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Their crimson red colour brings life to festive holly wreaths, while their meaning reminds Christians of the sacrifice made by Jesus on the cross.
But for many looking forward to celebrating the traditions of Christmas this year, a scarcity of red berries will soon become apparent.
That’s because farmers across the UK have seen a huge shortage in berries produced by holly trees this year.
It appears not even Christmas can escape climate change, Mark Adams, partner of national wholesaler Kissme Mistletoe told The Independent.
The Worcestershire-based farmer sold out of berried wreaths in October and said he’s 70 per cent down on the number he’d usually provide because of the berry shortage.
“The trees have been under a lot of strain this year because of the weather,” he said.
“We have had a good last couple of years, but this year it’s been very difficult. We were only able to sell a few.”
Between October last year and March, England experienced the second wettest six-month period on record, with rainfall almost 60 per cent above the 10-year average.
Defra said the rainfall led to soil erosion, crop damage and flooding.
Mr Adams said: “It really is bonkers how climate change is impacting everything at the moment… the berries are just one part of it all.”
The berry shortage has backed some wreath sellers’ decision to use only artificial berries.
Helen Bowker, of Cotley Farm near Exeter in Devon, told The Independent: “There are virtually no berries around the holly this year. You, of course, get the birds also eating them, but this year I haven’t seen hardly any.
“It’s not really impacted us as we do always decorate our wreaths with artificial berries – it doesn’t really make a difference, and they don’t shrivel up.”
She added: “I’m not sure what’s caused the shortage exactly but it could be to do with the long wet season we had in April and May.”
BBC Radio 4 Gardeners’ Question Time expert Bob Flowerdew said he believed the lower crop of berries this year could be because trees were “feeling weak”.
He said: “The same thing happens with apples, one year you get a fantastic crop, the tree gets exhausted, it just takes a year off.”
Holly is a Victorian tradition that was adopted as a symbol of Christ’s crown of thorns, with the berries being a symbol of his blood.
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