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

THIS MONTH: Apple - Crab apple Malus sylvestris, orchard apple Malus domestica

Crab apple Malus sylvestris, orchard apple Malus domestica. The apple is one of the three legendary magical fruit - hazel, apple and oak - that together were said to satisfy all mankind's needs. It is also one of the seven chieftain trees of Britain and as such potently pagan. The apple is a symbol of plenty and in the ancient myths and legends it is a symbol of love, beauty, wisdom and fruitfulness. It has been used for love, immortality and healing spells since time began.
Aphrodite was the supreme goddess of love and beauty. Her symbol was the apple which when cut in two revealed the five-pointed star in the shape of the pips. In the sacred garden of the Hesperides grew the sacred apple tree with a serpent coiled around its roots. This tree was a gift from Gaia, Mother Earth to the goddess Hera on her marriage to Zeus. The tree was tended by nine maidens, representatives of Aphrodite. The Celts knew the serpent as the goddess Cerridwen and in Greek and Celtic as well as Norse mythology the fruit of the sacred apple conferred immortality.
Nemesis, goddess of divine retribution, carried an apple branch, which she gave as a gift to heroes so that their names should live forever. An apple tree is very often given as a gift to a boy on his christening.
In western legend, the orchards of paradise are known as the Isles of the Blessed, where the Tree of Knowledge grows, bearing three sacred apples. As the preferred host of mistletoe the apple was especially sacred to the Druids, the essence of the apples on the Tree of Knowledge coming from three drops that fell from Meriden's caldron drops that originally descended from heaven. a symbolic of the three pillars of the cabalistic Tree of Life representing male and female aspects and their "united expression".
In legends of Britain there are many stories surrounding the apple. In the Voyage of Bran, a woman holding an apple branch lures the warrior god of the Welsh, she is an aspect of the White Goddess summoning Bran to enter the paradise of the faerie Emain. The amaranthine apple orchard, Land of Eternal Youth. Merlin too speaks of the Queen of the Faeries who gives out apples to bestow the gift of prophecy. There is of course the legendary Avalon, sacred Isle of the Apple Trees, where King Arthur was taken to be healed of his terrible wounds. Avalon is said to be centred around Glastonbury surrounded by ancient apple orchards. Sadly so very many were felled to make way for the concrete jungle we are living in today.
Then there is the ancient practice of Wassailing, drinking a communal toast to the trees of the orchard after harvest, to give thanks for the bounty of their fruit. Roasted crab apples are an essential part of the traditional drink.
The crab apple is the ancient mother of all orchard trees and Britain's only indigenous apple tree. It is a member of the rose family and is a small, beautiful, delightful tree especially in flower or fruit. Many species have been lost, however Wildings, the trees grown from old apple cores still preserve the genetic material of old varieties.
Both the crab apple and the orchard apple have sweet scented flowers opening in late spring and are generally five petalled and white tinged with pink and the leaves are oval, pointed and toothed. The flowers are valuable to insects and the fruit is important to birds.
Planet Venus, Stone Emerald, Polarity Feminine, Element Water.
Deities Gaia, Aphrodite, Hera, Pomona, Nemesis, Astarte, Ashtaroth, Ishtar, Cerridwen, Olwen, Gwen, Arwen, Shekinah, Freya, Iduna.
Faith + Gratitude, Love + Trust, Generosity + Abundance, Self Esteem, Works of Destiny
The Birthday tree will come dressed in a hessian bag, tied with a green satin ribbon, the colour symbolizing the Apple, a hand written message card & planting instructions. With it will come the myths & folklore of the apple & the Celtic tree calendar.
Crab Apple Tree, height 100cm (39¼").

THIS MONTH: ENTWINING IVY - Ivy, Hedera helix

Although Ivy is usually regarded as a climber, it is as happy trailing across the woodland floor as it climbing trees and masonry. Like the grape vine, ivy is not a parasite, it does not feed off its host, using it rather as a means of support but it must be controlled otherwise it can smother a tree or shrub. It is a most useful cover and grows very fast, hiding all sorts of indiscretions.

Entwining Ivy represents the embracing and confining female principles of life. Through conception and birth, the male life force is given form by the female body. The white Ivy leaf is especially sacred to the ancient forms of the White Goddess which include Ariadne, wife of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, Diana, Goddess of hunting and the moon and the Celtic goddess Arianrhod, Goddess of the silver wheel. Ivy has long been known to have magical powers and is closely connected to the vine. Sacred to Osiris, Egyptian god of magic, Dionysus, Greek god of wine and to Bacchus, his Roman equivalent.

Ivy's entwining habit also represents the movement and cycles of the heavenly bodies, the stars and the planets and is symbolic of the knowledge and understanding of the way in which these movements are reflected on earth and the affairs of mankind. In particular it represents the spiralling cycles of the moon, governing fertility and the continuation of life and death.

Evergreen Ivy, Hedera Helix is shade tolerant with glossy green leaves with pale veins and a most lovely shape. The flowers of the Ivy are quite insignificant but are the last main source of nectar and pollen for the bees, first appearing in autumn and continuing well into winter.

Planet Moon, Stone Opal, Polarity Feminine, Element Water
Deities Ariadne, Diana, Arianrhod, Dionysus, Bacchus, Osiris
The Spirit, Search for Enlightenment, A Warning,
Binding + Restricting, Freeing + Uniting

The birthday Ivy will come dressed in a hessian bag tied with a silvery white ribbon symbolising the Ivy. With it will come the Ogham tree Alphabet, the myths of the ivy, a hand written gift card and planting instructions.
Ivy ~ hedera helix, Approx height when sent 100cm (39¼").

THIS MONTH: BROOM - Cystisus scoparius

Celebration Days, October 31st- Halloween, Samhain.
November 22nd -St Cecilia's Day, Patroness of Music and the arts.
Broom is the emblem of the Royal dynasty - The Plantagenets.
Cytisus is a genus of deciduous and evergreen shrubs found in Europe. West Asia and North Africa and together are known as broom. They all have fragrant pea-like flowers. Our Broom prefers acid soil but will survive almost anywhere. It is a sheltering plant offering protection from the elements. Although it appears delicate it can bend with the wind and of course as its name suggests it makes an excellent broom.
Brooms golden vanilla scented flowers appear for a couple of months from late spring to early summer. It is a delicate and elegant plant and to see its beautiful yellow flowers in stark contrast to the rough windswept places where it is found growing most prolifically.
It has long been associated with royalty. It was favoured as an emblem of nobility by the lords of Brittany and thence became the emblem of the Plantagenets who ruled England for more than 300 years. A carving of broom with open pods is to be found on the robes of King Richard 11 on his tomb in Westminster Abbey.
Broom is a medicinal plant traditionally used in the treatment of all diseases associated with excessive revelry. Ancient Celtic texts which discuss the deeper meanings behind the ogham alphabet underline this link between broom and the healing arts. In the Ogham of Cuchulain it is the beginning of heroic deeds and healing, and in that of Aonghus it is called the robe of physicians. All parts of broom have healing potential and have close links with Mercury and all deities who preside over the healing arts.
The main medicinal component is sparteine, in very large doses it can create hallucinations. It is sometimes thought to be the reason behind the link between broom and witches, and the notion that witches ride on broomsticks. It is also associated with Bacchus and other gods of wine and revelry. Broom was used magically in spells of purification and protection. It is said to useful for dealing with poltergeists! A symbol of astral travel it has long associations with healers and magicians.
Falling at the end of the Celtic year broom reminds us to take stock, the importance of our, physical, mental emotional and spiritual well being. A time to start afresh with a new year ahead for us all.
Colour Blue, Planet The Moon, Stone Opal, Polarity Masculine, Element Water,
Deities Mercury, Morpheus, Bacchus.
Royalty, Cleansing, Healing, Psychic Protection, Astral Travel
The birthday Broom comes in 3 litre pot in a hessian sack tied with a blue ribbon symbolizing the Broom, a hand written message card and planting instructions. With it will come the Symbolism & myths of the Broom.
Broom ~ Cystisus scoparius, Approx height when sent 100cm (39¼").