Send a Birthday Tree based on the Celtic Tree Alphabet (Ogham Calendar).

THIS MONTH: Royal Oak ~ Quercus Robur

The Oak is the tree most associated with England. It was one of the Three Ancient Marvel Trees of Erinn, the Goddess of fate. Irish legend states that in the 1st century CE, at the court of King Conig at Tara, an angel - like being arrived from the East bearing a branch on which acorns, apples and hazelnuts all grew together. These magical fruits were said to satisfy all of mankind's needs. The fruit were planted and grew into the Three Marvel Trees. One of these, the Mighty Tree of Mughna was an Oak bearing successive crops of acorns, apples and hazelnuts.
The Oak is one of the most widely revered trees in the world and a common emblem both ancient and modern of earthly celestrial kings. The Welsh Druids worshipped the Oak, symbolic of triumph through endurance and strength. Esus is the oak god of the Druidsand the Celtic counterpart of Zeus and Jupiter. He is Prince of light and his sacred colour is 'white' and the oak is the embodiment of energy, power and the strength of Esus.
In Druid traditionthe oak is used magically at all ceremonies, especially the celebrations of the Sostices and Equinoxes. At the Summer Solstice on June 21st the Oak represents the Sun's strength and is a time of the sacred marriage between heaven and earth, the sun god and the earth goddess and he will be reborn after the Winter solstice. Midsummer day is the day where the Oak King sacrifices himselfto make way for the Holly King of the waning year and great fires are lit in celebration of this sacrifice. Traditionally, couples were married under oak trees long before the christians substituted marriage in a church. in Greek mythology the first tree created was an oak, from which sprang the entire human race. The goddess Diana had an oak cult at the sacred oak grove at Dodona, which was the oldest, most hallowed sanctuary in Greece. Ine the earliest legend two black doves flew from Thebes, one to Libyan Ammon and the other to Donona. Each alighted on an oak tree and began the oracular oak cults.
The oak tree is the tree of Dagda, Lord of Perfect Knowledge and father of the gods of Old Ireland. The Dagda protects and entertains all who seek his hospitality and the oal is the emblem of protection and hospitality. it is still a name much associated with pubs and inns of England.
The history of England is entwined with the Oak. king Arthur's Round Table was a massive slice of oak and Merlin's Wand was said to have been a branch of oak.
At traditional May Day celebrations, a character known as the May King danced through the streets wreathed in oak and hawthorn leaves to claim the May Queen.
Charles II, King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1660 to 1681, escaped capture after his defeat at the battle of Worcester in 1651 by hiding in an oak tree. He then adopted the oak as his emblem. The monarchy was restored on May 29th, his birthday and Oak Apple Day.
The Oak is a tree of great longevity and imposing statue, renowned for its beauty and the huge range of wildlife it supports. Many birds, animals and plants depend on the oak for food and shelter. Oak trees are self fertile with male catkins appearing in spring followed by female flowers. The beautiful pale green leaves unfurl in April/May and darken by June. By autumn the acorns have ripened and when they drop provide food for wildlife.
Deities The Dagda, Esus, Taranis, Diana, Zeus, Jupiter, Thor.
Strength + Endurance, Generosity + Protection, Justice + Nobility, Honesty + Bravery

The Birthday tree comes dressed in a Hessian sack, tied with a dark blue satin ribbon, the colour symbolizing the oak, a hand written message card and planting instructions. With it will come the myths & folklore of the hawthorn.

THIS MONTH: Holly Illex aquifolium

The holly is a compact, evergreen tree know for its spiky green leaves and red berries.
It usually flowers between May and August. In autumn the female tree is normally covered in scarlet berries, loved by birds. It has beautiful smooth pale grey-brown bark wrinkling round the areas where the branches grow. If regularly trimmed, hollies quickly form dense stock-proof barriers. They are ideal for hedgerows, good for wildlife and can be used in topiary.
The holly has long been used as a symbol of the potent life force of nature. It is connected with ancient rites of birth and reincarnation. It is linked with the notion of unconditional love and is a protective tree with close associations with the faerie realm, and it is believed to ward off evil influences. As with all faerie trees it is unlucky to chop one down. It is especially lucky for men, who are said to be irresistible to women if they carry a holly leaf or berry about with them.
In ancient times, Britain was said to be guarded by a giant called Gogmagog. A wild, untameable character, clad in leaves and branches, he strode the earth. He was the spiritual representative of the procreative forces. Over time he evolved to become the Holly King and is twinned with the Oak King. He can still be seen carved on the chalk hills of Cerne Abbas in Dorset.
The holly is a tree of good omen with its glossy green leaves representing immortality through the ages. It has been used in both summer and mid winter religious observances from the earliest times. The druids advised people to bring it home in the winter as it lifted the spirits with its bright red berries and shiny leaves. Elves and faeries could spend winter in its shelter a time of year when they did not cause mischief to mortals.
The carol,'The Holly & the Ivy' has its roots in paganism, representing the male and female principles of life and in early Christian times became synonymous with Christmas, long before our American inspired Christmas tree! At Yuletide it was customary for a boy dressed in holly and a girl dressed in Ivy to walk hand-in-hand through the streets. They symbolized the god and goddess taking the evergreen quality of nature through the dark times and encouraging the return of the sun.
Colour Red, Planets Mars, Saturn, Stone Ruby, Bloodstone, Polarity Masculine,
Deities Tannus, Taranis, Thor, Jesus Christ, Lugh
Strife + Humanity, Blood + Compassion, Unconditional Love.
The Birthday Holly is approx 80cm. in height, It comes dressed in a hessian sack tied with a red ribbon, hand written message card and planting instructions.
With it will come the Celtic Calendar and the mythology of the tree.
Approx height when sent 75cm (29½")

THIS MONTH: Hazel - Corylus avellana

The ancient Celts regarded the hazel as the Tree of Knowledge, bound sweet and concentrated in the hazelnut's kernel, so all wisdom was combined in a 'nutshell.'
The hazel is a tree of white magic and healing, a poet's tree whose sacred nuts conferred inspiration and immortality and were food for the gods.
Legends concerning the hazel are most prolific, with strong associations with water. Thus on many levels the hazel has great association with the moon, controller of the tides of the earth.

These sacred trees were often found growing by spring water where the magical salmon leapt and swam like flashing quicksilver. As the nuts fell into the water so the salmon living in the well ate them and bright spots appeared on their bodies, hence rainbow spotted salmon. Ancient druids followed nature closely and observed the Salmon of Wisdom receiving the gift of mystical knowledge. It returned from the sea and retraced its path back upriver to its birthplace in order to spawn and reproduce. Thus setting the migratory pattern for salmon ever after.
Hazel trees are associated with Mercury, messenger of the Gods, whose gifts were the qualities of eloquence, heraldry, inventiveness and cunning. Mercury carried a hazel staff with two ribbons twined like snakes. This is the caduceus, the symbol of the healing arts still used today. Mercury also taught the skills of cultivation and flying and offered protection to travellers. To this day Hazel is carried as a talisman for a healthy life and all round protection.
Forked hazel wands are used for divining water. They are best cut on Midsummer's Eve. To look for hidden water, grip the fork in each hand and pull them apart until you feel the pressure bite. Not everyone has the power to divine and to see a hazel fork twist and jump as it passes over an underground force is a most remarkable experience.
The Hazel is one of the first trees to come into flower, beginning to blossom in early January. Both male & female flowers are produced on the same tree appearing long before the leaves adding a splash of colour on the winter landscape. The leaves open in early spring. They are a beautiful lime green colour, growing singly on the branches with a pointed oval, slightly heart-shaped asymmetrical shape. They turn greeny brown and pink in autumn and stay on the tree longer than most species. The hazelnuts ripen by September and can be eaten straight from the tree. They provide food for many small animals such as dormice. Birds such as the Nuthatches are often seen near the trees taking the nuts into small crevices, wedging them in and then proceeding to hammer away with their beaks until they crack the nuts. A happy and sympathetic tree it has always had close associations with man and his livestock.

Colour Orange, Planet Mercury, Stone Topaz & Pearl, Polarity Masculine, Element Air.
Deities Hermes, Mercury, Aengus.
Wisdom + Divination, Poetry + Science, Knowledge + Intellect, Healing Arts.

The Birthday tree comes potted & dressed in a hessian sack, tied with an orange ribbon, the colour symbolizing the hazel and a hand written message card & planting instructions. With it will come a scroll of the myths and folklore of the hazel and the Celtic Calendar.
With it will come the Celtic Calendar and the mythology of the tree.

THIS MONTH: Apple - Crab apple Malus sylvestris, orchard apple Malus domestica

Crab apple Malus sylvestris, orchard apple Malus domestica. The apple is one of the three legendary magical fruit - hazel, apple and oak - that together were said to satisfy all mankind's needs. It is also one of the seven chieftain trees of Britain and as such potently pagan. The apple is a symbol of plenty and in the ancient myths and legends it is a symbol of love, beauty, wisdom and fruitfulness. It has been used for love, immortality and healing spells since time began.
Aphrodite was the supreme goddess of love and beauty. Her symbol was the apple which when cut in two revealed the five-pointed star in the shape of the pips. In the sacred garden of the Hesperides grew the sacred apple tree with a serpent coiled around its roots. This tree was a gift from Gaia, Mother Earth to the goddess Hera on her marriage to Zeus. The tree was tended by nine maidens, representatives of Aphrodite. The Celts knew the serpent as the goddess Cerridwen and in Greek and Celtic as well as Norse mythology the fruit of the sacred apple conferred immortality.
Nemesis, goddess of divine retribution, carried an apple branch, which she gave as a gift to heroes so that their names should live forever. An apple tree is very often given as a gift to a boy on his christening.
In western legend, the orchards of paradise are known as the Isles of the Blessed, where the Tree of Knowledge grows, bearing three sacred apples. As the preferred host of mistletoe the apple was especially sacred to the Druids, the essence of the apples on the Tree of Knowledge coming from three drops that fell from Meriden's caldron drops that originally descended from heaven. a symbolic of the three pillars of the cabalistic Tree of Life representing male and female aspects and their "united expression".
In legends of Britain there are many stories surrounding the apple. In the Voyage of Bran, a woman holding an apple branch lures the warrior god of the Welsh, she is an aspect of the White Goddess summoning Bran to enter the paradise of the faerie Emain. The amaranthine apple orchard, Land of Eternal Youth. Merlin too speaks of the Queen of the Faeries who gives out apples to bestow the gift of prophecy. There is of course the legendary Avalon, sacred Isle of the Apple Trees, where King Arthur was taken to be healed of his terrible wounds. Avalon is said to be centred around Glastonbury surrounded by ancient apple orchards. Sadly so very many were felled to make way for the concrete jungle we are living in today.
Then there is the ancient practice of Wassailing, drinking a communal toast to the trees of the orchard after harvest, to give thanks for the bounty of their fruit. Roasted crab apples are an essential part of the traditional drink.
The crab apple is the ancient mother of all orchard trees and Britain's only indigenous apple tree. It is a member of the rose family and is a small, beautiful, delightful tree especially in flower or fruit. Many species have been lost, however Wildings, the trees grown from old apple cores still preserve the genetic material of old varieties.
Both the crab apple and the orchard apple have sweet scented flowers opening in late spring and are generally five petalled and white tinged with pink and the leaves are oval, pointed and toothed. The flowers are valuable to insects and the fruit is important to birds.
Planet Venus, Stone Emerald, Polarity Feminine, Element Water.
Deities Gaia, Aphrodite, Hera, Pomona, Nemesis, Astarte, Ashtaroth, Ishtar, Cerridwen, Olwen, Gwen, Arwen, Shekinah, Freya, Iduna.
Faith + Gratitude, Love + Trust, Generosity + Abundance, Self Esteem, Works of Destiny
The Birthday tree will come dressed in a hessian bag, tied with a green satin ribbon, the colour symbolizing the Apple, a hand written message card & planting instructions. With it will come the myths & folklore of the apple & the Celtic tree calendar.
Crab Apple Tree, height 100cm (39¼").