I received a question today about mistletoe. After all, it is that time of year parties, presents, eggnog and of course kissing under the mistletoe.

The question was: Do you guys sell mistletoe’s or know where i can purchase? Tony, Laurel MD

The short answer is Flower Shop Network doesn’t sell mistletoe. We are an online directory of real local florists. However, many of our florist members do sell mistletoe around the holidays; either in the fresh form or artificial. I’m not sure which one of our florists in your area sell mistletoe. To find mistletoe in your area contact a local Laurel florist listed in our directory. They should be able to help you.

You might wonder where the florists get the mistletoe they sell. Mistletoe is a parasitic plant that grow attached to the limbs or branches of trees and shrubs. So live mistletoe is often purchased by your local florist from wholesale florists who carry mistletoe. Because this plant is parasitic and not easily reproduced, many local florists carry dried or artificial mistletoe instead of live mistletoe. Your local florist would purchase preserved mistletoe from a wholesaler of dried or preserved mistletoe. And of course, your local florist would purchase artificial mistletoe from a wholesaler who specializes in holiday botanicals.

While we are talking about mistletoe let me share a few interesting facts:

• The flower meaning for Mistletoe is “Kiss me, affection, to surmount difficulties, sacred plant of India”
• Mistletoe was considered sacred to the Celtic and Druid cultures.
• Mistletoe is an evergreen that has berries.
• Early Mistletoe tradition dictated that young men had the privilege of kissing a maiden under the mistletoe. After the kiss they had to pluck a berry off the mistletoe. When the berries were gone the privilege of kissing under the mistletoe was also gone.
• The berries of the mistletoe are poisonous.

Mistletoe is an interesting plant with an long and vivid history. It sad that we remember it only once a year.