Kentucky Mistletoe Has Long Been a Tradition at Wilson Nurseries

Mistletoe... with a mission Freshly harvested Kentucky Mistletoe has long been a tradition at Wilson Nurseries. Every December, we focus our eyes high along the tree lines and begin scouting, in search of the perfect clumps. Ed, (part of the Wilson’s landscape team for �� years!) has hauled a harvest into the greenhouse each year. And the full story wouldn’t be told if I didn’t’ reveal that he was something of a hero to me for those first couple of decades or so, since I believed he was keeping alive the southern art of shooting it from the treetops. Finally, he filled me in on the secret: a tree on a farm of one of our longtime customers, where the mistletoe grew low, low enough for him to reach up and cut it. (I still prefer the shooting version.)

An evergreen, perennial shrub, Mistletoe is commonly found in “clumps” up to �-�’ in size, high up in over ��� species of “host” trees, but it seems to be particularly fond of taking root in walnut, cherry, maple and elm trees, likely because of their softer barks. The only species native to the U.S., found mostly in the Southeast, Phoradendron serotinum is technically hemiparasitic, taking its moisture and nutrients from its host, while still photosynthesizing to make its own food. Think of it as a free-loader that can live without a host. But why would it? The dainty white berries show up on �-� year-old female plants, which are more abundant than those of the European species. Being seriously at risk of my inner inner botanist taking over, I’ll refer you to an expert at kentuckynativeplantsandwildlife- blogspot, Dr. Thomas Barnes, an author and a longtime Kentucky native plant advocate gets detailed about mistletoe.

With a botanical name that translates “thief tree” and whose German origin mist means “dung” (referring to bird droppings of seeds which spread the plant) it’s amazing, and a little ironic, that its reputation remains seemingly intact, but this may be because of the history and many legends surrounding the plant. Greek and Roman legend tells of Frigga, the goddess of love, weeping for her son, tears which turned into pearly white berries, and having no harm befall anyone who passed under the bough of the humble mistletoe, only a kiss, a token of love. Celtics and Scandanavians, as alluded to by Shakespeare, believed mistletoe to be a “plant of peace” with life-giving powers. In ��th century England, mistletoe, or “kissing” balls came into fashion and a young lady standing under this adorned ball could not refuse to be kissed. Today, though it is unclear how it became a part of the holiday season, mistletoe is generally considered to be an emblem of love and is symbolic of happiness and long life in many European countries as well as in the U.S. and Canada. At Wilson’s, we still custom craft a few kissing balls every holiday season from our plentiful evergreen boxwood, holly, rosemary, and lavender cuttings to be nostalgic symbols of goodwill and romance.

Although mistletoe is used medicinally for a host of ailments in Europe, the plant and berries are considered toxic in large doses, so it’s definitely best to hang it high and remove the berries to keep from pets and children.

Maybe most interesting and valuable of all, adding to the mystique of our native mistletoe is that it is the ONLY host plant for the rare great purple hairstreak butterfly.

“The Great Purple Hairstreak at first glance looks like it could be a tropical species, but it's actually native to the area and feeds(caterpillar) on mistletoe,” said Blair Leno-Helvey, owner of Idlewild Butterfly Farm in Louisville.

For the past several years, we’ve harvested mistletoe from the family farm that is now the site of Josephine Sculpture Park (JSP). The founder of JSP, Melanie VanHouten, is a Frankfort native and has been closely tied to Wilson Nurseries for most of her life. Having working in the greenhouse and garden center in high school and college, Melanie met her future husband, BJ, who became the farm manager for Wilson’s on our Shelby County tree farm. Mel went on to become an artist who would realize her dream of building and opening her park in ���� to honor the legacy of her grandmother, and to provide community arts education and creative experiences while conserving the beauty of Kentucky’s native, rural landscape.

And so it seems appropriate that ���% of the proceeds from our sales of Kentucky native mistletoe will go to support Mel’s Josephine Sculpture Park.

Let’s support JSP with smooch-inspiring sprigs and may you hold onto your dream of shooting down your mistletoe!