Its twinkling seeds bejewel festive feasts, but there’s much more to the pomegranate than meets the eye, discovers Harry Pearson

This time of year represents big business–and exhaustion–for the producers of festive fare, from crackers to hellebores to ham. Jane Wheatley visits six stalwarts who are flat out right now

Celebrated in the loveliest of carols, holly warms hearts anew each winter, but there’s more to the spiky gem than merely Christmas cheer, writes Deborah Nicholls-Lee

Discover what makes these plants popular around Christmas time

Rosie Irving celebrates an easy-going shrub that gives so much for so little effort

Stefan Buczacki