And where the marjoram once, and sage, and rue,And balm, and mint, with curl’d-leaf parsley grew,And double marigolds, and silver thyme,And pumpkins ‘neath the window climb;And where I often, when a child, for hoursTried through the pales to get the tempting flowers,As lady’s laces, everlasting peas,True-love-lies-bleeding, with the hearts-at-ease,And golden rods, and tansy running high,That […]
Foxglove digitalis: From witches’ thimbles to witch’s hats, a flower to lure fairies and whose magic in folklore brings both life and death
It was this song which included Foxglove that gave me the idea to start a witch’s garden. It was in the spring of last year when I saw my foxglove was in bloom that I recalled poor Charlotte of the Rake’s song, and got to wondering what other deadly plants might be scattered throughout the […]
Penstemon digitalis: A Foxglove native to North America
For those in the United States who like to keep their garden stocked with native plants, Beard’s Tongue, orPenstemon digitalis is a member of the Foxglove family which fits the bill. Native to eastern and southeastern United States as well as Canada, it’s right at home in a faerie garden, as well as a twinkling […]
Foxglove! Spring means faeries thimbles in the witch’s garden
You always have a soft spot for your first … this Foxglove at the top was my first witchy plant, which I picked up as a seedling three summers ago. Transplanted this year it’s still perhaps my favorite. Blooms about this time each year and later in the summer.
Witchy plants coming back in the spring from a hard winter
This was a surprise … Last spring I managed to get hold of three Belladonna plants. Two went directly into the ground, the third into a container. The two in the ground certainly outperformed the container one, but I didn’t have a lot of hope that those two would make it through the cold season. […]
Witchy Garden Experiments: Sewing seeds on the Winter Solstice to avoid cold stratification
One evening I had a friend over for drinks. The friend in question had run afoul of my good graces some time ago, and though I was certain he knew of my displeasure, he acknowledged it not. Now this man, let’s call him Orlando for the purposes of this story, is quite knowledgable about witchy […]
