By LYN DESMARAIS
Here’s a very brief and lighthearted romp through the history of a few of the common plants you may have in your homes.
Celebrations in what we now call December are ancient and celebrated around the world in many, many cultures. Celebrations marking the waning and waxing of the sun and the return of longer days go back thousands of years. Yule or Jule (ancient Norse and German) and Saturnalia (after the Roman god of the harvest and agriculture), like other sun celebrations, were often held in the days before and after the solstice. We get many of our traditions from these celebrations: evergreens, holly, wreaths, feasting, candles, gift giving, family time, and singing. Immigrants brought their traditions to what would become the United States and these are seen here in Vermont today.
The Christmas tree: Yule and other celebrations used evergreen boughs and branches to celebrate the harvest with the promise of new life and fertility. Historians think they were originally used to ward off evil and sickness. Perhaps they thought that something that didn’t die in winter had special powers? Over time we know from art that apples, nuts, cookies, and other edibles were added to the evergreens. In the United States, only German immigrants were known to cut trees and bring them into the house. Even as late as the 1840s, “Christmas time” trees were considered pagan and foreign symbols and not acceptable in most of the United States. Something happened to change this. The history channel claims that the very popular, pretty, young Queen Victoria and her German husband Prince Albert, are responsible for popularizing the tradition of the tree in the home with decorations. In 1848, they made the front page of The Illustrated London News with a tree covered with sweets, ornaments, candles, and an angel. It became all the rage. Over the next century and a half, factories and artisans churned out ornaments. In 1879, Edison created the light bulb. Three years later, Edison’s friend and partner, Johnson, lit up a tree in his home with 80 colored electrical lights and the next year he had a tree lit outside his home with more than double that number. The rest, they say, is history.
Mistletoe: Hanging from trees, mistletoe is a hemi-parasitic plant which drills its roots into tree bark to get its water and nutrients from the trees. Once it was used to ward off evil spirits. The logic of this is lost to history. Was it a useful medicinal plant? How did the ancients use its berries, which I believe are toxic? Much later, mistletoe was associated with love and fertility, but that appears to be confined to wintertime. It is true that it is green in winter, but as it is usually high up in trees, I’m unclear how they would harvest it. It feels like it is more common in movies than in real life.
Christmas cacti: (schlumbergera- definitely named after someone!) This is a very small group of cacti that that grow on trees in the mountains in Brazil and they love high humidity. They are given their name of Christmas or Thanksgiving cacti because they bloom—bright, reddish pink flowers—in late November to late December.
Poinsettias: (cuetlaxochitl) These are native to Central America; the Aztecs used this plant for dying and medicine. Their common name comes from the US Ambassador to Mexico in 1825. He brought them back to South Carolina and propagated them from there. I’m not sure why most of us call them “point settas,” as if there were a “t” after the “n” and the final “i” weren’t there.
Holly: (Ibex) Throughout history, holly was prized at harvest festivals for its glossy leaves and its bright red berries. One Christmas, we spent hours coiling it with other greenery to decorate the outside of a school. I’ve never seen so many discouraged people in my life with injured fingers! On the plus side, we all agreed that holly would be useful as an effective deterrent to keeping people and animals out. Planting hedges of holly with roses and other prickly plants could be a very effective alternative to a fence.
Amaryllis Legend: Chances are you’ve grown an amaryllis. At the very least, you’ve seen one successfully growing on someone else’s kitchen counter or dining table. Mine die. I’m not good with houseplants. So, I knew nothing about their history or meaning. We don’t usually grow or “force” bulbs indoors, do we? In Greek legend, Amaryllis was a shy little nymph who fell in love with a shepherd, Alteo, who loved flowers. How appropriate for this column. Amaryllis obviously thought her beloved was as strong as Hercules and had the beauty of Apollo. Why else would she do what comes next? Alteo did not return her feelings. Amaryllis sought advice. Not from a trusted friend or a family member clearly. No, no…only the oracle at Delphi would do. History is full of stories about the dodgy advice from this oracle. The oracle told her to give Alteo what he wanted: a flower of unique beauty. Wow, really that’s all they had? No “there are plenty of other fish in the sea” or “go look elsewhere; he’s just not that into you.” So the oracle told her to go to Alteo’s every night for 30 nights and pierce her heart with a golden arrow. Seriously? There are so many things wrong with this advice. Where does a nymph get a golden arrow to start with? Alteo at last opened the door, there was a stunning crimson flower, which had sprung from the blood of Amaryllis’s heart. Hmmm, I’m not sure what to do with a story like this. Not particularly wise advice, in fact, quite the opposite. And it certainly doesn’t make me want to grow one. So, I’ll just leave it there, and end with a huge shout out to Devon Fuller, Jasen Sica, the Brandon DBA, and for the stalwart volunteers who once again had to deal with very cold conditions to beautify our town!!!
Where to buy trees, wreaths, and other plants of the season
Blue Seal in Brandon has a lovely selection of wreaths, kissing balls, trees and gifts for everyone. Blue Seal supports so many local causes from our school kids to Brandon’s Emergency Food Pantry and Rutland County Audubon. 57 Alta Woods, Brandon, VT (802) 247-9599.
Stevens Farmstead in Sudbury has wreaths and pies and other goodies. Order ahead. https://www.thestevensfarmstead.com, (802) 623-6755.
Werner’s Tree farm in Middlebury has a wide selection of cut trees and trees you can choose from. They also have wreaths for sale and to order. They have good hot chocolate too. 429 Painter Road, Middlebury, VT (802) 388-7781.
Winslow Farms allows you to choose and cut your own trees. Lovely tree farm and fun to visit. Pittsford, US-7, Pittsford, VT (802) 773-1003.
