. When the berries are all plucked the privilege ceases.”
Holly, ivy, poinsettias, all other plants associated with the winter holidays, make us realize that the plants fill our homes and lives all year round; that there is plenty of green to sustain us until the garden emerges from under the snow next spring. Enjoy your green in the winter that just swept upon us.