Belladonna was one of the first witch plants I set out in my garden. I had no luck getting it started from seeds, and so ordered three plants. Two came back the first year, I ordered two more. This year only one came back, and I nearly pulled it up, thinking it was poke weed. […]
A Lilac bush brings the scent of spring to the witch’s garden, as Clematis bloom and Ivy rambles
About four years ago I planted English Ivy. It succeeded and grows thick and heavy, which is what I wanted. I felt exposed to my right when I sat on my bench. This spring a Lilac bush I planted at the same time finally lived up to its promise. That whole section of the garden […]
America’s Haunted Inns: Bardstown Kentucky’s chilling Old Talbott Tavern lives up to its reputation
It was late in the evening, the manager of Talbott Tavern and a cook were making their way up the stairs towards the safe, when they saw the figure of a man in a long coat walking across the landing. Hurrying up, they reached the top of the stairs just in time to see the […]
The first Clematis bloom of the spring
I have three Clematis vines, growing in three different spots. All three started off the season blooming well, and as of the end of May, two are still at it. Unfortunately one not only stopped blooming, even the vine appears to have died. It’s at the corner of a roof and so got a lot […]
Deadly Nightshade: From Witch’s flying potions, to the beauty of the women of Venice, to death from the sweet berries of Atropa Belladonna
Deadly Nightshade … will you die for love? Will you die for beauty? Will you die for powers beyond your wildest imagination. That’s the allure of Belladonna, one of the most famous of all the plants in the witch’s garden. In Italian a beautiful lady; in English a deadly poison. A striking example of the […]
A gothic curiosity
MY GRANDFATHER WAS A GRAVEDIGGER. My Granny Bert kept a garden and used techniques which a couple centuries earlier would have had her burnt as a witch. I grew up in a haunted house and find myself living there again, forty years later. The first time I saw a ghost I was so young I didn’t […]
Jerusha Howe’s bedroom at Longfellow’s Wayside Inn
Room 9 is the room to get when staying at Longfellow’s Wayside Inn outside Sudbury, Massachusetts. It’s said to host the spirit of Jerusha, who has been known to snuggle up to male guests during the night, when they stay in the room alone. But don’t come expecting much in the way of modern entertainment. […]
Piracy in Charleston, S.C.: The adoption of the gentleman pirate, Stede Bonnet
Charleston, South Carolina has a colorful history related to pirates. The pirate with the main claim to fame would be Blackbeard, who once held Charleston Harbor for several days. But Charleston has latched onto one of Blackbeard’s lesser captains, the gentleman pirate, Stede Bonnet. This isn’t surprising. Charleston is working hard to project a genteel […]
