In Gloucestershire you can see great balls of mistletoe hanging from the trees.

It is very common in Herefordshire and Worcestershire and it is considered lucky to have some growing in your garden.

Viscum album or English Mistletoe is an evergreen almost shrubby plant has long been used for decoration in homes over the holiday season.It has tiny flowers followed by white berries that are semi-transparent.

Kissing underneath a branch or sprig of mistletoe is an English Christmas custom that goes back hundreds of years.

A woman standing under a sprig of mistletoe cannot refuse a kiss, but the man has to pluck a berry from the plant for each kiss taken and when all the berries have gone the kissing has to stop !

Ancient Druids believed mistletoe had magical powers and used to cut it with golden knives. They hung it over doorways to protect against evil and keep their dwellings safe from lightening strikes.

Because mistletoe kept its green colour when cut, ancient peoples believed it was a symbol of fertility.
In medieval days women would tie mistletoe around their waists as a fertility enhancement!

As mistletoe grows on trees, it is found only in the larger gardens and on country estates.
Although it used to be fairly common on oak trees in the times of the Druids,now it grows mostly on trees that have soft bark, such as the lime, hawthorn, poplar, ash and apple, sending out its roots to draw food from the host tree.
In Britain it is found only as far north as York in England and in parts of Wales.

Please remember that mistletoe berries are toxic, therefore all sprays should be kept away from children. The berries are also poisonous to animals so pets should also be kept away from it if in doubt get a plastic spray;I don't usually recommend plastic plants but this is one that is so much safer - so you can reap the benefits and not have to worry about the berries (and indeed as the berries don't come off the kissing can go on!)