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

THIS MONTH: Silver Birch - Betula pendula

Birch was the first tree to colonize Europe and North America after the last Ice Age so it is fitting that it should be the first consonant of the Tree Alphabet. Besides being one of the daintiest trees it is also one of the hardiest. One of the first trees to leaf, it is easily recognized by the tracery of its delicate green leaves, twigs, branches and white trunk. It is fast growing and acts as a nurse tree by offering protection to slower growing trees like oak and pine. Because its leaves are small and cast a light shadow other plants are easily able to grow in its shelter and this in turn encourages insects, birds and animals into the woods.
The first ogham inscription made in Ireland was said to have been written on a switch of birch. Birch bark makes exceptionally potent magical parchment. In Irish legend the lovers Diarmid, King of all Ireland and the goddess Grainne made their home in the shelter of birch twigs as they fled from their pursuer, Finn Mac Coll. For the Celts the birch was the 'Tree of Inception' of new beginnings, birth, springtime and young love. In parts of Wales, a girl would give her sweetheart a piece of birch as a love token. Associated with the pioneer spirit, birch implies the breaking of new ground and survival under extreme circumstances. As a bringer of strength and protection in adversity, the tree nurtures new life and its wood is believed to help ward off evil. Hence the tradition of making babies cradles from birch. Carrying a birch talisman is likewise said to protect you from harm.
The birch tree plays an important part in many of the year's oldest celebrations. It is the traditional Yule log that was burned during the midwinter ceremonies to drive out the old year while welcoming in the new. This old festival falls at the same time as the later Christian celebrations of the birth of Christ. A birch trunk is also traditionally used as the maypole because of its associations with fertility, birth and springtime. It is the tree most associated with the youthful aspect of the White Goddess, particularly in her role as bringer and protector of new life. The triple goddess appears in cultures throughout the world in 3 guises, maiden. mother and crone. The white bark is the goddess's mark and this colour is also said to denote close links with the fairies.
For the Welsh Celts it is the tree of Arianrhod, who is in charge of the Silver Wheel of the Heavens and who presides over birth & initiation, and of the virginal goddess Blodeuwedd, who was created from 9 types of flowers as a consort for the Welsh sky god, Lew. The Anglo-Saxons used the birch to create Eostre, goddess of fertility and springtime. For the Nordic people the birch was the tree of Frigga, the Babylonians called her Ishtar and the ancient Egyptians, Isis. In Teutonic mythology, the Last Battle of the World will be fought around a birch tree.
The birch is the Cosmic Tree of Celtic shamanism. Druids visualized its white trunk when climbing up through the different planetary spheres to communicate with the World Spirit. Various origins of the word 'beith or beth', variations of the Gaelic name for birch, are given the meaning 'existence, enduring, world and shining one'. It symbolizes a fresh start, giving us courage and determination.

Sweet bird of the meadow, soft be thy nest
Thy mother will wake thee at morn from thy rest,
She has made a soft nest, little redbreast, for thee,
Of the leaves of the birch, and the moss of the tree.

Colour White, Planet Venus, Stone Crystal, Polarity Feminine, Elements Air/water
Deities Arianrhod, Blodeuwedd, Frigga, Frigga, Freya, Eostre
Inception, Purity + Cleanliness, Love + Friendship, Birth + Initiation

THIS MONTH: Birthday Rowan Tree - Sorbus aucuparia

The Tree of Good Luck
The Lady of the Mountain, the Rowan is a welcome sight on the mountains of the British Isles and Ireland. The Ancients regarded it as the Tree of Life.
In May the Rowan produces a mass of creamy white blossom, the tiny flower has 5 petals and 5 sepals. The green fruit ripen to a deep orange red in autumn. Each berry has a tiny 5-pointed star – the pentagram, ancient symbol of magical protection. The number 5 is one of the numbers associated with the White goddess and to the Celts this fivefold division marked the rowan as one of her sacred trees. The Rowan was the symbol of the hidden mysteries of nature and the quickening of the life force.
A sacred and magical tree, the Rowan offered many kinds of protection against enchantment and illness, and it was considered most unlucky to fell one. It was associated with visions and portents, with vitality, reawakening and spiritual strength. Serpents and dragons were part of the myth especially in the protection of the earth’s energies, in ley lines and standing stones. The Druids often planted Rowans at places of worship and they used the smoke from rowan fires to call up spirit guides and warriors. The smoke was also traditionally used to foretell the future of lovers. It is said that wherever druidic remains are found so also are Rowan trees.
The Rowan is under the planetary influence of the sun and is strongly associated with two ancient sun-goddesses: Brigid of Ireland and Brigantia of England. Both headed river and water cults and protected pastoral people and their flocks and herds. From Brigid comes the divine inspiration behind poetry, music and the arts.
The Rowan is a slender tree with smooth grey bark and elegant, upward reaching branches. Surprisingly it is a member of the Rose family. It is as happy growing on an exposed hill as it is on lowland heath and pasture.
Rowan blossom announces the return of the young goddesses in the spring mountainside and are associated with fertility. This is especially enhanced in autumn when the song-birds are attracted by the berries. In autumn, the leaves change from green to shades of pink and gold. Sometimes the berries remain after the leaves have fallen, this depends on the birds who love the berries which are a good source of food for them.
In Wales, Rowans were planted in churchyards to protect the spirits, while a cross of rowan twigs tied with red ribbon was said to offer protection from witches at Samhain (Hallowe’en). Boughs of Rowans are still hung over stables in many parts of Britain to protect livestock from barrenness and harm.
A Rowan tree will protect the home from storm and lightning and guard against witches and other bad folk. It is a truly a special tree and every home should have one.

Colour Green, Planet the Sun, Stone Tourmaline, Polarity Feminine
Deities Brigantia, Bridgid, Virgin Mary.
Quickening + Sacred Fire, Vitality + Spiritual Strength, + Creative Inspiration
Approx height when sent 100cm (39¼")

THIS MONTH: Ash ~ Fraxinus Excelsior

The Ash is native to Northern Europe and the British Isles. It thrives in damp, lime-rich soil and is one of the main trees to be found in lowland woods. It is a graceful tree, with pale gey bark and feathery green leaves.
The Ash has strong mystical associations and is central to the beliefs of many world cultures, and is thought to be the tree from which the essence of humankind originated. It was of great magical importance to the ancient Irish. In their early history it is said that five magical trees guarded the land, three of these were Ash, the others were Yew and Oak. Saint Patrick is said to have driven all the serpents out of Ireland with the aid of an Ash stick. To the Celtic people the serpent represented female earth energy and so to them this act of Saint Patrick's symbolized the banishment of the goddess from involvement in the affairs of humankind.
In Northern European legend the Ash is seen as the Great World Tree. Yggdrasill, the Enchanted Ash, marked the centre of the universe around which everything flowed. In Scandinavia the goddesses, the Three Norns, dispensed justice from beneath the sacred Ash, and the Greek goddess Nemesis also carried an Ash branch as an instrument of divine justice on behalf of the gods.
The Vikings believed that the first man was born of Ash and it was a strong influence on their travels, the Ash being connected with water and the sea. Both the Welsh and the Irish used Ash for oars, and sailors carried an equal-armed cross of ash to protect them at sea. It is sacred to Poseidon whose palace is beneath the ocean.
Ash is considered one of the best woods for making spears and a staff of Ash was said to protect against malign influences. It eventually replaced the birch as the Maypole, becoming the symbol of the creative life-giving energy of the sun god, instead of a celebration of the virgin goddess, as it once was.
To the Druids the Ash held the key to universal truth. It is the Tree of Balance and the marriage of opposites, and links our inner and outer worlds. Ruled by the male energy of the sun, it has a special relationship with the female element of water. The Druids represented these different levels of existence as "Three Circles of Being" - Abred, Gwynedd and Ceugant, translated into trinities such as Past, Present and Future; Physical, Mental and Spiritual; Chaos, Balance and Creative Force.
Through their understanding of Universal Order the Celts discovered a deep sense of belonging and a purpose for their existence. Our modern and hectic daily life is usually far removed from the cycles and forces of the natural world and can often seem empty of any real purpose. We should be encouraged to consider the role of the past in creating the present so that we can appreciate the many ways of positive thought, and the action can help create a better future. Through a process of balancing and marrying opposites we, like the Ash, can achieve harmony within ourselves.
Colour White Planets The Sun & Neptune Stone Turquoise Polarity Feminine Elements Air & Water
Deities Odin, Nemesis, Poseidon, Neptune
Balance + Harmony Universal Order Power of Positive Thought Sea Power
The Birthday tree comes dressed in a hessian sack, with a hand written card and planting instructions. With it will come a scroll with the symbolism of the Ash.
Approx height when sent 100cm (39¼").

THIS MONTH: Alder ~ Alnus cordata

The Alder is a water-loving tree that has grown for millions of years throughout Europe. It is the only broadleaved tree to bear cones and the stages of production can be seen at any given time, the old cones of the last fruiting, the leaf-buds and the new male and female catkins. The Alder enriches the soil around it by binding nitrogen salts in its root system. It is delicately proportioned, yet has an immense underlying strength, its timbers resists decay even when submerged in water.
In ancient legend the Alder and the Willow were king and queen of the waters. The Alder was considered sacred and seen to represent the generosity of the gods and the health of the land.
The Celtic month of the Alder is a time of lengthening daylight, just as the homes of the ancient Celts were protected from floods on piles of Alder, so were their spirits raised by the Alders early flowering and its many useful gifts. In Norse legends March was known as the lengthening month of the waking alder, a time known as Lenct. This was a period of fasting when the winter provisions were running low. It is thought that this was the origins of the Christian festival of Lent.
With all its kingly qualities, it is essentially a tree of the people. Looking at the legends associated with the gods gave foundation to the magic of ancient Britain. It is the totem of a much-loved pagan god Bran who was especially important to the Welsh. When close to death he instructed his men to cut off his head and take it to London, the head spent 87 years en route. In this time Bran’s head did not decay and he continued to advise his followers through his songs! His head was finally buried in the White Hill beneath the Tower of London. His shamanistic birds were Ravens acting as his scouts and messengers, these birds stayed to guard him and the land. The bird was regarded as a guise of the White Goddess and their power was oracular and prophetic.
The present day ravens at the Tower are a legacy of this legend.
Alder was also revered as a source of fine coloured dyes. The flowers provided a green dye, the bark made a fiery red and the young shoots produced a cinnamon colour.
The Alder is a protective tree and believed to enable access to the faerie realms The Celts believed that magical intent could be bound into the fabrics and the clothes of faeries were woven in these colours. It also had a strong association with fire, as the solar energy waxes into summer the fiery qualities of alder were used to propitiate the old gods. This element can be used alongside the qualities of Venus, its ruling planet, to bring passion and an extension to healing abilities.
Because of its association with water, the Alder is revered all year round particularly from the Autumn Equinox to Samhain. The fast moving-moving visionary qualities of the water-loving Alder are specifically associated with Pisces, the zodiacal sign of the fish.
The Alder is a tree that supports and protects physically, emotionally and spiritually. It reminds us of the need to blend strength and courage with generosity of spirit and compassion. A time to challenge and a time to hold our peace.

Colour Purple, Stone Amethyst, Polarity Masculine, Elements Fire & Water.
Deities Bran, Apollo, Arianrhod, Odin, Lugh, King Arthur.
Shield + Foundation, Discrimination + Inner Confidence, Royalty
Approx height when sent 100cm (39¼").

THIS MONTH: WILLOW, Salix caprea - Tree of Enchantment

To the ancient Celts, the Willow was the Tree of Enchantment, a feminine tree ruled by the moon. It has long been associated with the culture of the arts. Orpheus, poet of the ancient Greeks received his eloquence carrying willow branches through the underworld. Many ancient goddesses are associated with willows, Belili, presided over all trees and willows in particular as well as the moon, love and the Underworld. Her consort was called Bel and was honoured by European Celts as the Sun God, Belin. Great fires were lit in his honour at Beltane, April 30th and May 1st. Wells and springs are also honoured at this festival. In Britain, sprays of willow were carried on Palm Sunday in remembrance of Jesus entering Jerusalem. Saint Georges Day also has strong associations with trees and through the Willow and the water spirits Green George blesses livestock, pregnant women and heals the young and the old. It was also used by healers & wise women of the Celts. Willow leaves were used to attract love & wishes were granted by the tree if asked in the correct manner. The Celts believed that after death the spirit rose into the young tree and it retained the essence of the departed person, hence the planting of willows on graves. The Willow, is a water loving tree characteristic of lakesides, fens and rivers. They are often gown on riverbanks to prevent soil erosion. TheTree of Enchantment, it was also known as theTree of Immortality for the ease with which it will grow from a fallen branch or twig stuck into moist ground. They are one of the earliest trees to flower, producing soft velvety silver buds which burst open to sprays of golden stamens loved by bees. Dark green leaves open after the catkins fall. Colour Silver, Planet The Moon, Stone Moonstone, Element Water, Polarity Feminine, Deities; Persephone, Hecate, Belili, Artemis, Seline, Diana, Luna, Athena, Cerridwen, Orpheus, Bel, Berlin, Jehovah Dreams + Intuitions, Prophecy + Divination, Healing + Enchantment, Love. The Birthday tree comes dressed in a hessian sack, tied with a silver/white ribbon, the colour symbolizing the Willow, hand written message card and planting instructions. With it will come the myths & folklore of the Willow and the Celtic Calendar. Goat Willow, height when sent 100cm (39¼")

THIS MONTH: Hawthorn, Crataegus monogyna

The coming of the hawthorn brings on earth heaven,
All the spring speaks out in one sweet word,
And heaven grows gladder, knowing that earth has heard.

The hawthorn has always been a tree of enchantment under the protection of the faeries.
In ancient days the hawthorn was regarded as the symbol of marriage and fertility and in Celtic countries it was bound up with the pagan Mayday rites, the blossom symbolizing love and betrothal. Beltaine is the festival of birth and bunches of flowering hawthorn were always carried in wedding processions to give fertility to the marrying couple.
The Hawthorn radiates qualities of growth and health and was used for healing especially near the wells and springs they guarded. It is still used today for the health of the heart.
A beautiful springtime custom of old was to plait crowns of hawthorn blossoms and leave them for the faeries or angels who came at night. Old Midsummer's Day falls on July 5th and at this time the hawthorns themselves were decorated. Flower garlands and red ribbons are attached to the tree and children dance around it. A hawthorn talisman is given as a token of love or friendship and the leaves were traditionally scattered in cradles to protect newborn babies while they slept.
To carry a sprig of hawthorn was to have proof against storms at sea and lightening on shore. In some regions hawthorn was taken home and placed in the rafters for protection against spirits, ghosts and storms. Its beautiful flowers were said to help prayers reach heaven. The hawthorn has always had religious connotations, the tree was sanctified because the crown of hawthorns touched Christ's brow. The most famous legend concerns the Glastonbury Thorn when Joseph of Arimathea came to Glastobury. He rested on his staff and during the night it rooted and became a blossoming hawthorn tree. This was taken as a sign and the first Christian chapel was built there.
Before the reformation, May was considered the month of the Virgin Mary and altars and the statue of the Virgin in the home were surrounded with hawthorn blossom. The notion that it is unlucky to bring hawthorn into your home stems from anti-papist propaganda from these times.
Henry V11 claimed hawthorn as the badge of the House of Tudor. At the battle of Bosworth, the crown of England was stolen from Richard 111 and hidden in a hawthorn bush. From here it was placed on Henry's head and made him king.
Hawthorn is a small tree of the rose family and can live for over 400 hundred years. It is most often found in villages and hedgerows. It is not greedy with the soils nutrients and provides food and shelter for many birds and small mammals as well as some 50 species of insect life. Unfortunately many hedgerows were destroyed over the last few decades damaging the balance of our plants and wildlife. Let us hope future generations will care enough to repair this.

Colour Midnight Blue, Stone Lapis lazuli, Polarity Feminine, Deities Olwen, Blodeuwedd, Cardea, Hymen, Virgin Mary.
Love + Marriage, Fertility + Procreation, The Heart.

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

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")