Garden Witchery (12 page)

White Witch Combo for the Shade

Instead of geraniums, plant shade-loving double begonias in the window box. Double begonias resemble a rose in full bloom. They have heavy, waxy petals, and are available in many colors, such as reds, pinks, orange-coral shades, and yellow. Use the color correspondence chart from chapter 3 to match the color to your intent. Use the vinca vine, blue lobelia, and white or purple allysum to fill out your boxes.

The last two combinations are inspired by a lady that I met years ago at the very first nursery job that I ever had, which taught me many invaluable lessons. But by far the most memorable experience was the day an elderly lady came strolling into the nursery, demanding some assistance in choosing flowers for her window boxes. All the other staff took one look at her and scattered. She seemed harmless enough to me, leaning on her cane and grinning at me.

As I walked around the nursery with her and helped her choose her flowers, she told me little tidbits of plant lore that I had never heard of before. She pointed, I fetched and carried. It was an interesting half hour. I thought I was being very discreet. I made sure I said “folklore” when I asked a question, or I said something like, “What's the story of this one?” There was no talk of magick.

Later, when I was able to double-check on those meanings of all the flowers that she had told me about, they matched up. Every one of them.

We ended up going with one of my favorite window box combinations, the one listed previously—red geraniums, vinca vines, blue lobelia, and white allysum. As I helped her load her purchases in the back of an old station wagon, she turned to me and said, “When I was a girl, my grandmother always told me that you could spot the good witches in the neighborhood by the red geraniums in their window boxes.”

I almost dropped the flats of flowers, I was so surprised by her comment. She just smiled blandly and continued by telling me, “Another way to tell was to look and see if they planted red geraniums or red begonias in circles around their trees.” She cackled at my startled expression, patted me on the arm, and started for the driver's side of her car. So much for being discreet. She tossed her cane in, turned back to look at me, and asked, “What color of geraniums do you have in your boxes at home, girl?”

“Red ones,” I told her honestly.

“I thought so.” She laughed, climbed into her old car, and gunned it out of the parking lot. I never saw her again, but I have never forgotten her.

So wherever you are, Ma'am, thanks . . . and blessed be.

[contents]

My roses are my jewels, the sun and

moon my clocks, fruit and water my food and drink.

Hester Lucy Stanhope

6

Moon Gardening, Magick,
and Astrological Timing

A
natural way to reap the benefits of astrological timing is to plant and harvest with the phases of the moon. This gives your garden witchery a big magickal boost. Gardening in harmony with the waxing and waning of the moon is a tradition that spans many, many years.

I was first introduced to the rudiments of moon gardening as a young bride by my husband's grandmother. At the family's farm, Grandma was always very insistent about when the potatoes were planted. She said we should plant as close to St. Patrick's Day as we could get and be in the proper phase of the moon. It was how they had always done things.

This made me curious, so I asked her about it. Her response was that was the way her folks had planted, and all the “old timers” planted that way. Gardening with the phases of the moon . . . sounded kind of witchy to me. I was intrigued.

If you mention moon gardening to most horticulturists, they get a little bent out of shape. I had a college professor sneeringly inform my horticulture class that moon gardening was just a faery tale. This comment was made by the same person who thought it was riveting to look at a two-hour slide presentation of his compost piles.

Moon gardening is a fascinating way to add a little of that old-time magick into your gardening. Try it for yourself and see what kinds of results you get.

The Moon was but a Chin of Gold
a night or two ago—
And now She turns Her perfect Face
Upon the World below—

Emily Dickinson

Easy Moon Gardening

New Moon to First Quarter Moon

This first quarter moon phase occurs between the new moon and the seven days following. This moon rises in the morning and the crescent moon is seen as a thin curve in the western sky after sunset. Each night, the moon gains dimension and appears higher in the western sky, as the moon moves farther along into the phase.

Plant above-ground crops such as lettuce, spinach, cucumbers, corn, onions, and spinach. Plant flowering annuals like impatiens, petunias, geraniums, and annual flowering herbs. Sow seeds and transplant. Prune now to encourage more growth.

Second Quarter to Full Moon

This moon phase begins approximately seven days after the new moon. Do you need an easy way to tell for sure if the moon is in the second quarter phase? The moon will appear about half-full in the sky. This moon rises around noon and sets in the early hours of the morning.

Plant above-ground crops such as beans, squash, tomatoes, peppers, pumpkins, and watermelon. Continue to plant annual flowers during this waxing, second quarter moon phase.

Full Moon

The full moon rises at sundown and sets at daybreak. This moon phase begins approximately fourteen days after the new moon. The full moon is a time of increased power and a time for blessings. Try planting a favorite magickal herb now. Gather your magickal herbs and plants as the full moon rises and take advantage of the extra mystic energy that the full moon lends to them. Harvest fruits and veggies just after the full moon for increased flavor.

Third Quarter or Waning Moon

As the moon begins to move out of the full moon phase and into the third quarter, you will observe that the moon rises later and later in the evenings. It will appear to slowly lose its fullness from the right side. This seven-day time period is called the waning moon. This is the best time to plant perennials and trees.

Plant root vegetable crops such as potatoes, turnips, radishes, and carrots. Plant bulbs, biennials, and perennials. Plant trees and shrubs in the cool evening hours now. They will suffer less transplant shock in this waning moon phase, and water or rain is thought to run straight to the roots of the plants during this time.

Fourth Quarter to Dark Moon

The fourth quarter moon begins approximately seven days after the full moon. During the fourth quarter moon phase, the moon rises around two to three o'clock in the morning and sets during the afternoon. Do not plant; instead, till, cultivate, control weeds, and harvest. Lay out a plan for a new garden. Prune now to control growth.

The moon like a flower
In heaven's high bower,
With silent delight
Sits and smiles on the night.

William Blake

Moon Signs Are for Specializing

Being aware of the signs of the moon and their effects on spellwork is an important aspect of magick for garden witches. Just as the various moon signs influence our magick, so too does the moon influence the garden as it moves through the different zodiac signs.

All of the moon's zodiac signs will appear at least once a month and last for a two- to three-day time period. To discover what moon sign you are currently in, consult an up-to-date almanac, astrological calendar, or Llewellyn's annual
Moon Sign Book
.

Each separate moon sign has its own use for a specific gardening task. These tasks will be influenced by the element delegated to each moon sign.

Fire Days
are Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius. These days are for planning, designing new gardens, and maintenance. That means get in there and pull those weeds!

Earth Days
are Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn. These earthy days are for the “dirty work” of gardening—shoveling, hoeing, thinning, and transplanting.

Air Days
are Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius. Use these days for communicating with the flower faeries and tree spirits. During the air sign days, plant your flowers, be they annual or perennial, sow seeds, and secure any climbing vines or roses.

Water Days
are Pisces, Cancer, and Scorpio. These days are for the irrigation and watering of your garden. Water the garden thoroughly.

So what's all the fuss about fire days as opposed to earth days, you may be wondering? It is a good way to specialize your magickal gardening. If you cannot catch the correct moon phase for your planting and harvesting, try working with the various moon signs instead. Or you may combine
both
the moon phase and the complementary moon sign for a one-two punch.

Imagine that you decide to buy a clematis for your garden. You snagged one on sale and take your treasure home to scout out a likely spot for your new flowering vine—somewhere where the base and the lower part of the plant will have shade, and the vine can grow to the sun.

As clematis vines can be finicky creatures and often take a few years to become established, you decide to stack the odds in your favor with a little magickal moon gardening. The best time for planting this perennial would be during a waning moon, on a Virgo moon sign day. Well, nuts. The moon phase happens to be waxing and the moon sign is in Leo. Now what do you do? Why, I thought you'd never ask.

You would check out the list below and notice that Virgo days are listed as good times for planting flowering vines. That would work out nicely. So if you can't catch the appropriate moon phase, a Virgo moon day would be another opportune time for planting your clematis.

Be patient for a few days. Set that clematis container in the shade, so it won't get roasted. (Nursery container plants can dry out quickly in full sun.) Give it a little dose of fertilizer now, and then water it well every day. Sit tight and when the moon sign hits Virgo, drag out your shovel and tuck that clematis into your garden.

Moon Signs for Gardening

Aires:
Fire day; harvest, weed, or cultivate

Taurus:
Earth day; promotes robust growth

Gemini:
Air day; a favorable sign for harvesting and pulling weeds

Cancer:
Water day; opportune for planting and transplanting

Leo:
Fire day; great for harvesting scented herbs

Virgo:
Earth day, plant flowering vines now, as this encourages blooms, but little fruit

Libra:
Air day; the flower sign

Scorpio:
Water day; good sign for planting shrubs and trees

Sagittarius:
Fire day; cultivate and pull weeds, or plan a new flower bed

Capricorn:
Earth day; plant and transplant, the next best sign after Cancer

Aquarius:
Air day; good for cultivation

Pisces:
Water day; planting and watering

I am sure that you noticed other opportune times for flower planting when you went over the list, such as Taurus, Cancer, and Libra. Check the list again. Did you notice any more? How about Capricorn and Pisces? See, it's not hard. If you were really impatient and didn't want to wait, any of those signs would have worked for our imaginary clematis too. However, the Virgo day would have been your best shot.

I can tell you from personal experience that I usually have better luck with plants and vegetables if they are planted in the correct phase and/or sign of the moon. If I stumble across annual bedding plants (like impatiens) that are reduced to a really good price, I'll purchase them regardless of the moon phase. When I plant those sale impatiens to add color to the shade garden, I will instead try and catch a favorable moon sign for planting, if the moon phase is wrong.

Notice I said “try.” Over the years I have seen the difference planting in the correct moon sign or phase can make. One summer I had guests coming over to specifically see the gardens, and my shade garden was sulking for some reason. In a panic, I ran out and bought some more impatiens for color and tucked them in. Did I check my moon phase or sign? Nope. (Give me a garden witch demerit.)

After a few weeks, my husband and I noticed that our new impatiens were not growing as well. We dosed them with fertilizer and waited. By the end of the season, the plants that were planted in the correct moon phase were noticeably taller and more robust. The ones I planted in a rush were healthy, but shorter and not blooming as nicely as their “correctly” planted neighbors. It made a believer out of me. My family thought my being impatient with impatiens was pretty funny. I took a lot of razzing about it until the frost nailed them all in the fall.