delivering the christmas tree

traditional xmas tree

Like a lot of non-indigenous Australians, this writer grew up with all the seasonal razzamatazz of a northern hemisphere Christmas -

tall green fir tree in the lounge room, fragrant spruce and ivy garlands, holly wreath on the front door, mistletoe bough hanging from the ceiling...

 

The sort of greenery we sing about in Christmas carols; and we see in TV Christmas movies, on Christmas cards, knitted into Christmas stockings and sweaters.

Perfect for a chilly climate's midwinter; but it makes no sense in midsummer by the beach or bush...!

 

So how do Aussies celebrate Christmas with plants?

xmas, Aussie style

Here's our suggestions for how we Aussies can turn old plant traditions into new ones, and northern customs into southern trends.

We've curated our favourites here - for north and south of the equator, traditional European, and modern Antipodean.
We've also suggested some ideas for decorating your home naturally - and for free, if you're lucky!

 

We've even tucked into your seasonal stocking some extra fun easter eggs (or should that be pavlovas?) for you to discover when you click the links... Enjoy!

Celebrating Christmas, Antipodean Style

holly and ivy

European : The Holly & the Ivy

 

The holly and the ivy,
when they are both full grown,
of all the trees that are in the wood,
the holly wears the crown

 

Holly (Ilex) and ivy (Hedera)are traditional Northern hemisphere Christmas plants, rich in mythology and history.

In arctic climates, winter can last for months rather than weeks, and northerly residents may not see daylight for some time.

In the days before electricity and internet, it might seem as if spring would never come. No wonder bears hibernate!

They are evergreen in even the coldest weather, and both have berries to sustain native birds - bright red for holly, jet black for ivy.

Their dense foliage is a refuge for native fauna to ride out a snowstorm or find hidden insect food.

Holly made good winter fodder for cattle when little else was available to eat, and so was much valued by farming communities.
Ivy has since Roman times been associated with wine and festivities typical of midwinter celebrations.

 

holly and ivy, Aussie style

Antipodean : Holly Fuchsia

 

Deck the halls with boughs of holly
fa la la la la, la la la la
Tis the season to be jolly
fa la la la la, la la la la

 

Greenery is a reminder of good times to come, fun times to celebrate, and the fertility of mother nature.
Bringing evergreen plants into the home is a reminder that spring eventually replaces winter, the sun eventually rises a little earlier and sets a little later each day, buds eventually open into blossom.

In milder climates of Australia, the evergreen glossy native holly fuchsia (Graptopetalum) makes a perfect seasonal swap.
Red holly berries are replaced by red holly flowers, shiny like a ribbon around a parcel.

Underplant holly fuchsia with a carpet of variegated Swedish ivy : traces of red-pink in the leaf pick up the holly fuchsia's flower colour, and the white leaf edges create a subtropical sprinkling of 'snow' on the ground.

xmas trees

European : Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

 

Rockin' around the Christmas tree
At the Christmas party hop
Mistletoe hung where you can see
Every couple tries to stop

 

Conifers are the traditional Northern hemisphere Christmas trees, especially spruce and pine.

 

Leyland cypress and juniper grow very well in Aussie climates, enjoying the year round light and adapting to periods of heat and low rainfall with resilience and fortitude.

They're ideal for southern Aussie states and highland ranges in particular, where temperatures can swing to extremes.

 

xmas trees, Aussie style

Antipodean : O Woolly Bush O Daintree Pine

 

O Christmas Tree O Christmas Tree
How steadfast are your branches!
Your boughs are green in summer’s clime
And through the snows of wintertime

 

Swap out the northern conifers for some true blue Aussie-style Christmas trees instead!

 

In free-draining acid soils and drier climates, the native woolly bushes (Adenanthos) from southern WA come into their own, their soft silvery silky stems evoking the glitter of frost.

Mature plants will often be decorated with tiny coral red flowers in midwinter to early summer. Cut the branches for home decoration and you'll find they can last up to a month.

 

In more humid subtropical zones the native Daintree pine (Gymnostoma) is a good choice as an alternative christmas tree - they originate in northern QLD, about as far from the woolly bush's home as is possible within the mainland.

These elegant conifers have a fluffy bright presence and an elegant teardrop outline, perfect for wrapping in twinkling lights.

mistletoe

European : Mistletoe & Wine

 

" The druids – that is what they call their magicians – hold nothing more sacred than the mistletoe and a tree on which it is growing, provided it is a hard-timbered oak [robur][....

Mistletoe is rare and when found it is gathered with great ceremony, and particularly on the sixth day of the moon....
A priest arrayed in white vestments climbs the tree and, with a golden sickle, cuts down the mistletoe, which is caught in a white cloak.

They believe that mistletoe given in drink will impart fertility to any animal that is barren and that it is an antidote to all poisons. "
Pliny the Elder, 1AD

 

the Holly King

In ancient folklore the Holly King and the Oak King battle each equinox, to see who will reign over the earth for the next six months.

At each autumn equinox the Holly King emerges victorious, ushering in six months of cold and dark.
His Oak King rival vanquishes him at the spring equinox, to restore light and warmth once more.

The Oak King remains through the Holly King's winter to host the magical mistletoe plant, Viscum and its pearly-white berries.

These berries are often spread by the mistle thrush, a beloved bird of northern climes, slightly larger than a magpie-lark or peewit, with a speckled breast and a whistling song.

mistletoe, Aussie style

Antipodean : Mistletoe and... Passion Pop?

 

Join together 'neath the mistletoe,
By the holy oak whereon it grows
Seven druids dance in seven time
Sing the song the bells call, loudly chiming

 

mistletoe birds

There is (half of) a venerable live oak, midway between Paramatta and Liverpool, NSW, creating its own ancient legend.
As far as we know, it has no mistletoe...

Here, native Aussie mistletoes - Amyema and Lysiana - join in the fun, with slender ruby flowers, and black berries. Their berries are often 'planted' by red-chested mistletoe birds or flowerpeckers.

The mistletoe plants are usually found on acacia, and occasionally on gum trees - so watch the wattles!

nuytsia moojar

Seeking another southern hemisphere parasite to replace the European mistletoe?

The moojar, Western Australia's WA Christmas tree, (Nuytsia), is a golden-glowing beauty of a plant, though traditionally associated with death rather than lust...

It needs a host to attach itself to, so plant this one along with a summer-blooming crepe myrtle or two, its preferred companion.

xmas poinsettia

European : Oh Holy Night

 

At noon and evening in the flame-heart’s shade:
We were so happy, happy,—I remember
Beneath the poinsettia’s red in warm December
Flame-Heart : Claude McKay

 

In the USA and Europe, not everyone has room for a fresh real pine tree; but many homes add living plant decoration in the form of a cherry-red poinsettia.

The first US Minister to Mexico, Joel Poinsett, started an American and European trend for poinsettia plants - known in Mexico as flor de noche buena or Holy Night flower - to add bright Caribbean colour during dark cold days.

The trend is still going strong with close to 150 million plants produced each year. (Watch a timelapse of the process here!)
It's why poinsettias are also often known as Christmas roses

Hot-house potted poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima) develop their out-of-season colour with a precise growing regime of temperature control and artificial light and dark.

Transplanted to subtropical Australia, poinsettias grow outdoors as a large shrub or tree, often flowering in midwinter, for a Christmas in July celebration.

 

reds, Aussie style

Antipodean : Christmas Reds, Whites, and Rosés

 

I really like Christmas
It's sentimental, I know
But I just really like it

 

In southern latitudes, Christmas is the time of the longest days, the brightest sun.
We don't need a reminder of spring-to-come so much as a celebration of summer that is here.
And what better colour than red?

During our Aussie summer, red-flowered trees take the stage.

Like native NSW Christmas bush (Ceratopetalum),
kiwi NZ Christmas bush or pohutukawa (Metrosideros),
and Madagascar poinciana (Delonix) - all colour our streets with a santa-rific blaze of scarlet.

It's like a street party every day!

wassail

Wassail! Drinkhail!

 

Here we come a-wassailing
Among the leaves so green;
Here we come a-wandering
So fair to be seen.

Our wassail cup is made
Of the rosemary tree,
And so is your beer
Of the best barley.

 

Well - here's a northern hemisphere tradition we can get behind!
Whether your drinking cup is made of rosemary or reusable bamboo, a wassail is a great mass singalong in honour of trees.

Early in the year, farming communities would go from orchard to orchard, giving offerings of cider - and a song - to the trees to encourage a good harvest that autumn.

And then at Christmas time, the community would go from house to house, singing songs, and demanding a little of that sweet cider harvest to drink as they went - often warm and spiced against the cold.

A traditional wassail drink is the Smoking Bishop - it's even mentioned in Dickens' A Christmas Carol.
It's a kind of mulled wine or gluhwein, complex to make and varied in recipe, involving several warming imported spices, roasted citrus fruits, and port wine, heated together. Cosy!

 

cocktail

Cocktail!

 

Wassail, wassail all over the town
Our toast, it is white and our ale, it is brown
Our bowl, it is made of the white maple tree
With the wassailing bowl, we'll drink to thee

 

If you fancy an encouraging singalong to your garden trees, here's some festive weather-appropriate cocktails we suggest you wassail with:

 

A quick and easy chilled version of Smoking Bishop is Bishop's Punch :
1 bottle red wine, 3 shots rum (spiced rum for a seasonal tingle), juice of half a lemon, 4 tsp caster sugar.
Stir, pour over ice.

Cool and refreshing, the Poinsettia cocktail is a pretty pink party punch:
1 bottle champagne or prosecco, half a litre cranberry juice, 4 shots cointreau.

Christmas Jones (named for the Bond film's "nuclear physicist" rather than the holiday) is a festive peachy-pink alco-smoothie :
blend together a glass of pineapple juice, 3 shots vodka, a handful of strawberries, 4tsp caster sugar.
Half-fill your glass, and top up with lemon-lime soda. Try it with strawberry myrtle too!

If you're hanging out for the dream of a white winter wonderland, you can't go past the 1970s classic, Snowball.
Fill a glass with ice, pour in lemonade, a healthy squeeze of fresh lime, and 2 shots advocaat.
It's a tropical egg nog!

Out With The Old European

If you want to avoid a house full of plastic and glitter, or you prefer all-natural biodegradable decorations, plants can provide.

Enjoy them as Mother Nature intended, or give them a spritz of silver and gold spray, for subtle seasonal bling.

natural decorations

In With The New Antipodean

Crow's ash or teak pod (Flindersia) has amazing large size pods that open into five-pointed stars.

Poinciana (Delonix) seed pods are so big and butch they're more like a boomerang; the pods of tree waratah (Alloxylon) - are bold too, hanging in festive clusters. (For a similar look in a darker shade, hang Illawarra flame tree pods (Brachychiton acerifolius).

All kinds of gumnuts make beaut decorations - Corymbia flowering gum nuts are particularly large and abundant.

Use our Seedheads & Pods menu filter - you'll find it under Seasonal Interest - to discover heaps more plants with decorative potential.

Happy Christmas! Ho Ho Home is where the plants are!