12 plants of Christmas

Whether it’s a wreath adorning your front door, or a garland draped over a table, greenery adds Christmas cheer and sparkle to our homes.

Communities across the world use plants and their products as part of their Christmas traditions, so here are 12 classic Christmas plants, some of which you might not expect…

Norway Spruce (Picea abies)

The tradition of decorating trees for Christmas originally came from Germany and was made popular in the UK by Queen Victoria's husband, Albert, in the 19th century.

One of the best-known types of Christmas trees is the Norway Spruce. It has a rich pine scent and deep green foliage and plays home to wildlife such as red squirrels. It’s a species that was introduced to the UK in the 1500s but is native to the mountainous areas of Europe.

In the wild, Norway Spruces can live for 1,000 years and reach up to 40 metres tall.

Although not a Norway Spruce, you can see one of the tallest living Christmas trees in the UK, decorated with 1,800 lights for the Glow Wild winter lights festival at Wakehurst, Kew’s garden in Sussex. Find out more about Glow Wild and book now.

Holly (Ilex)

An evergreen favourite, holly is an iconic festive plant. With its distinctive red berries and glossy leaves, holly has traditionally symbolised the hope of new life in the depths of winter.

Holly bushes are a haven for birds and small mammals in the colder months as they give dense cover and protection. The dry leaf litter acts as a snuggly bed for hibernating hedgehogs.

While most of us will recognise holly bushes by their distinctive spiky leaves, holly plants often have a mix of smooth and spiky leaves. The pricklier leaves are normally produced as a response to animals grazing them on lower branches.

There are more than 30 different species of holly growing in the Gardens. Wander down Holly Walk near the Temperate House, which was planted in 1874, and is now home to one of Europe's most comprehensive holly collections.

Ivy (Hedera)

Used in pre-Christian times to celebrate the winter solstice festival, ivy has long been turned into Christmas wreaths and decorations.

It's an evergreen woody climber, which can grow to a height of 30 metres. This clever plant is helped by adhesive aerial roots, which allow it to cling on and grow up vertical surfaces.

Although not a flamboyant plant, ivy flowers provide a great source of nectar for insects, particularly in the winter months when nectar is scarce. The berries are also a tasty source of winter food for hungry birds.

Mistletoe (Viscum album)

In ancient folklore, druids would embrace beneath mistletoe growing on trees. This tradition has survived, making mistletoe a Christmas favourite plant.

It's an evergreen plant, with distinctive forked branches and clusters of white berries. In the UK, it likes to grow on apple, lime and hawthorn trees.

Despite its romantic connotations, mistletoe is actually a parasite which attaches itself to other trees to survive. It deprives the host tree of nutrients and water, which weaken and sometimes kill the host.

Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima)

Well known for their distinctive scarlet leaves, poinsettias are a popular house plant over the Christmas period.

They can last for months because the red halo is not made up of petals that dry up quickly but rather a type of leaf called a bract, which as more long-lasting.

Poinsettias come from Mexico and thrive in warm climates. Today, they grow in the Canary Islands and thrive in the canyons and scrub close to Hollywood, California. Coming from these balmy areas, poinsettias don’t like the cold, so keep them indoors to keep them looking their best.

Head to our Kew shop to pick up a beautiful poinsettia for yourself.

6. Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum)

Cinnamon is a festive favourite, with its rich, spicy aroma flavouring numerous seasonal treats, from mince pies to mulled wine.

The fragrant spice comes from the inner bark of the Sri Lankan cinnamon tree (Cinnamomum verum), which is polished, stretched, layered and hand-rolled into quills that are trimmed and dried.

The cinnamon tree, like many of our other festive plants, is an evergreen that grows in wet tropical regions. They can grow to around 10 to15 metres high and can be spotted by their glossy leaves and small white flowers.

Visit the Temperate House at Kew gardens to see a cinnamon tree growing amongst plants from Asia, Australasia, the Americas, and Africa.

7. Cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon)

The perfect accompaniment to a roast turkey, or strung up as decorations, cranberries are a common feature of Christmas.

Cranberries are a species native to North America, but they have also been introduced to parts of Europe. They grow on low shrubs in bogs and are harvested by flooding the area with water so the ripe berries float to the surface, where they can be more easily collected.

The raw berries have a bitter taste, so they’re normally eaten in preserves, juices, sauces or as a dried fruit.

8. Ginger (Zingiber officinale)

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without gingerbread. As the name suggests, its distinctive, warming flavour comes from ginger.

The ginger we eat in various sweet and savoury dishes is from the branched rhizome (underground stem or root) of the ginger plant. The ginger plant is also a prized ornamental plant, loved for its striking, cone-shaped floral spikes.

Native to parts of Southeast Asia, ginger has been used for centuries in cooking, cosmetics and medicine.

You can find ginger growing in Kew Gardens in the Palm House, and we also grow it behind the scenes in our Tropical Nursery.

9. Pomegranate (Punica granatum)

Pomegranates are a winter festive fruit celebrated across the world. Today, they’re part of many Greek Christians’ Christmas celebrations and are at the centre of the Iranian tradition of Yalda night, but they’ve held cultural significance across the world for thousands of years.

Pomegranates grow on a large shrub or small tree with smooth evergreen leaves and striking orange to red flowers. Despite their size, pomegranates are technically berries.

They have a huge variety of uses, from treating leather, remedying health issues.

10. Cyclamen (Cyclamen)

Bringing a splash of colour to the colder months, cyclamen is a favourite Christmas flower, with some species blooming throughout winter.

Cyclamen are a perennial plant, living for more than one season, that grow to around 13cm tall. They’re a popular ornamental plant because of their characteristic red, white, pink and purple flowers. There are 23 species of cyclamen, each of which flower at different times of year.

You’ll see Cyclamen growing in the wild and in the Winter Garden at Wakehurst, which is festively illuminated as part of the garden’s Glow Wild 2024.

11. Oak (Quercus robur)

Oak trees are an enduring symbol of strength and longevity, with their hardwood making them the traditional choice for a Yule log.

Countries around the world have different traditions for Yule logs, but all intend to warm the Christmas celebrations for the year ahead.

Oak trees can grow to over 20 meters tall and over eight meters wide. The lifespan of an oak tree is considerable, with some sources saying they can live for more than a millennium.

Kew Gardens is home to over 1,000 oak trees, found across the gardens, but you can spot them in the Arboretum. The oak trees at Wakehurst play a special role in the garden’s Christmas celebrations, Glow Wild, by being lit up and transformed into a corridor of chandeliers and tree of life.

12. Radishes (Raphanus raphanistrum subsp. sativus)

A surprising item on this festive list is the humble radish. While it won’t feature on many Christmas tables in the UK, it is at the centre of a Mexican celebration called Noche de rábanos (Night of the radishes).

Taking place on 23rd December each year in Oaxaca (Mexico), Noche de rábanos is a festival devoted to intricate carvings and sculptures of giant radishes, many portraying nativity scenes or holy figures, such as saints.

The radishes that you’ll find on supermarket shelves in the UK are normally Raphanus raphanistrum subsp. sativus, a cultivar, or plant that has been altered through a process of selective breeding. Because it has been cultivated for thousands of years, its exact origins are unknown, though it’s thought that it evolved in the eastern Mediterranean region.