Giant, pendant, but fake (obviously) mistletoes seem to be turning into a tradition, at least amongst corporate marketing teams and street decorators. In recent years there have many examples of these giant decorations – some stunning works of art (e.g. at RHS Harlow Carr back in 2008), some remarkable eye-catchers (e.g. Heathrow Airport in 2013) and some just plain tasteless (e.g Melbourne’s glow in the dark decorations in 2013, which looked as if was made of old scaffold poles and left-over street lamps – see pic right).
I’m expecting a good crop of these again this season, and the first that I’ve become aware of this year is in London’s Covent Garden, where they have not one but 40 giant mistletoes!
Designed by Michael Howells and unveiled yesterday, the 40 mistletoes, each about 3 metres tall, take the form of chandeliers with glowing berries (nearly 700 of those).
The most striking aspect, to me, is the accuracy of the design, with the paired leaves beyond the berries. Many artificial mistletoe designs tend to group the berries with the leaves, so it’s really satisfying to see a design with real commitment to accuracy.
But this is just the first of this year’s giant mistletoes – will any other venue do better? Covent Garden is setting a high standard to beat!
Coming soon from Mistletoe Diary:
- Mistletoe Surveys – updates and new links
- Mistletoe Management – issues and opportunities
- Mistletoe Conservation – news and views
- Mistletoe Auctions 2015 – quality and prices
- Mistletoe Oaks – news and views
- Mistletoe in the Media – 2015’s hits and misses
And other marvellous mistletoe minutiae…
More Mistletoe Matters – links to mistletoey things to read, buy or do
Grow-Your-Own Mistletoe – kits and gift cards from the English Mistletoe Shop
A Little Book About Mistletoe – printed and Kindle versions
Mistletoe Matters Consultancy – all about mistletoe in Britain
The Mistletoe Pages – even more about mistletoe
Mistletoe Surveys – seeking your input…
Mistletoe Matters on Facebook
Mistletoe Matters on Twitter