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Our holly wreaths are made from the English Holly bush or tree - Ilex aquifolium, although new varieties of variegated holly are sometimes available. Brighten up your front door with a locally made Holly Wreath. You
can even make your own additions to these versatile decorations--berries, bows, pine cones or whatever strikes your fancy.
Or for a festive tabletop, try using a holly wreath as the centre piece for your Christmas table. A Short History Of Holly Because it remains green in winter, the Celts and Anglo Saxons associated holly with mystical power, and in many parts of England today, bringing holly into the house is still associated with good luck. Be careful though, both male and female (see below) foliage should be bought into the house, as it was thought that otherwise whichever sex the holly was would also come to dominate the household! Wreaths of many different types of foliage have been made since Roman times and before. Many of the pagan uses and beliefs were adopted by Christianity, and holly today is associated with Christmas time. Keeping your Christmas wreath looking fresh The best holly wreaths are made with the use of moss as a core or backing; less well-made (and cheaper) wreaths in the past have used straw. The moss retains moisture and prevents the holly from drying out rapidly. You can keep your wreath looking fresher during the Christmas period by mist-spraying it with water - this is essential if you are keeping the wreath indoors. Modern irons make a great mist spray, although don't apply hot water! Did you know... ...one of the many varieties of the holly tree can be found on all continents except for Australasia and Antarctica? ...holly trees are Dioecious? That is, individual trees or bushes are either male or female. The female bush produces the red berries, but will not do so unless male versions of the species are close by. Very occasionally flowers of both sexes are found on the same tree. ...amateur weather forecasters in England have for many years forecast the severity of the winter to come by the proliferation and number of berries seen on holly bushes in the autumn. The theory is the more berries, the colder the winter will be. This is based on two separate thesis: 1. That nature in some way compensates for the cold winter by providing wild birds with extra berries to see them through. 2. More berries tend to be produced by trees if they are "stressed" say by a drought and a dry summer tends to be followed by a cold winter. ...the holly tree is one of Britain's smaller trees although some grow as high as 50 feet. ..the holly tree will tolerate shade, hence it being found in woods made up, predominantly, of larger trees Our holly wreaths are made from the English Holly bush or tree - Ilex aquifolium. 
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