Jonathan's Mistletoe Diary

Matt examining the (limited) catch (click to enlarge)

Trying out my new ‘Musical Mistletoe’ today. Bought on Ebay, where it’s being sold by various sellers – some describing it as wonderful, others warning you only to buy it for your worst enemy. Having tried it, I concur with the worst enemy camp – it is truly awful, and probably the worst taste mistletoe items I’ve ever seen (and that’s saying something…) . Basically it’s a bunch of plastic mistletoe (modelled on the American […]

Saturday – and another look at the Daily Mail Weekend supplement for Monty Don’s mistletoe article. And it’s in this week – complete with a picture of genuine English mistletoe (taken by yours truly in me mum’s garden a fortnight ago – but I won’t give up the dayjob for a photography career just yet…). Was it worth the wait? Well, sort of, it’s a good balanced piece talking about mistletoe in the British context, […]

Today’s Times has a report on yesterday’s holly and msitletoe sales at Tenbury – majoring on the glut of berries and material for both plants and how this is pushing down prices. This is a curious tradition of the Times – prices and tonnage for msitletoe are a regular feature – and similar stats can be found in editions dating right back to the 19th century – though mostly relating to the import trade. I’m […]

Definitely an action-packed mistletoe day today. (See pics posted below) Off to the Tenbury Wells Market, penultimate one of the season – and possibly ever. Interviews with BBC R4, news about the market’s future, general chat with buyers, meeting with Masaya (see yesterday) who’s driven over from Kew, and an unexpected meeting with Nick Wheeldon, mistletoe-propagator. Plus news about the new Tenbury Wells English Mistletoe and Holly Festival – launched by the Town Council. And […]

Mistletoe Auction – all gone in a blur of white – successful buyers loading their wins… 

Mistletoe Auction – representatives of the new English Mistletoe and Holly Festival Steering Committee… 

Mistletoe Auction – a classic mistletoe wrap 

Mistletoe Auction underway – Nick auctioning the holly wreaths 

Mistletoe Auction – more cattle penned mistletoe