An erudite, deeply researched and meticulously presented lecture by Mr Chris Howkins.  We giggled, we roared, we spluttered and we whooped.  Whoever would have thought that the subject of holly would have occasioned such hilarity?

We learned that of a possible 5,000 cultivars probably only 5 are offered by garden centres and that, contrary to popular belief, hollies are not fully hardy.  Below minus 13 degrees they are dead.  Archaeologists can judge the severity of past climates by the presence or absence of holly charcoal in ancient hearths,  Hollies also hate root disturbance, but are relatively easy to propagate and can be pruned mercilessly to any desired shape.

With regard to seasonal holly, some of us may have vaguely known that pagan religions practices were incorporated into Christian rituals during the all important winter solstice, when the sun appeared to be dying and bonfires and candle lights were urgently required to brighten the failing god, and evergreens were used to encourage him to remind the deciduous trees what they were supposed to do.  And you know it worked every time.

People celebrated the renewal and feasted and sang and boozed and danced, and the dark days were lightened, until the coming of the Puritans, when Christmas was abolished for 13 years.  But the Restoration restored it and once again a religious celebration could be held incorporating all previous joys.  Besides candles in churches, evergreens were bought to decorate the interiors of buildings and the indigent peasants of Elstead and similar villages could pick berried holly and yews to sell to urban religious houses.  But not the sacred, celestial, unsullied by earth mistletoe.  The reason for this mystery was divulged to us novitiates by the learned Mr Howkins, and if you are curious, buy his book, for the answer is not suitable for a high minded publication such as this.

Next meeting January 12^th 2009 will an evening of members slides and a talk on organising a flower show.