Barbara branches: cutting, meaning & care

At the beginning of December, branches of fruit trees can be cut and placed in the warm. At Christmas, the Barbara branches delight many with their flowers.

In many households you will find cherry branches in bloom at Christmas or the branches of other fruit trees and ornamental shrubs. The tradition of the barbarian branches goes back to the Christian faith. There are also customs in other cultures and religions that contain cut, prematurely flowering shoots or even entire branches. Barbara branches are more than just a nice decoration, they are, like the pouring of lead or the onion calendar, part of the so-called oracle customs. You can find out what the Barbara branches are all about and which trees are suitable for barbarian branches in our article.

Barbara twigs: history and meaning of the custom

The Barbara branches are not only a beautiful sight in winter, they also look back on a long tradition. In fact, the custom of the Barbara branches can be traced back to the story of Saint Barbara: in the year 306 AD Christ is said to have had the daughter of a wealthy merchant secretly baptized and was then put to death sentenced. On the way to the prison cell, a twig allegedly got stuck on her robe. Saint Barbara put the branch in a vessel with water. On the day of her execution, the bare branch is said to have miraculously borne flowers - the legend about the Barbara branches was born.

To this day, the story of the Barbara twigs is often told during the Christmas season. In the meantime, various myths and legends have formed regionally. For example, blooming Barbara branches are said to bring good luck for the coming year at Christmas. In addition, the flowering branches are used in some regions for predictions or as oracles - for example when selecting the Bridegroom: Each branch is assigned the name of a suitor, the one that blossoms first signals which of the suitors is the right one is. In addition, the number of flowers used to be used as an indication of the expected harvest. Nowadays it is a popular custom to use the Barbara branches as an oracle for the lottery numbers.

Barbara branches: which tree is suitable?

In order for branches to really bloom at Christmas, not only the time of pruning is crucial, but also the selection of the right tree. But which tree is suitable for Barbara branches? Classically, on St. December, cherry branches cut and brought into the house. In addition to cherry branches in bloom at Christmas, Barbara branches from the apple tree are also very popular. There are a number of trees that can be used as branches of Barbara.

In fact, almost any fruit tree is suitable, for example pear (Pyrus), Plum (Prunus domestica) or plum (Prunus domestica subsp. domestica) for St. Barbara branches at Christmas. Chestnuts (Castanea) and wild shrubs such as cornel cherry (Cornus mas) and sloe (Prunus spinosa) are suitable for this. If you want something a little more unusual, you can also cut your Barbara branches in the ornamental garden: lilacs (Syringa vulgaris), Forsythia (Forsythia) and winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum) are just as suitable as gorse (Genista), Almond trees (Prunus dulcis) or ornamental fruit.

These trees are suitable for cutting barbara branches:

• Fruit trees and trees: Cherry, apple, plum, quince, plum, cornel, sloe
• Ornamental trees: Ornamental cherries, blood plums, lilacs, forsythia, almond trees, ornamental currants, witch hazel, ornamental quince, gorse
• Further: Chestnut, hazelnut

Cutting Barbara branches: timing and procedure

So that you can look forward to a lush display of flowers at Christmas, the branches should be around St. December to be cut from the tree. Once you have found the right tree, you should also pay close attention to the selection of the branch. Twigs from young trees are often less suitable, as they sometimes do not yet develop any or hardly any flowers. Older trees in your garden that are already known for their ability to flower in spring are more suitable. When making your selection, make sure to choose a branch with as many thick and rounded buds as possible - in contrast to the rather slender leaf buds, these usually sprout flowers.

Bring Barbara branches to bloom

In order for the cut branches to actually start to bloom, it is important that they have experienced cold temperatures beforehand. The dormancy can only be broken if the tree has experienced a certain number of hours of cold with temperatures below 7 ° C. Only when this has happened will the Barbara branches bloom in the warm apartment. If the temperatures weren't colder until December, there is a trick to get the Barbara branches to bloom anyway: Freeze the branches. Even a night in the freezer can complete the cold stimulus. In particularly warm November, it is advisable to put the twigs in the refrigerator for several days to ensure that the necessary cold hours are reached. In this case, however, you should cut the Barbara twigs a few days earlier and on the 4th Take December out of the fridge so that they bloom to match Christmas. Before placing the Barbara twigs in water, it is necessary to cut them at an angle as possible - this maximizes the surface area for water absorption. After the cooling phase in the freezer or in the refrigerator, it is better to place the branches in a cool room for another day and not in the warm living room. In this way, the probability of a vigorous bloom is further increased.

Once you have put the Barbara twigs in water, most of the work is done. The only thing left to do is to choose the right location: the Barbara twigs need to be left after the cold stimulus and the short period of rest Warmth to start flowering, but an overly warm room with dry, heated air will leave the buds quickly dry up. A moderately warm room that is ventilated regularly is therefore more suitable. To make Barbara twigs bloom even more beautifully, it is advisable to regularly replace the water in the vase with new water that is as low in lime as possible. This promotes the vitality of the branches and is therefore also beneficial for the bloom. In addition, you can spray the Barbara branches daily with a little water so that the buds stay fresh and are not attacked by the dry heating air.

Tip: If you want to be sure that your Barbara branches actually bloom despite a warm autumn, you should use quince or sweet cherry branches. Their dormancy is broken by the fewest cold hours among all types of fruit, so that they bloom reliably even if there were only a few cold days in autumn. Apple, lilac and laburnum branches, on the other hand, need more cold hours and are therefore not always successful after a warm autumn.

Bringing Barbara branches to bloom at a glance:

• If there has been no frost yet, pack in the freezer / refrigerator overnight or for several days if necessary.
• Place the twigs in the vase, cut them at an angle beforehand if possible.
• Then set it up for another day in a cool room, for example in the hallway.
• Move the branches in the vase to a moderately warm place in the home, where they will remain until Christmas.
• Water regularly (e.g. B. every three days) change.
• Spray the buds with water daily.

It's not just the Barbara twigs that put us in a Christmas mood in December. You can find out which plants are not to be thought of from the Advent season in our article about the 10 most beautiful Christmas plants.