ROVIN' AND RAVIN' WITH MIKE
Copyright © 2000 by Michael Segers, All rights reserved;
Brought to you by Peanut.org
Have a Blooming Christmas
Many plants have become associated with Christmas in various traditions.
In recent years, we’ve acquired a charming tradition of giving plants
as Christmas presents. So, I want
to take my hands off the keyboard long enough to get them dirty and share my
love for some of these plants with you. Of
course, I’ll share some links to help you learn more about caring for your
plants and about their connections to the holiday season.
December is not the best time
of year to bring new plants into your home.
You need to be careful about putting plants near windows in the winter,
because the windows can be both too cold and too hot for plants. Of course, moving the plants into the house can be tricky;
especially if the plant is blooming, exposure to cold can be a real shock to it.
In the house, artificial heat can dry the plant out, so be especially
careful with watering.
The most common Christmas
plant gift is the poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima), which was a
traditional favorite in its native Mexico long before the American ambassador (Poinsett)
for whom it is named discovered it and grew it in a greenhouse in North
Carolina. The large colorful bracts grow around the true flowers, tiny and
yellow. Hybrids now offer bracts in
an increasing variety of colors. South
Georgia seems to be about as far north as the poinsettia can be grown outdoors,
and we are fortunate to have some huge poinsettia “trees” around some of the
older homes here. There are all
kinds of tales about how to get the poinsettia to flower
a second time, but if you click on that link, you’ll get the latest
information.
One of my favorite plants, any
time of the year, is the Christmas cactus, because it is a flower that I so much
associate with porches all over Worth County.
I’ve seen Christmas cacti growing in dishpans and chamber pots, and
I’ve seen plants that have become treasured heirlooms, with the original plant
passed from one generation to the next and treasured cuttings shared with
honored friends. Although they seem
to be indestructible, you can learn more about the care
of the Christmas cactus if you click on the link.
The Norfolk Island pine is a
plant welcome at any time of the year, and it is a special joy for folks whose
houses don’t have strong sunlight. I
had one for several years which I would decorate every December with little
ornaments, since the branches are delicate.
You can, of course, learn more about living
with a Norfolk Island pine. And,
I hope you notice that these links are to various sites that plant lovers will
find helpful, not just with their Christmas plants but with plants throughout
the year.
Mistletoe is not a plant that is given as a gift, but it provides us license to steal a gift, a kiss. It hasn’t always had such a happy association. In fact, it has gotten about the worst rap of any plant. Although here in the southern part of the United States, we know the story of the dogwood being the tree of which the cross of Jesus was made, European traditions say that the cross was made from mistletoe wood—not that this little parasite has wood of its own.
Christianity is not the only religion that branded the mistletoe a weapon of death. In Scandinavian mythology, Frigga, the mother of the god Balder, had all living things in the earth and in the water swear not to harm her son. But Loki, mortal enemy of Balder, tricked the blind god Hoder into shooting an arrow made of mistletoe (which had escaped taking the oath, since it grows in neither earth nor water) and killing the beloved Balder. He was restored to life by his mother's tears, which turned into the mistletoe berries, and Frigga consecrated the plant which had contributed the material for the fatal arrow.
So, the plant came to be associated with life and protection, and it often was hung over doorways. It was considered to be especially unpleasant to fairies, who would avoid houses protected by the mistletoe as they went on their child-stealing rounds. Since there was something magical about the way it grows in the tops of trees, it was thought to enhance magic. Enemies who met under it had to embrace and declare at least a temporary truce. Of course, in modern times, this practice has been changed to giving a kiss which, in earlier traditions, had to be paid for with a mistletoe berry, under the sacred bough.
While
mistletoe has been used as a medicinal herb in various cultures, its berries are
poisonous. Most of the traditions
about mistletoe come from Europe, but in the United States, it is known as the
state flower of Oklahoma. Mistletoe,
it turns out, is a plant that, just from practical considerations, has its pros
and cons.
Keep your feet
dry, but not your plants, and your heart full of noble thoughts.
And, in case you are experiencing a mistletoe shortage, maybe you can get
your true love to stand under your computer.
But, then, since this is just virtual mistletoe, I’ll leave it to the
two of you decide whether you should receive a virtual kiss.