I answer a LOT of gardening questions and it is interesting to see the questions change as the season progresses. 

There’s one misconception that crops up every year as summer begins about the difference between “planting” and “transplanting”…and there is a HUGE difference.   

Here’s a typical situation: A customer is looking at the selection of flowering shrubs that are on sale and seems like they want to purchase some but then they’ll say, “I should probably wait though.”  Then I’ll ask, “Why?” “I’ve heard that you shouldn’t transplant shrubs during summer.”

Over the years, I’ve heard this many times and, quite literally speaking, the statement is true but…there’s a major difference between “planting” and “transplanting.” When you’re digging up and moving an already established tree or shrub, that’s called transplanting.  If you attempt this during the long hot days of summer when the plant is in the full flush of growth, you run a very real risk of sending the plant into fatal shock.  Transplanting is best done while the plant is dormant during late fall or very early spring as soon as the soil can be worked.

When you shop in your local nursery or garden center, you are buying plants that were dug and balled or potted much earlier when the plant was still dormant. What you are doing when you bring your new shrub or perennial home is planting not transplanting. Don’t you think trees at the garden center would be happier planted in the cool, dark earth rather than sitting on the ground in their pots or balls in the heat until fall? You aren’t digging up established shrubs when you’re purchasing from the garden center so you aren’t disturbing the root system or shocking the plant. Indeed, they’ll be grateful to you for getting them into the cool, moist earth. It is the act of digging them up and transplanting that causes severe stress. 

Many folks put off their planting until fall because they think that they shouldn’t do it now. If you have planting to do, do it as soon as you can. Planting in June or July is better than August; and August is better than September and so on. The longer the plant has to establish a root system before winter dormancy, the better. Think about it… if it wasn’t possible to plant in summer, landscapers would be out of business. 

Thanks for the read!

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The 2021 Saratoga Showcase of Homes Committee is proud to announce a spectacular line-up of 14 locations from our region’s finest builders for the area’s premiere new home tour event. Celebrating 25 years of exceptional homes, this annual tradition will be presented over three beautiful fall weekends on September 18-19, 25-26 and October 2-3.  In honor of this silver milestone anniversary, tickets this year will be $25 and will go on sale in early August. 

The Saratoga Builders Association’s Executive Director Barry Potoker, commented, “We are looking forward with hope, optimism and great anticipation to once again present the Saratoga Showcase of Homes this autumn as we move out from this pandemic. Our goal is to present a “live” tour for the enjoyment of our community while providing the needed help for our two charities who benefit from its proceeds. In planning ahead, our pledge to everyone involved with this event is to take all the necessary steps to follow NYS, NAHB & CDC health and safety guidelines.” 

Thank you to the twelve award winning builders committed to this year’s event; BDC Group, Beechwood Homes, Bella Home Builders, Belmonte Builders, Bonacio Construction, Caruso Homes, Kodiak Construction, McPadden Builders, R & M Builders, Trojanski Builders and Witt Construction. 

The 2021 Showcase Committee has an extensive marketing and promotional campaign in development, which includes official media sponsors including newspapers, magazines, online, television, and social media. Corporate sponsorships are now available to support this annual event. For a detailed sponsorship opportunities packet, please contact Barry Potoker at 518-366-0946 or via email bpotoker@saratogabuilders.org or visit www.saratogashowcaseofhomes.com/sponsors to download a packet.

Over the past 24 years, this community event has contributed over $1.3 MILLION dollars to two local charities. Proceeds from the Showcase of Homes benefit Rebuilding Together Saratoga County www.rebuildingtogethersaratoga.org and Habitat for Humanity of Northern Saratoga, Warren and Washington Counties www.glensfallshabitat.org. For more details on the 2021 Saratoga Showcase of Homes event, please visit saratogashowcaseofhomes.com. Follow on Facebook for all the updates!

About Saratoga Builders Association

The Saratoga Builders Association, Inc. (SBA) is a specialized professional trade association representing an industry basic to the well-being and economy of the people of Saratoga County. Its membership includes residential and commercial builders, developers, remodelers, building material suppliers, sub-contractors, financial institutions, architects, engineers, realtors, attorneys and other industry professionals. SBA is committed to the continued growth, prosperity and quality of life in Saratoga County. For more information, please visit www.saratogabuilders.org 

There Has Never Been a Better Time to Build a New Custom Home

Did you ever notice that the most popular homes bustling with activity year-round are the ones with lots of amenities? You know the one in your neighborhood, the one with the inground pool, nicely landscaped yard, basement game room, vaulted ceilings, nice entertaining spaces with an open floor plan, fireplaces, and a custom kitchen? “If you build it, they will come.” You will be the toast of the neighborhood and possibly the envy to some. Friends and family will want to come celebrate holidays, graduations, birthdays, and milestones in life at your home because people like to recreate in beautiful spaces. It is the American dream home I am talking about and it can be yours! There has never been a better time to build a custom home either. Here is why:

Interest rates are at an all-time low and you will pay less than if you wait for the market to change. I highly encourage anyone who is thinking about building that custom home, addition, or remodeling project, to invest in your future now. A home is the single biggest investment most people will make in their lifetime. It is also the one that pays the most dividends and only increases in value and builds equity over time. Other big purchases like cars only depreciate where a home appreciates in value. Taxes are reasonable in Saratoga County because of the industry tax base. The tax burden does not fall solely on homeowners here. Therefore, homeownership is a particularly wise investment to make, given property values in Saratoga County remain the highest in the region. High property values with low taxes are a winning ticket here in Saratoga Springs.

Another reason right now is the time to build a custom home or take on the project that you have been considering, is that the housing inventory is exceptionally low. There is simply a higher demand for homes in the capital region than there are homes to sell. This also means it is a seller’s market and you will pay more for a dated home without the updated amenities you desire. No matter what existing home you end up choosing, you will most likely desire to make some major renovations to get the custom features you want. In a tight housing market, buyers can end up feeling like they settled. Existing home vs. new home means settling for choices others have made. Building a new home means you get to make all of your own personal selections. 

So, if you are thinking of building a new home contact a qualified builder as soon as possible. They will assist you with locating lots, home design, zoning laws and financing options. You could be in your custom new home before you know it! And remember, most qualified builders also do home makeovers, remodeling and renovations. 

Best wishes in your pursuit of a custom new home and/or remodeling project in 2021!

– Lou Galarneau, President Galarneau Builders

Just about now, the spring flowering bulbs are finishing up their spring show. 

Cool weather in late April extended the show the tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and others put on for a delightfully long time. If you have trouble getting your bulbs to come back bigger and better every year, you probably need a reminder on the “after care” they need right now as they are finishing up. 

The trick to perpetual success with bulbs is to think of them as rechargeable batteries. To make sure that they return in greater numbers with more flowers, you need to know how to “recharge the battery” after they flower in spring.  The “growth energy” stored in the bulb since last fall is quickly depleted during the all-out effort to flower in spring. 

To “recharge” your bulbs, you’ll want to wait until after the flower “go by” or shrivel up. Then cut the spent flower off including the stem it was on. Make sure that you don’t cut off the leave though. Think of the bulbs’ leaves as solar collectors that change sunlight into “growth energy” that is sent to the bulb below for storage. Don’t cut off these solar collectors when you remove the spent blossoms. 

With the flowers cut off the bulb won’t waste “growth energy” producing seeds. Instead, that “growth energy” will instead be directed to the bulb where it is stored until next spring’s flowering cycle. 

This is also the time to feed the bulbs. My favorite bulb food is Espoma Bulb-Tone. It will provide the balance of nutrients your bulbs will need, along with the energy from the sun that the leaves are still collecting, to grow the bulb below even bigger and better so you’ll have more plants with more flowers every spring. To feed the bulbs, simply poke some holes into the soil among the bulbs and pour a little food into the holes. This will get the food closer to the roots that will absorb and make use if it. 

Remember; don’t cut the leaves off, just the flower stems. The leaves will eventually turn yellow as summer begins letting you know they’ve finished their job charging up your “bulb batteries” for another spring filled with the flowers we love so much after a long winter.

THANKS FOR THE READ!

Spring is finally edging the last of winter aside. After being cooped up all winter, it is a joy getting outside in the sunshine and digging into our garden projects.

The first order of business will be to rake the lawn.  Obviously raking removes all the twigs, branches and pinecones from the lawn but there are other benefits.  Raking will fluff up the matted blades of grass.  This allows air to dry the old blades of grass, which lessen the chances of a fungal disease taking hold.  A raked lawn will also warm up quicker and get the grass growing sooner. 

Another benefit of spring raking is the chance to get reacquainted with our yard and take note of areas that are thin and might need extra attention.  I like to rough up thin areas and put down grass right away.  It’s too cold for the seed to germinate but the cold won’t hurt the seed.  By putting the seed down now, it will have a chance to get all pumped up with moisture so it will germinate as soon as temperatures are right.  This will give the young grass as much time as possible to establish a root system before hot summer weather arrives (now there’s a nice thought).

Another project that I like to tackle early is feeding all the permanent members of my garden community: the trees, shrubs and perennials.  You might be thinking, “Nothing out there is really growing yet!  Why should I feed plants that show no signs of life?” A valid question.  The reason I like to get these woody and perennial plants fed early is this: the granular fertilizers and tree food spikes that I’ll use take some time to dissolve and permeate the soil.  When you get the food into the soil early, it will have plenty of time and spring rain to dissolve and soak into the soil.  When the plants get the warmth they need to spring into growth, the nutrients they need will already be there waiting for them.  Since our garden plants have depleted a great deal of their reserve energy just surviving the winter, they need nutrients more in the early spring than at any other time of year.    

For trees and large shrubs, an easy way to apply nutrients is by pounding in some of those tree food spikes that are made of compressed fertilizer.  When you go to the garden center, you’ll notice that there are different formulas for different plants.  The spikes for evergreens and shade trees are higher in nitrogen and those for fruit tree are higher in phosphorus to enhance fruit production.  You may have large, flowering shrubs like lilacs that you want to feed with spikes.  The fruit tree spikes, with their higher phosphorus formula would make them appropriate for use on flowering shrubs as well.  Be careful to follow the directions when using fertilizer spikes.  They should be driven into the ground AWAY from the trunk or stem of the plant you’re feeding.  The tiny roots that take up the nutrients are about the same distance from the trunk as the outermost branch tips.  For trees, it’s easy to figure out where to place the spikes.  Simply walk away from the trunk until you are standing under the outermost branch tips and pound in the spikes at that circumference.  How many spikes you’ll need to use is determined by the diameter of the trunk.  There are directions on the package. Follow them.  More isn’t necessarily better.  If you use too many spikes or place them too close to the trunk, you may do more harm than good. 

For smaller shrubs and perennials, you’ll want to use a gentle, granular food.  I like the Espoma products.  You can pound holes around small shrubs (under the outermost branch tips) and pour the appropriate amount of plant food into them.  When in doubt, less is best.  On the perennials, I’ll dig a shallow trench well away from the crown of the plant and apply a modest amount of  gentle Espoma Flower-tone plant food.  Follow the recommendations on the package and, again, when in doubt, less is best. 

If you can get out there at the first opportunity and get your nutrients into the soil early, your landscape plants will be able to take advantage of them and have the best season possible.   

THANKS FOR THE READ!

Gardeners are buying seed packets for the plants they’ll want to grow once planting season actually arrives. To get a jump on the season, we need to start some seeds indoors so they’ll be perfect transplants when May arrives. It’s pretty easy to get ahead of ourselves when it comes to seed starting, so it’s a good idea to make a seed starting schedule.

There are a few vegetables with a long growing season that need a head start indoors. These include tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and a few others. Cucumbers, beans, squash, carrots, lettuce, radishes…indeed most of our favorite vegetables need no head start and actually do better when grown from seed sown directly into the garden. This is something newbies need to understand about vegetable gardening.

How do we know which need to be started indoors?

This is where the seed packet comes in real handy. On the back you’ll usually find directions. If they include a statement like “Start indoors 6-8 weeks before frost free planting date”, then you know this plant requires a head start in our climate.

When is my frost free planting date?

The average last frost date for the Albany Airport is May 5. That date seems wildly optimistic to me. We often get frost after then. Remember, it is the average last frost date. After spending weeks growing your transplants, you sure don’t want to lose them to frost or have them struggle in the cold. For our area, I think the week after Mother’s Day makes more sense, and there’s no reason to rush planting. Tomatoes and peppers stall when temperatures go below 50°F, so waiting to plant them in late May often results in an earlier harvest than you’d get from plants subjected to too many cold nights early in the season. In my garden in the Glenville Hills (elevation 800ʹ or so) I generally shoot for planting tomatoes and peppers even later…the week before Memorial Day.

The next step is to use a calendar to combine the information on the seed packs and come up with a logical schedule for starting seeds indoors.

First mark ‘Planting Week’ (May 9-15…the week after Mother’s Day) on your calendar. Then mark the week previous to ‘Planting Week’ “1 week” meaning ‘one week before planting’. Mark the week previous to that “2 weeks” and so on until you’ve marked up to “10 weeks” before planting. 10 weeks before planting should end up being the first week of March (February 28 – March 6).

Now look at the information on the seed packs to see how many “weeks before planting” we need to get the seeds started indoors. With that information, you can start to fill in the calendar so you can see when to start the seeds for that crop.  To make things easy, I just tape the seed pack to my seed starting calendar. When I get to the week the seeds need to get started, they are right there.

Wouldn’t it be better to start them all as soon as possible? Some plants, like geraniums for instance, need a long time (10 -13 weeks) to reach the size we want for planting. Others, like tomatoes, only need only 6-8 weeks.

If you give your tomatoes lots more time indoors, they indeed will be larger. Growing for too long indoors, your tomatoes will get long and leggy reaching for the light they need during these still-short days. Leggy transplants will have a harder time adjusting to the outside, and you’ll end up burying that leggy stem anyway. You want a compact, sturdy transplant that grew in the longer days of mid March through April.

The other issue is space. If you start everything too early, you’ll need more space to spread out your seedlings as they grow…space you may not have, and your seedlings will suffer as they compete for light. Choose carefully what you want to start indoors and stick to a seed starting schedule. 

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On Sunday, March 14, 2021 collectively as a community we will “spring forward” by setting our clocks an hour ahead. This means yet another adjustment to our busy daily lives. But springing forward has other implications like sprucing up our yards and homes for spring. There are so many projects like spring cleaning, roof and gutter work, and many basic repairs that come from the harsh northern winters. It is also a time where dated siding, broken roof shingles, and interiors like kitchen cabinets start to show the timeworn flaws that you would rather not see. 

This is often where you may spring into action and say that is it! I want a new kitchen! Have no fear as spring is a great time to get those bigger projects going like kitchen installations, additions or for some even building a new home. 

Spring gives us the renewed and rejuvenated feeling of things blossoming and growing and thriving once again. If you are thinking about starting a big project, I recommend using the momentum from our yearly ritual of turning clocks ahead to get going.  But where should you begin?

The first step when deciding to take on a project is to come up with a realistic budget. You may want to find out how much equity you have in your home in order to get a baseline for taking out a home equity loan. Rates are at the lowest they have been in many years. There is no time like the spring to make this happen. 

Depending on the project or projects you are considering, you will want to do your research. Start with Google searches and look for reputable contractors that serve your local community. There is no sense in getting interested in a builder who is 100 miles away. Proximity matters and most contractors work within a 30-50 mile radius. Once you narrow down a few contractors, then pick up the phone and schedule a consultation. Tell them what you are thinking about doing and they can give you some immediate feedback that will assist you with obtaining your home equity loan. What you think a project may cost and what a builder determines based on your material preferences are often two different things. They can also steer you to the right project based on your budget.

Once you’ve narrowed down your choices you must make that final choice. Look for an experienced builder and ask good questions about their process, procedures and timelines. You can also ask for references from other clients. Also talk to friends and family about who they have used for additional recommendations.  Someone will stand out above the others and you will know it is a good fit to move forward. 

BEST OF LUCK WITH YOUR SPRING PROJECTS!

– Lou Galarneau, President Galarneau Builders

We take the introduction of a new plant cultivar or variety as nothing too unusual but there was a time when such progress took years. 

A hundred years ago, there was one man, Luther Burbank, who stunned the world with his plant breeding genius. Burbank introduced over 1,000 plant varieties that had never been seen before. His achievements were so astounding that he was initially considered a fake by the established scientific community. 

In 1871, he used an inheritance from his father’s estate to buy a 17 acre farm in Lunenberg, Massachusetts where he took up vegetable farming for a living. A forward thinker, Burbank was fully convinced by the writings of Charles Darwin and his theories on evolution. When a potato plants in his garden produced a seed ball (rare for potatoes), Burbank realized that it would have seeds that would NOT breed true to the type of potato that had produced them. He let the seed ball ripen produced 23 seeds. He grew the seeds hoping for a new variety.  Indeed, one of the seeds produced a white skinned potato much larger than its red skinned parent. It was the famous “Burbank Potato” which was far and away the best variety ever produced. Burbank sold the potatoes he’d produced to a seed producer for $150.

With his newfound funds and tempted by tales in letters from his two brothers in California, Luther sold the farm and took ten of his new potatoes and set out.  Burbank’s new potato variety provided him funds to travel and a bit of a name in the agricultural community. It also led him to believe that there were new discoveries to be made. Burbank arrived in Santa Rosa and shortly after read Darwin’s “The Effects of Cross and Self Fertilisation in the Vegetable Kingdom” which further inspired him to the possibilities of plant breeding. 

Refrigerated transportation hadn’t been invented yet so farmers in California concentrated on crops that could be dried before shipping. A banker in Santa Rosa wanted to get in on the boom and offered $6,000 to anyone who could provide 20,000 prune trees in 9 months; a feat considered impossible.  Burbank devised a plan to graft plum buds onto faster growing almond seedlings. The idea was a success and Burbank stunned locals and earned the $6,000; a tidy sum in 1882. With this money, Burbank purchased land and a cottage and began plant breeding in earnest.

Ten years later, Burbank had enough new stock to offer plants for sale in a mail order catalog. When his catalog came into the hands of eastern and European botanists, it created quite a stir. Burbank’s catalog offered over 100 plant varieties from fruit trees to flowers that had never been seen before! Burbank offered an apple that was sweet on one side but sour on the other, a new giant form of daisy (Shasta), and even a cross between a strawberry and raspberry.  The offerings were so outlandish that most believed the catalog to be a hoax.

A Dutch botanist, Hugo De Vries, was so intrigued that he traveled all the way to Santa Rosa to see for himself. Even before De Vries reached the front door of Burbank’s cottage, he knew that there was something special going on. De Vries had expected a much larger facility with a great deal of scientific research going on. Instead, he found Burbank in his cottage with sparse notes scribbled on bits of paper scattered about. 

What amazed all that did visit was Burbank’s uncanny ability to select one plant from among thousands that would suit his goal. A county agricultural agent commented, “He’d go along a row of gladioli, yanking out the ones he didn’t want as fast as he could.  He seemed to have an instinct that told him if a tiny plant would grow up to bear the kind of fruit he wanted. I couldn’t see any difference in them, even if I stooped and looked closely, but Burbank did no more than glance at them.”

Gradually, the world embraced Burbank for the genius he was. He seemed to have a special communication with plants and admitted that he talked to them to offer encouragement and his love and admiration. He believed that they could sense his feelings and desires. Helen Keller, after visiting Burbank wrote, “He has the rarest of gifts, the receptive spirit of a child. Only a wise child can understand the language of flowers and trees.”

Burbank expressed it this way, “Listen patiently, quietly and reverently to the lessons, one by one, which Mother Nature has to teach, shedding light on that which was before a mystery, so that all who will may see and know. She conveys her truths only to those who are passive and receptive. Accepting these truths as suggested, wherever they may lead, then we have the whole universe in harmony with us.”

Luther Burbank was an amazing man whose philosophy could be easily dismissed were it not for the fact that he achieved results that advanced agriculture decades in a few short years.  If you follow Burbank’s advice, you may find yourself sitting quietly in your garden listening to the wisdom of a flower.

THANKS FOR THE READ!

Home and outside were the places to be in 2020, and gardening became everyone’s new hobby. 

It was fun to see so many learning to appreciate the simple pleasures of digging, planting and enjoying the fruits of their labor whether beautiful flowers or fresh vegetables. 

One of the challenges gardeners face is creating new beds to plant.  There can be a lot of groundwork to do before the first rosebush or perennial gets planted. It can be daunting, but there is a way to make this much easier with the use of cardboard. Let me show you the process. The first step is to define the outline of the new bed. I use a garden hose for this and try to avoid tight corners and angles so that I can mow right up to it, eliminating the need for trimming with a line trimmer. Anything that saves some time is a good thing. 

The next step is to cut an edge or small trench around the perimeter of the new outline.  A straight-bladed sod cutter is perfect for this task but a shovel can do the job.  The trench should be about 5” deep and 6” wide.  When it is finished there will be grass inside and outside the new edge.  You’ll have the urge to remove all that sod and turn the soil over. 

Resist that urge and start gathering all the cardboard you can find. Many businesses have a separate dumpster just for cardboard so it is readily available.  Take the cardboard and start laying it over the grass on the inside of your new edge. Make sure to overlap the cardboard several inches so the grass or weeds won’t find a way through. You can use a razor knife to cut the cardboard to match the curves if necessary. Make sure to keep the new trench visible as you do this.   

Once you have the cardboard in place over the grass and weeds, it is time to start covering it with soil.  I use 8” to 12” of soil. This is a lot of soil. Thankfully, the county I live in sells soil very reasonably so I can bring it in on a small trailer. You can just buy bags from the garden center for a smaller bed but, for larger ones, you’ll want to search out a local source.  The soil on top of the cardboard will smother all the grass and weeds which adds to the organic matter as it decays. 

In the flower bed I made, I wasn’t planning on fully planting it right way and I want to be sure the area remains weed-free until I do. To prevent weed seeds from getting established, I covered the new soil with another layer of cardboard and added 4” of cedar mulch on top of that. You can use brown paper under the mulch instead of cardboard for this. Home improvement stores sell rolls of brown paper among the painting supplies. It is used to cover floors but is very handy as a weed barrier beneath mulch. You can plant right away by simply brushing the mulch aside, cut a hole through the brown paper and dig the planting hole. Then brush the mulch back near the base of the plant.

So there it is. I have a brand new planting bed ready to go. I planted a couple of perennials and some annuals right away but the rest is waiting for spring while I decide what I want to grow in my new bed.  There is no doubt that building beds requires some work but this method has served me well and it is a lot easier that digging or roto-tilling the rock soil that my yard has been “blessed” with. 

THANKS FOR THE READ!

I find it fascinating that Christmas has so many plants associated with it. Wherever we turn, we’ll see evergreen trees and wreaths, holly and ivy, Christmas Cacti and Poinsettias. Equally interesting are the stories of the roles they play and forms they take.    

Let’s take kissing balls for example….you know, those round balls of evergreen usually with a bow on top. Thirty years ago, kissing balls were not really seen much if at all. If they were seen, they were homemade. These days you can get all kinds of kissing balls. Pictured above at top right, a ball made of plastic berries. Behind that is a kissing ball made of fresh evergreens and, at bottom, a modern kissing ball made from the same material as an artificial Christmas tree. These days kissing balls are a well-entrenched holiday decoration. So, how did kissing balls get their start? 

The biggest clue is in the name. To find their origin we need to look for the original kissing ball….mistletoe. The kissing part makes sense since we all know that, for some reason, we are entitled to kiss someone standing beneath a sprig of mistletoe…but what about the ball part? Mistletoe is a parasitic plant. Rather than growing roots into the soil to get nutrients, mistletoe forces its roots into the bark of a host tree and sucks the nutrients it needs from it like a vampire.  here are several trees that can fall victim to mistletoe including oak trees. A mature clump of mistletoe takes on the familiar kissing ball shape

Mistletoe is interesting for other reasons. It was never adopted by Christianity into Christmas celebrations. Not only did the church never sanction the use of mistletoe in holiday celebrations, but its use was also actually banned at one time. This is, no doubt, due to the fact that it was highly revered by the ‘pagan’ Druid priests. It is central to their ancient solstice celebrations along with its host, the oak tree. During the Druid’s solstice celebration, a Druid priest would cut the parasitic mistletoe from the branch of an oak tree and distribute pieces of it to the gathered populace. While doing this, he was careful not to let it touch the earth. Part of the mystery of mistletoe to the Druids was that it grew, not from soil, but from the bark of the oak tree. To receive a sprig of mistletoe from the priest was a blessing Druids looked forward to as part of their solstice rituals.

Today, all we know about mistletoe is that we are entitled to kiss anyone who stands beneath it. That tradition has its roots in Scandinavian myth. Loki, a troublesome little god, shot Balder, another young god, with an arrow made of mistletoe, the only thing that could harm this favorite son of Freyja. The tears of sorrow Freyja shed became the white berries of the mistletoe. All the Norse gods worked together to restore Balder to life and, in gratitude, Freyja is said to bestow a kiss on anyone who passes beneath mistletoe. Now we are all entitled to kiss anyone we find standing below the mistletoe. 

Although hanging an entire ball of mistletoe was fairly common in Victorian England, it would be rare these days. This is partially due to a small supply but mostly out of safety concerns. Mistletoe is poisonous and can cause harm or even death if eaten.  These days the only real mistletoe you can find is a heavily painted sprig with the warning on the package not to eat it. 

If you want your modern kissing ball to have the same magical quality that requires people to kiss if they meet below it, you’ll need to attach a sprig of real mistletoe at the bottom.

THANKS FOR THE READ!