PUCKER UP TO MISTLETOE
It takes time but romantics can grow their own festive berries
Afriend warned me that stealing a kiss under the mistletoe could count as harassment. That may well be so. But the white-berried Yuletide evergreen still sells like hot mince pies. Mistletoe has been sacred for thousands of years, figuring in ancient Greek and roman mythology. The Golden Bough, in Virgil’s Aeneid, was mistletoe. And in old norse religions, the plant was a symbol of fertility and immortality.
it’s a kind of botanical vampire — technically, a hemiparasite. Like all green plants, it derives nourishment from carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
But it also pilfers nutrients from its host tree. it does that through a modified root known as a haustorium which plugs into the host like a computer interface.
There are about 70 species; only one — Viscum album — is native to Britain.
You could hardly call it pretty, especially when it spoils the elegant outline of winter branches. But it’s a fascinating plant and adds interest to any garden. it’s great to gather your own for Christmas, too.
GETTING STARTED
if YOU want to try growing mistletoe, you’ll need fresh seed — it cannot be done from cuttings.
it’s not hard to grow, provided you follow the right procedure and have patience.
Mistletoe is a slow burner. it can take five years from germination to first flowers.
Berries are produced only by female plants, so with each seedling you’ve a 50-50 chance. Mistletoe expert Jonathan Briggs has bags of information at mistletoe.org.uk.
You can also buy grow-kits, which include fresh seed along with instructions from english
mistletoeshop.co.uk. delivery options run from february through March and seed must be sown fresh.
To produce it requires a suitable host tree. Apple is the best but you can also grow it on lime, hawthorn, willow and poplar. On the host tree, select young branches between 2cm and 6cm in diameter. These should be near the outer part of the tree and in good light.
Squeeze the seeds out of their glutinous berries, stick several to your fingers and then transfer them to the branch. Space up to six along the lower side of each selected branch, about 2cm apart.
This is not grafting. So don’t cut into the bark, don’t raise a grafting flap and don’t wrap or wax the planted stem. Leave seeds naked on the branch.
KISSING BOUGH
TO SUrViVe, the seedling must pierce the bark before connecting with the tree’s living tissue. Many will fail, but some will take. initial growth is sluggish but mature plants bulk up rapidly each year.
Mistletoe is unlikely to kill its host tree, but it does have a slightly weakening effect. On mature healthy trees, that does little or no harm. But on a small apple, yield could be reduced and the branches bearing the mistletoe could distort.
it may look odd in its host tree, but study its golden-green aura, boomerang leaves and semitranslucent berries and you’ll find great beauty.
As for the kissing myth — i’m all for it. Stealing a kiss might be offensive. Though all you need do is ask politely.