Inside A Witch's Herb Garden

After toiling all spring in my garden, I finally have a chance to sit back and enjoy the fruits of my labor.

I made these little signs for my backyard herb garden and sprayed sealer on it to weatherproof it, but I’m still not sure if they’ll hold up.  We’ll see!

Medicinal & ritual herbs are in the backyard, but I keep kitchen herbs on the front steps, where they are more accessible.

I try to grow a new herb every year.  Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t.  This year, I am growing stevia.  So far, it’s been pretty easy.

This book made my summer reading list this year.  Somehow, I ended up on this publisher’s promo list of bloggers.  They occasionally send me review copies.  I really enjoyed this one, which is a nice introductory primer to wildcrafting.  It’s really helped me a lot on my nature walks.

I consider the woods near our house an extension of my garden.  I collect firewood there, and I use references like the one above to identify various plants for ritual and medicinal purposes.

This is my new favorite, in season right now.  I first noticed it growing wild along highways and roadsides.  It’s called Chinese Trumpet Vine.

Medicinally, it supposedly makes a good blood tonic.  I probably won’t use it that way.  But it might make an appropriate offering to Chang’e.

Back in my own garden, the perennial flowers have done well this year.  Foxglove quickly became my favorite flower of the last few years, except I can’t seem to keep it alive!  I buy a new one every year anyway because I love having it so much.  Associated with fairies and hallucinogenic flying ointments (don’t try it!  it’s poisonous!), foxglove has a special place in the heart of any garden witch.

I just started growing scotch broom a few years ago.  Ruled by the element of water, scotch broom can be used in banishing rituals and purification.   Gather a bouquet and place it near the front door for protection.  The Goddess Tree has a nice little article about it here.