Green Fingers: Mistletoe and wine and more
I wait until the beginning of December before I kick start my plan into action.
At this time of year thoughts start to emerge about the festive season of Christmas. In my opinion, the lead up to it is far too long and if you get caught up in the fervour you can become too exhausted to relax and enjoy the holiday season when it finally arrives.
The sage advice of telling one to relax and chill is sometimes followed by the helpful suggestion that all it takes is a little planning, and here I have to agree. As you gather, I am not one who gets sucked into the early Christmas frenzy including the ‘Black Friday’ hype by traders, which does not impress me in the least and I happily pass this period unmoved.
But I do have to say that at any time during the year if I see something that might suit a person or place at Christmas, then I will buy and leave it somewhere safe until December.
Yes, by all means plan and note down things that you would like to do and mark out when they have to be done.
I wait until the beginning of December before I kick start my plan into action and to save the brain from overheating I refer to notes I made in previous seasons and updated each year.
This week I have gathered natural materials to provide decorations later on, and these include sprigs of holly, pine and larch, cones, some mossy twigs, scarlet willow, ivy and fir branches. All these are laid out on the lawn where they are safe and fresh until needed before Christmas and I will give you a few ideas next week on how to prepare some of these decorations so they last longer indoors.
Cliff Richard sang the song ‘Mistletoe and Wine’ and within the lyrics there is the message about a “time for giving, getting, forgiving and forgetting” and from this we are reminded of more important things in life and a time for reflection and perhaps action.
Wine is always acceptable but has lost some of its shine as it is an all the year-round activity, whereas a little more thought about something more different might spark more interest.
What comes to mind are indoor plants like scented hyacinths, azaleas, poinsettia and Christmas Cacti and from outdoors the possibilities are much greater but would include Christmas Box (the scented evergreen shrub called Sarcococca) or Camellia.
Mistletoe among many other older traditions has been bypassed for some time now, and largely gone unnoticed in favour of new and mostly artificial decorations. The mistletoe plant is common in many countries but rare in Ireland and largely confined to an area around Glasnevin in Dublin, and, then, oddly to an area in Newtown and Grange Park in Waterford and thereafter a few small populations in one or two other counties.
It is always nice to have a few sprigs of holly around the house as part of the Christmas decorations. Traditionally they were gathered in the country while out on a walk but they have become more difficult to locate for a number of obvious reasons. We find it easier to grow a few plants in our garden and they have produced enough for our needs each year, and a holly or two in the garden will look good in their own right.
You can cut a few sprigs now, before the birds make off with them closer to the day. They will last well in a bucket of water in a sheltered area outside and maybe put a net over them in case.
If you have any comments or queries you are welcome to share them with me on 051 384273 or orchardstowngardencentre@hotmail.com and if of general interest I will include it in a future article.
