Advent Day 10
Holly
Holly’s symbolic associations have their origins in pagan culture. A signature plant in early, formal gardens, prized by the Victorians and valued for its tolerance to pollution in industrial areas, holly is incredibly versatile.
There are over 200 cultivated varieties of our native holly and while the Latin name, Ilex aquifolium, means ‘with pointed leaves’, not all of them are prickly. Plant hunters in the 19th century enriched our gardens with exotic hollies brought over from China and Japan.
Furniture makers have prized this whitest of woods and Christmas wouldn’t be complete without those shiny, dark green leaves and bright berries in wreaths and garlands.
Pagan Roots
Superstition, magic and myth surround holly’s deeply pagan roots. The Druids, Celts and Romans brought evergreens into their homes during winter. They believed their ability to keep their leaves was magical and assured the return of spring.
In Christianity, holly was adopted as a symbol of Christ’s crown of thorns; the crimson berries a symbol of his blood and the evergreen a metaphor for life after death.
The tradition of decking the halls with boughs of holly at Christmas continues today. Gardeners and volunteers cut holly and other evergreens from our estates to create garlands and wreaths to decorate doors, bannisters, mantelpieces and halls.
As one of Britain’s most common native trees, holly has been used by furniture makers for centuries. Its dense and finely-textured wood was popular in decorative marquetry and inlay work. As the whitest wood, it can also be easily stained.
It was used as an inlay in Elizabethan oak furniture and later in the 17th century to form lighter bands of colour on walnut-veneered furniture. During the second half of the 18th century, holly appeared more extensively in fashionable neo-classical furniture, either in its natural white form or stained with colours.
As well as its decorative uses, holly wood burns hot and long, making it a perfect fire fuel on cold, winter nights.
Source: National Trust
