A Purple People Eater Brugmansia doesn’t know when it’s time to sleep. The last bloom of the winter, indoors.
My first Dahlia proves a delicate bloom
This battered little Dahlia is the first I’ve grown. They get lost in the garden as they aren’t that big, and a bit away from any sitting area. But they’re worth the walk. Dalia’s came from the Aztecs. When the Spanish came over they also botanists, who befriended the Aztec gardeners. Francisco Hernandez recounted the […]
August brings purple and turns the witch’s garden into a moon garden
Brugmansia, a form of Datura has a prominent place in a witch’s garden. Some say it induces visions. Others say madness. Both are correct. But at night, the blooms, which live for only that night put off an intoxicating scent. It’s the one intoxicant put off by Angel Trumpets that you can safely enjoy. This […]
Kali blesses the Hibiscus in the Witch’s Garden, July 4
In the Hindu religion, the gods are are connected to certain flowers, and the Hibiscus belongs to the goddess Kali, who can be found in art merging with the flower. Kali is a goddess of destruction, and the red flower is associated with her tongue, and the blood lust that she was capable of exhibiting. […]
The first Datura of the year unfolds in the Witch’s Garden, June 21
I used to order Datura every year. I loved the large white flowers which blooms for a single evening. I tended my plant carefully to make sure it survived in the hot summers here. Then I noticed a house nearby with whole bushes of Datura, year after year. By the end of the second year […]
Gladiolus bring a sword of color to the Witch’s Garden, June 21
It is believed that Roman gladiators wore wreaths of Gladiolus as protection in combat. One would hope that their fighting skills were more effective than relying on a flower to stop a sword. Gladiolus take their name from the Latin, where it in fact meant sword. It’s still known as a sword lilly in some […]
