Several other Blotanists have posted beautiful pictures of the advent wreaths they've made from garden offerings, including Diana at Elephant's Eye with her
Southern Advent Wreath, and College Gardener's
Happy First Advent Sunday post. College Gardener has mentioned another German custom dear to my heart, as it is named after St. Barbara: the custom of cutting branches of flowering shrubs and trees on December 4th and putting them in a vase in a warm room so that they bloom by Christmas. Take a look at her interesting post on the custom of
Barbaratag. I will also be in my garden tomorrow cutting forsythia and apple twigs to this purpose.
Inspired to find something in my mostly dormant garden that I could use for a traditional German advent wreath with four candles, I took inventory and came up with two candidates. First a conifer that I don't really like and I've always thought out of place in the garden, see below. When I cut some branches I discovered, however, that it has very soft fragrant needles, so perfect. (Please click to enlarge any photo.)
Second, I decided to use some twigs of the beautiful variegated boxwood that stands like a sentinel at the entrance to the garden, next to the espalier pears.
I soon discovered that fashioning a wreath out of boxwood, one of the traditional evergreen plants to do this with, is not that easy. But by using a dish to contain the whole thing I managed to get results I like. For the second photo I lit all four candles, although traditionally you light one for each advent Sunday. This year all four will be lit on December 20.
Whether it's winter or summer where you live, whether you celebrate Christmas or not, I wish you a peaceful approach to the end of the year.
Hi Barbara, I can see you had as much fun putting together your Advent wreath as I did! I like the fat candles too.
ReplyDeleteFat candles, usually red, are traditional in these wreaths, as I think you may have written in your own post. Nowadays you can buy wreaths in all colors of the rainbow. I almost bought red, but decided cream-colored would look prettier with the variegated boxwood leaves.
ReplyDeleteYour Adventskranz turned out beautifully! My mom was delighted by your comment on hers... :)
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the Barbarazweige!
Always glad to please anyone's mom! I'll do a post on my Barbara twigs if they work out.
ReplyDeleteBarbara, what a lovely advent wreath you made! It is such a shame that this tradition has faded in North America. When I worked in Engand, we made them for customers, but I think I have only had half a dozen requests in the twenty years I have been a florist.
ReplyDeleteYour garden is looking lovely, I like the fact you have so many evergreens in it. The (new)boxwood hedge looks great too, not crooked at all.
Just a question/comment re: the comment you left on my blog. The trees in the Lime Walk, with the boxwood, will be espalied, similar to your pears. How much shade do you get under them?
Interesting tidbit on Barbaratag! I hadn't known that, and with 3/4 German background, it's good to know. Like your advent wreath, too!
ReplyDeleteHi Barb, our namesake's tale is one of bloody martyrdom, and otherwise she seems to be the patron of military things, but at least she gave her name to this lovely custom. Guess you can't really try it out in Florida!
ReplyDeleteDeborah, our row of espalier fruit trees runs north/south and is along the eastern border of the garden. In other words, it only briefly casts shade onto a small patch of the lawn in the morning, before the sun starts moving around to the South. It was cleverly planted thus by our predecessors. Directly under them there's not much shade at all. I'm looking forward to your further reports on pleaching. Sounds very advanced.
ReplyDeleteOur garden still has a lot of green partly because we live in a microclimate here in the Rhine Valley - it doesn't get too cold. And it's always plenty wet.
The homemade advent wreath is lovely. It is fun watching you doing the christmas decorations.
ReplyDeleteI didn't even know there was a Saint Barbara - I love the advent wreath (even though I don't know what advent is) hope you use it at your bday party. What fun to go to the dormant garden and make something like that.
ReplyDeleteWhat a simple but elegant looking wreath Barbara. As well as seeing some beautiful wreaths on blogs my sister has sent me a photo of one she has made. I am feeling inspired :)
ReplyDelete