Little white or red berries among evergreen, bright green leaves, and cut branches woven into a wreath for the front door: holly, mistletoe, juniper, boxwood and bay are the shrubs of the turning year. Give them soil that is not too heavy and they ask for almost nothing in return.
Here are 5 iconic shrubs that will insert your home in the local cultural heritage.
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Bearing little white or red berries that are very cute, with evergreen bright green, lively leaves, mistletoe and holly represent happiness, protect from bad luck and are symbols of immortality.
With ornaments woven into wreaths on the main door and shrubs growing side by side in the garden, these simple beauties evoke the incredible magic of end-of-year feast days.
Holly can be grown either in a pot or as a trimmed shrub outdoors. Its leafage is at times shiny, at other times it seems layered with a dull dust. It always makes the cute (and poisonous!) red berries stand out.
As for mistletoe, even though it is elegant and beautiful, it often is the target of many a gardeners’ wrath.
With a sharp hand pruner, harvest it in droves to decorate your house (inside and out), and also give some away! Birds love the white berries – that’s how mistletoe spreads – but it’s poisonous for human beings.
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Five shrubs carry the end-of-year tradition, and each brings something different to the garden and to the house. Here is what separates them before you choose.
| Shrub | Symbolises | Berries | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holly | Happiness, protection from bad luck, immortality | Red, poisonous | Pot or trimmed shrub outdoors; excellent for topiary |
| Mistletoe | Happiness, protection from bad luck, immortality | White, poisonous, spread by birds | Cut with hand pruners for wreaths and indoor decoration |
| Juniper | Eternity, long life | Greenish, then blue, violet, brown, black; edible | Ground or containers on terrace and balcony; bonsai as a miniature tree |
| Boxwood | Evergreen winter cheer | Not noted | Topiary spheres, spirals, cones and animal shapes |
| Bay | Evergreen winter cheer | Not noted | A shaped specimen planted in the middle of the garden |
Between them, these five cover both the planted garden and the branches you cut for the house.
This little ornamental shrub with a naturally elegant bearing and multi-hued needles is easy to live with and will feel fine in all soil types and exposures, both in the ground and in containers (for a terrace or balcony for instance). Juniper is a long-living shrub that symbolizes eternity.
Bonus: it produces edible, even medicinal, berries that start off with a greenish color and shift through blue, violet and brown before ending up a rich black color. Use them to decorate your table and feast meals!
Cut branches will also make for great ornaments together with holly and mistletoe. Decorate a juniper bonsai for a miniature Christmas tree!
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Evergreen, not demanding at all and very hardy, these shrubs are two more must-haves in the garden for a sprightly joyful winter.
Why not plant them squarely in the middle of the garden ? Shape them to a sphere, spiral, cone, or other fun shapes like animals!
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By Claire Lelong-Lehoang
