As Christmas is approaching, we are all thinking about making our homes look beautiful at this time of the year – an age-old tradition known as bringing in the green.

As well as the ability to order beautiful festive flower arrangements to adorn out homes from places like this Gloucestershire florist, you will also find that the countryside is not as sparse in the winter as you might think.

Here are some of the plants that you may see in December…

Holly – A festive favourite, the evergreen holly is known for its associations with Christmas and the bright red berries and dark glossy green leaves can be seen all over the UK in December, the berries provide an important source of food for birds at a time when food is scarce.

The Celts believed that the holly king was the ruler of the dark half of the year and that the powers of the holly were at their height in the shortest days of the year.

Primrose – These hardy yellow flowers can be found in bloom as early as December and can be seen growing around the bottoms of the hedgerows, as well as in damp woodland areas. Supporting many species of early flying bees and butterflies with its nectar, primrose does more than look beautiful! Primrose can be seen right up until May.

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Mistletoe – The plant that is best known for those who want to have a Christmas kiss, mistletoe was long revered by the druids and is often brought into the house at Christmas. The white berries were seen as a symbol of fertility, and the fact that it flourished on the tops of trees without touching the earth led to the belief that mistletoe was a plant of the heavens, with special powers to heal and bring life.

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Gorse – Take a walk in the countryside at any time of the year to see the bright yellow flowers of Gorse, which were said to carry the light of the sun through the darkest depths of the winter. Commonly found in many areas of the UK, it is prevalent on Dartmoor where it is often referred to as Dartmoor custard and lights up the barren moors with its yellow blaze.

Ivy – The evergreen ivy is another plant that is seen at Christmas a lot and is often overlooked. The endurance of the ivy and the ability to grow pretty much anywhere gave rise to lots of use of it in ancient times.

The Roman God Saturn who was associated with the winter, carried a club that was covered in ivy and held within it a wren – a symbol of life being carried through the darkness and cold of the winter.