At the December meeting of the AHS, Nina Lewis gave a fascinating talk on the folklore of plants. From the story of the mandrake the plant that squeaks when it’s pulled out of the ground to the use of plants throughout the agricultural year, we were reminded of the many customs and folklore associated with plants. Nina took us through the agricultural year from Plough Sunday – the 1^st Monday after Twelfth Night to Candlemas on the 2^nd February, half -way between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox.  Candlemas was an important date in earlier times when the house was cleaned, rushes removed and lingering Christmas evergreen thrown out.  The clean house was decorated with a bunch of snowdrops, although in earlier times people were reluctant to bring wild flowers into the house.  An exception was Mothering Sunday when children would present their mothers with a posy picked from the hedgerow – known as a ‘flourish’.  Nina referred to each of the Saint Days in the UK and the plants associated with them – leeks & daffodils in Wales, shamrocks in Ireland, roses in England and thistles and heather in Scotland.

As the year continues, Lilies are used in church at Easter, the Hawthorn is used on Mayday as a protection from evil, and later in the Summer, Hypericum is also used for protection.  The harvest was not only about gathering wheat, rye and barley but also hops, rushes and bracken for stuffing mattresses. Later in the Autumn poppies have become a symbolic flower to remember the fallen in two world wars.  Nina talked about the use of flowers in weddings and funerals and gave us some examples of what flowers actually represented in Victorian times.  The three favourite Christmas plants were explained – Holly with the red berries flourishing in winter and are said to ward off evil spirits.  The ivy is seen as a more ‘feminine’ plant – but resilient in its ability to cling on.  Mistletoe is said to have huge magical properties – a parasite growing between earth and heaven – it is supposed to bring peace and prosperity and protect from lightening – from Victorian times it has been traditional to kiss under the mistletoe.