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

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.