December is the month when our gardens are ignored, there are many other distractions, and the weather is never great either. However, it’s the perfect time to dig your borders or get that landscaping project done as the ground is so soft and easy to work. It’s also the perfect time to mulch your garden before those bulbs start to sprout. So, challenge yourself, get your wellies on and make the most of the brighter December days.

Everyone will know that kissing under sprigs of mistletoe is a well-known Christmas tradition, but this little plant’s history as a symbolic herb dates back thousands of years. The Greeks were known to use it as a cure for everything from menstrual cramps to spleen disorders, and the Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder noted it could be used as a balm against epilepsy, ulcers and poisons.

The plant’s romantic overtones most likely started with the Celtic Druids of the 1st century A.D. Because mistletoe could blossom even during the frozen winter, the Druids came to view it as a sacred symbol of vivacity, and they administered it to humans and animals alike in the hope of restoring fertility.

Mistletoe’s associations with fertility and vitality continued through the Middle Ages, and by the 18th century it had become widely incorporated into Christmas celebrations. Just how it made the jump from sacred herb to holiday decoration remains up for debate, but the kissing tradition appears to have first caught on among servants in England before spreading to the middle classes.

European mistletoe (Viscum album), the traditional mistletoe of literature and Christmas celebrations, is distributed throughout Eurasia from Great Britain to northern Asia. It forms a drooping yellowish evergreen bush, 60–90 cm (2–3 feet) long, on the branch of a host tree. It has thickly crowded forking branches with oval to lance-shaped leathery leaves about 5 cm (2 inches) long, arranged in pairs, each opposite the other on the branch.

The flowers, in compact spikes, are bisexual or unisexual and have regular symmetry. They are yellower than the leaves, appear in late winter, and soon give rise to one-seeded white berries, which when ripe are filled with a sticky semi-transparent pulp. These berries, and those of other mistletoes, contain toxic compounds poisonous to many animals and to humans.

The European mistletoe is most abundant on apple trees, poplars, willows, lindens, and hawthorns. Its North American counterpart, the Eastern, or oak, mistletoe (Phoradendron serotinum), also parasitizes many deciduous trees, including oaks.

If you would like to try and grow mistletoe, collect the berries from live plants as soon as they are ripe. Only collect berries from trees where you have been given permission to do so. Don’t be tempted  to collect from the wild, as this special plant is in decline.

If you have berries remaining from Christmas decorations, these can also be used, but there is no guarantee they will germinate. The decoration cuttings can be kept fresh in a vase of water or the berries can be stored in moist sand in a cool room or shed.

It is important to know where the berries originated as it is believed that the mistletoe will grow best on the same type of tree that the mistletoe parent chose. So if it was growing on an apple, plant the seeds on an apple or crab apple.

February or March is the best time to ‘plant’ mistletoe berries. The host tree should be well established, preferably at least 20 years old. There are various possible planting techniques. You could try simply smearing the berry onto a crevice or fissure in the bark for example. Better results may be achieved by making a small incision on the bark first, so that the berry can be firmly attached. Do this at approximately 1.5m above ground level on the side or underside of a strong, young, branch. Tie the berry in with some string or length of sacking or cotton bandage. This will also protect it from some hungry insects and snails as well as reminding you where it is planted.

Have patience. The seeds may take a couple of years to germinate. I don’t know of many people who have tried to grow Mistletoe, I have often thought about giving it a go but never got any further than that . . .

Jobs to do this month include:
Ornamental Garden:
* Give the borders one last tidy before Christmas by removing any debris, leaves etc.
* Check newly planted shrubs for wind rock (loosened soil around base) after strong winds firming soil.
* Avoid any pruning when frost or snow is forecast.
* Replenish birdfeeders as soon as they run out.
* Plant winter flowering shrubs like daphne and sarcococca.
* Prune acer, betula before mid-December to avoid bleeding cuts.
* Mulch if the weather is still mild.

Vegetable Garden:
* Harvest winter vegetables like sprouts etc.
* Clear any remaining plant debris and compost.
* Prune free standing apples, pears, currants and gooseberries.
* Do not prune stone fruit until spring to avoid silver leaf disease.
* Prune grape vines by mid-December.
* Continue to plant fruit bushes etc.
* Divide and re plant rhubarb.
* Lag outdoor taps and pipes to avoid them freezing.
* Ventilate greenhouse on mild days.