Imbolc was the time in the Irish calendar when you’re hoping the sheep do what sheep do best, and that there are little lambs gestating in woolly bellies. It’s a time for celebration, for spring has begun in the pagan world, and it’s time to start working with nature to ensure the harvest. Because that […]
This ain’t the garden of Eden … Clearing up from a ten year old witch’s garden gone feral, and dealing with a snake in the dead apple tree
People always tell me that snakes in the garden mean you have a healthy ecosystem going on. That’s true. But when you walk across the yard and see multiple sets of slithery waves in the grass at the same time, it’s a different story. Snakes go away in the winter here. This is how […]
Starting a moon garden, to bring the senses, and memories to life
A moon garden consists of plants which flower in the twilight, or at night, usually releasing a rich, fragrant scent, bordering on the intoxicating. Some are simply white, a border in the background as they stand out in the dark. But a moon garden is meant to trigger all your senses, and your imagination
The Witch’s Garden, Spring 2021: On light, structure, what survived the winter and the witch’s gardener’s best friend
The hallmark of a witch’s garden is that traditionally, it isn’t really a garden. There were certain herbs that a person might have kept near the cottage door, as they were in regular use. But certainly, when witchcraft carried a death sentence, you wouldn’t cultivate plants that could land you on a pyre. Instead, the witch’s garden was […]
Henbane (Hyoscyamus niger): It gave oracles their sight and made witches fly, yellow blossoms on one of the darkest of plants inhabiting a deadly corner of the Witch’s Garden
The henbane’s first effect was purely physical discomfort. My limbs lost certainty, pains hammered in my head, and I began to feel extremely giddy….I went to the mirror and was able to distinguish my face, but more dimly than normal. It looked flushed and must have been so. I had the feeling that my head […]
Journal Entry: Spring 2020 in the witch’s garden – on delayed plants, medicinal herbs, fairy garden planning and a warning to reptiles
The witch’s garden theme this year has been self sufficiency. It’s not the black plague, but hopefully it’s the worst we’ll see in our lifetimes. My plan was to put more focus on the moon garden and cottage garden, but I made the mistake of ordering those plants from Spring Hill Nurseries. Back in February, […]
