Can you believe that Christmas is almost here? There are several plants that traditionally represent Christmas, so make a cup of tea and sit with me for a few minutes, and let's chat Christmas plants.
Poinsettia, always a holiday favorite, has the Latin name "euphorbia pulcherrima", the "most beautiful". Poinsettia originally calls Mexico home. While we look at the plant and admire the velvety "flower", what we think of as flowers are actually modified leaves: the small yellow centres are actually the flowers. Poinsettias were first brought to the US by the first US ambassador to Mexico, Joel Poinsett. He kindly shared the plant with his gardening friends, and the rest is history!
Holly was used by the ancient Romans during Saturnalia festivals, a symbol of life and renewal in the middle of deepest, darkest winter. Holly, known as "ilex", grows in many European countries, and is famous for its glossy, tough leaves that stay green all winter.
Also "evergreen", the idea of bringing in coniferous branches in the dead of winter began thousands of years ago, when primitive people believed that evergreens were mystical and possessed amazing powers because they did not die in the winter. They represented immortality, and many hundreds of years later, evolved into the idea of bringing a spruce or pine tree into the home at Christmas.
In the language of flowers, ivy represents resurrection and eternity. Let me share a little story with you: when my precious Mom passed away, a dear friend gave us a beautiful planter that contained a variety of plants, including an ivy. When spring came, I planted the ivy outside in one of our large planters. Time passed, and when fall arrived, I neglected to transplant the ivy and bring it into the house. On November 11, we were hanging up our Christmas lights, and I saw the little ivy peeking out from under the snow, still in the large planter. Certain that the ivy must be frozen, I took off my glove and felt the leaves; to my amazement, they were still soft and supple. Since the ground wasn't yet frozen at that time, I grabbed a flowerpot and transplanted the ivy and brought it in. It is currently doing fine and living in our kitchen! So ivy is a perfect symbol of long life, and it will have extra special meaning to me over this holiday season.
The first meeting of the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society in 2012 will be February 15. We'll meet at the Sunshine Room in SIGN on North Street, so get out your brand new calendars and mark that date down! We hope you can join us. On behalf of all your friends at the Horticultural Society, and from me and my family, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and may every joy and blessing be yours in the coming year. Our wish for you is that you find health, peace, and tranquility in your garden, no matter how big or small it may be, and that you are always open to the miracles of growth and beauty that happen there daily. Merry Christmas!
