Garden Witchery (9 page)

Lavender
counteracts the evil eye. A few drops of lavender oil in your bath water will help to protect you. Ditto for lavender-scented soaps, perfumes, and body lotions. Lavender planted in the garden will bring good luck to your family.

An old cure for bed-wetting
was to make a child smell a dandelion on Beltane. Then they would stop their bed-wetting for a year. This may explain the old folk name for dandelions . . . are you ready? It's “Piss-a-bed”!

There is an old Scottish custom
of eating an apple on Samhain night while looking into the mirror. Legend says that you will see your true love reflected there. A Victorian Halloween card states the following verse:

On Halloween look in the glass,

Your future husband's face will pass.

A modern adaptation of this charm could include standing before the mirror at midnight on Samhain. This new charm will help you to recognize a future or potential love. Slice the apple crosswise to expose the star-shaped arrangement of seeds inside. Light a tealight candle and place the apple slices and the candle before the mirror. (Make sure the candle is in a safe place to burn. If you have to, place the tealight in a heatproof bowl or small cauldron.) At midnight, say the following charm three times:

As this Samhain night rushes past,

Reveal to me a love that shall last.

May I know them when next we meet

May our love be both strong and sweet.

Allow the candle to burn out and, the next morning, leave the apple pieces outside as an offering to the nature spirits. Pay attention and see who you “meet” within the next thirty days.

Flowers blooming out of season
are considered to be omens, such as violets blooming in the fall. As this old rhyme warns,

Flowers out of season, trouble without reason.

Blue garden veronica
has the folk name of speedwell. Use this perennial flower in posies and charm bags for healing and speedy recoveries.

When flower stalks bend
, the Irish say that they are bowing to the Fae Queen, who is somewhere nearby.

Gather from the garden a posy
(a posy is an old term for a nosegay or tussie-mussie) of snapdragons, mullein, betony, lavender, and dill. On the night of the full moon, as the moon rises in the east, present it to the Goddess Selene and request her magickal aid and protection. These magickal herbs tied together with red and white ribbons will safeguard you from harm and melancholy.

Snapdragons, mullein, betony, and dill,

Protect me from harm, shield me from ill will.

Lavender counteracts the evil eye,

While Selene gives her blessing from on high.

In Eastern lands they talk in flowers,
And they tell in a garland their love and cares;
Each blossom that blooms in their garden bowers,
On its leaves a mystic language bears.

James G. Percival

Tussie-Mussies

Posies, nosegays, and tussie-mussies date back to the sixteenth century. These miniature, handheld bouquets are filled with aromatic herbs and flowers. Tussie-mussies were carried for protection against sickness and to disguise bad odors (hence the name “nosegay”), and to ward off evil spirits. These dainty “talking bouquets” became popular because they held hidden messages based on the symbolic meaning of the plants.

By incorporating the language of flowers and through selecting your blooms and foliage with care, you can create a powerful flower fascination—not bad for such a little bouquet. Apply some of that garden witch know-how and kick it up a few notches with floral color magick and by coordinating various colored blooms and ribbons for specific magickal intent. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

First love:
A pink rosebud, white azalea blooms, hosta leaves, feverfew blossoms, and blue forget-me-nots. Add a few satin ribbons in baby blue and pink for a little extra color magick. The pink, white, and blue colors of the flowers and ribbons in this tussie-mussie invoke love, peace, and hope. The significance of the blooms are as follows: the pink rosebud brings an innocent love; the azalea is for a first love; hosta leaves are for devotion; the feverfew stands for protection; and the forget-me-nots conjure true love.

I desire you:
An orange rose, fern foliage, nigella (love-in-a-mist), bergamot blooms, and a tiger lily. Tie with red ribbons for desire and orange for energy and stamina. Hey, is it warm in here? Floral meanings are: vitality and energy from the orange rose; passion from the ferns; “kiss me” from the nigella; “you are irresistible” from the bergamot; and, finally, erotic love from the tiger lily.

Get well soon:
A yellow rose, golden yarrow, lemon balm leaves, daisies, and a spray of bachelor's buttons. Coordinate the color of the ribbons with the flowers or with your own chosen color for healing magick. Floral meanings are as follows: yellow rose for joy and happiness; yarrow blossoms for healing magick; lemon balm for freshness and health; daisies for cheerfulness; and bachelor's buttons for healing energies.

Before making a tussie-mussie, posy, or nosegay, consider its theme and select the ingredients for their appearance and symbolism. Take a look at all those floral language charts from earlier in this chapter. They will provide you with the information that you will need.

Start the arrangement with a larger central bloom such as a rose, peony, or geranium as a focal point. Then encircle it with contrasting flowers and foliage. Work out from the center in a circular pattern. Bind the stems with green florist's tape as you go, to keep the posy tight. Build up the layers and emphasize the outer rim with large-leafed herbs.

The fuzzy leaves from lady's mantle are excellent for this purpose, as are variegated ivy, hosta foliage, ferns, angelica's glossy leaves, and the leaves from the common violet.

Finish off the bouquet by tying the coordinating ribbons around the stems in a decorative bow. Nosegays should stay fresh in water for about seven days, and can be dried by hanging them upside down in a warm, well-ventilated, dark room.

If you would like to create a tussie-mussie for a gift or even venture planting an old-fashioned posy or tussie-mussie garden for yourself, check the
Cottage Flower Chart
for plant suggestions. You may also try working with and growing any of these other magickal plants. See also the garden layout illustration,
page 69
.

Angelica:
Use the blooms, feathery leaves, and the seed pods for inspiration.

Bay:
Tuck in a leaf or two for glory.

Campanula:
Also known as bellflower, those perky blue blossoms signify gratitude.

Chamomile:
Flowers and foliage for strength in difficult situations.

Coreopsis:
Those bright yellow flowers have the meaning of
“always cheerful.”

Daisy:
For cheer and innocence.

Elder:
The blossoms signify zealousness, energy, and action.

Fennel:
Conveys strength.

Fern:
For passion and faery magick.

Feverfew:
Brings protection from illness. Incorporate both the ferny foliage and the tiny daisylike blooms.

Forget-me-not:
Stands for true love. These lovely blue flowers soften the bouquet.

Geranium:
A scarlet geranium for comfort, a pink geranium for love, and a white geranium for fertility. A geranium bloom makes another large, respectable central flower to build from.

Golden Marjoram:
Means “blushes.” Perfect for a young girl or a bride.

Hyssop:
Traditionally used since medieval times for cleanliness.

Ivy:
The leaves and tendrils stand for fidelity and love.

Lady's Mantle:
Protection—use the fuzzy leaves for the outer leaves and the chartreuse flowers as fillers.

Lemon Balm:
For sympathy and for a pick-me-up. A wonderful aromatic herb.

Lindon Blossom:
For conjugal love.

Mints:
Mint is traditionally used to convey virtue. There are so many colors and scents of mint to choose from—chocolate, orange, pineapple . . .

Pansies:
A cure for the brokenhearted.

Rosemary:
For remembrance. Work in the sprigs and blooming tops.

Rosebud:
A new love and various other magickal uses, according to the bloom's color. A rose is often the central flower in a tussie-mussie.

Sage:
Sage stands for wisdom. Try using purple sages and tricolor sages for variety.

Sweet Pea:
Symbolizes delicate pleasures. This flower is fragrant and very old-fashioned.

Thyme:
Use both the flowers and leaves for starting a new project.

Veronica:
Brings about a rapid recovery and continued vitality.

Wild Strawberries:
Perfection—and you thought those wild strawberry “weeds” growing in your yard weren't good for anything! I've said it before, but it bears repeating: Magick
is
to be found all around you.

Tussie-Mussie Garden Layout

1 Hybrid Tea Rose

2 Thyme

3 Lavender

4 Chamomile

5 Feverfew

6 Coreopsis

7 Pansy

8 Blackeyed Susan

9 Daisy

10 Nigella

11 Geranium

[contents]

How could such sweet and wholesome hours

be reckoned but in herbs and flowers?

Andrew Marvell

5

Enchanted Specialty Gardens

S
pecialty gardens, such as enchanted shade and moonlight gardens, are the focus of this chapter. We'll cover children's harvest gardens and container gardens as well. All of these plants or container combinations I have successfully grown myself. By no means are these the only plants you have available to you. Take these ideas and then make them your own. Feel free to try different variations—the sky is the limit! These are merely some plants that have grown well for me and will work in many gardens in the United States.

Shady Sorceress Gardens

If you have a vast amount of shade, don't fret. A shady magick garden can be a hauntingly beautiful place. I have gardens that surround my house—front, back, and side yards. However, the garden that gets the most compliments is the shade garden.

When you start a garden under older, established trees, you already have structure. Amending the soil with composted manure and peat moss is your first step. Shade plants require fertile soil, rich in organic matter. Keeping your plants watered in high summer and for the rest of the growing season is critical. You want moist soil, not soggy.

Mulch your plants, but no more than two inches deep. It helps retain moisture and, in time, as the mulch breaks down, it will add organic matter to your soil. Here are four words for you to live by: “Mulch is our friend.”

Magickal herbs and plants that grow well in the part shade to full shade gardens are not difficult to find. Here is another witch's dozen of plants for you to try. As before, the common name is listed in bold print, followed by the botanical name in italics. These are followed by the plant's magickal correspondences and gardening growing tips.

A Witch's Dozen of Shady Plants

Bleeding Heart
(
Dicentra spectabilis
). Magickal uses include recovering from a broken heart and lost love. (Well, I mean
honestly
, were you expecting anything else?) Bleeding heart's pendant, heart-shaped flowers bloom in early spring. It grows about three feet tall. A cottage garden classic, bleeding heart is an excellent cut flower, and the foliage is attractive in the vase as well. Plants will die back to the ground in summer. Also available in a white variety. Zones 3–9.

Columbine
(
Aquilegia
). Utilized in spells for courage and love. Seeds were crushed and used to attract a mate. A favorite shady plant grown in the garden for centuries, these flowers reseed and grow two to three feet in height. Many colors are available (use different colors according to magickal need). Many hybrid columbines are hardy in zones 5–9.

Ferns
. For faery magick and invisibility. Burn the dried fronds to attract rain. Many species are available. Check with other gardeners to see which variety grows well in your area. Ostrich fern (
Matteucia pensylvancia
) is usually a hardy, easy variety to try. They send out lots of babies after they are established. The ostrich fern is hardy in zones 2–8.

Forget-me-nots
(
Myosotis
). Improves memory, and also may be used to help another remember you, i.e., a job interview or a new friend. Another shady plant that's admired by the faeries, it bears small clusters of blue flowers. Plants grow eight inches to two feet high, depending on the variety. A great plant for woodland gardens, there are new varieties that are available in pink as well. Forget-me-nots will grow in most zones—3–11.

Foxglove
(
Digitalis
). Magickally used for protection, and also a faery favorite, foxglove bears many folk names: fairy fingers, folk's gloves, witches' bells, and witches' thimbles, just to name a few. A great perennial species is yellow foxglove (
Digitalis grandiflora
), which grows to about two feet tall and blooms in late spring–early summer. It will sometimes rebloom if you dead-head it. Foxglove is toxic, and should not be ingested. Yellow foxglove is hardy from zones 4–9.

Hostas
(
Hosta
species and cultivars). A leaf or two tucked into a vase full of other magickal flowers will add good luck and health. Hostas are a shade-loving perennial, also known as “Funkia.” These old standards of the shade garden add mystery to your shade gardens and come in dozens of colors, from all shades of green, chartreuse, leaves with white stripes, and leaves that have contrasting edges. There is also a dusky blue-green variety. Choose your favorite—if you can. Height and leaf size depends on the variety. Plant height may range anywhere from one to four feet tall. The hosta produces pale purple flowers in midsummer. There are some new fragrant varieties available. Most varieties of hostas are hardy in zones 3–8.

Iris
. The three main petals of the flower stand for faith, knowledge, and bravery. The root is most often employed in magick. Orris root comes from the roots or rhizomes of the
Iris germanica
var.
florentina
iris plant. Orris root is used to draw love and as a fixative in potpourris and sachets (it helps to hold the scent). The iris is a popular spring bloomer, available in many colors. This is the sacred flower of Iris, the Greek goddess of the rainbow and messenger of the gods. The iris has been cultivated for centuries. There are two most common species of the iris: The Japanese iris is hardy to zones 5–10, and the Siberian iris is hardy from zones 4–9.

Lady's Mantle
(
Alchemilla
). Love and attraction. Traditionally an alchemist's favorite, lady's mantle is a compact plant with round, fuzzy, gray-green leaves. A folk name is dewdrop, owing to the manner in which the plant's fluted leaves hold water droplets (they look like liquid silver on the leaves). In late spring or early summer, lady's mantle will bloom a spray of chartreuse green flowers. This perennial grows eighteen inches in height. It makes a pretty front-of-the-border plant. Zones 3–9.

Meadowsweet
(
Filipendula ulmaria
). Love, weddings, and peace. Meadowsweet was a favorite fragrant herb in Elizabethan times. So often was it in demand for bridal flowers and weddings that it became known as bride-wort. Meadowsweet has creamy white flowers with an almond scent. It will bloom off and on during the summer. Grown best in partial shade, this hardy perennial can grow from two to four feet in height and prefers alkaline soils. Zones 4–7 or 8.

Pansies
(
Viola
). Sacred to Cupid, these bright, happy flowers are for easing an aching heart and lovesickness. Folk names include johnny jump-ups, heartsease, love-in-idleness, and kiss-me-at-the-garden-gate. Pansies may be grown as an annual or perennial. I use them in pots and containers in early spring. They will tolerate cold and even some snow. If planted in the garden in the fall and mulched with leaves, pansies will bloom even heavier again the following spring. Pansies thrive in partial or full shade. They do not tolerate hot summers.

Snapdragon
(
Antirrhinum majus
). Protection and breaking hexes. Snapdragons are fun annuals to grow in your shade gardens, and in containers too! In Missouri, we have very intense, hot summers with high humidity; snaps planted with a full sun exposure in my garden tend to get a little toasty, but they thrive in part shade.

The elemental correspondence for snapdragons is fire. A faery plant that is popular with children, snaps are available in many colors and sizes. They also make an excellent cut flower. If your winter season is mild, they may survive the cold or reseed themselves for the next season.

Soomon's Seal
(
Polygonatum
). The root is employed in protection and exorcism rituals. Adding a few blooms to a vase of flowers may be used to fight off negativity. A woodland plant and a wildflower native to the eastern United States, the lightly scented flowers bloom in late spring. There are several species, including a variegated variety. Zones 5–9.

Touch-me-not
(
Impatiens
). To be magickally used when time is of the essence. Another folk name is “Busy Lizzy.” The most popular annual shade bedding plant, impatiens come in a wide variety of colors and patterns. Easy to grow and free blooming, they are a great border plant for adding seasonal color to shade gardens. Impatiens are annuals and will not survive a frost or any cold temperatures. Try white and pastel-colored impatiens for moonlight gardens.

Types of Shade and Plant Suggestions

Types of shade will vary from garden to garden. Understanding what type of shade you are working with will make it easier for you to achieve success in the garden. There are varying degrees of shade: partial shade (sometimes called dappled), medium shade, and full shade.

Partial Shade
is to be found in areas that receive three to six hours of sunlight per day, or dappled sunlight all day. This dappled type of shade is usually found under the canopies of younger trees or older trees with a higher, more open canopy. Try these magickal flowering herbs: angelica, betony, catmint, coneflowers, obedient plant (
Physostegia virginiana
), foxglove, heliotrope, iris, lady's mantle, lilies, mallows, meadowsweet, mints, and soapwort.

Medium Shade
can be classified as an area that is shady during the brightest hours of the day (the hours from 10:00
a.m.
to 4:00
p.m
.). This type of garden will catch some early morning rays if it faces the east or, conversely, late evening sun if the garden faces the west. Try these mystical plants and shrubs: astilbe, bleeding heart, coleus, ferns, forget-me-nots, hosta, monarda, impatiens, lobelia, lungwort (
Pulmonaria
species), and European wild ginger. Try planting these shrubs at the back of your shade garden for structure: oak leaf hydrangea, big leaf hydrangeas, and viburnum.

Full Shade
exists beneath the canopies of mature trees that have thick foliage, or in areas where shadows are cast by a neighboring house or garden structure, such as a shed or a privacy fence. These gardens may receive only a few hours of sunlight per day. These plants should perform well for you: bugleweed (
Ajuga
), columbine, dead nettle, ferns, ivy, lily of the valley, mints, Solomon's seal, tansy, and the violet.

A black cat among roses,
phlox, lilac-misted under a quarter moon,
the sweet smells of heliotrope and night-
scented stock. The garden is very still.
It is dazed with moonlight,
contented with perfume . . .

Amy Lowell, the Garden by Moonlight

Flowers and Foliage for Moonlight Gardens

There is something entrancing about a moonlight garden. Moonlight gardens are all about fragrance, subtle color, and atmosphere, with the emphasis placed on flowers that release their perfumes after sundown. Fragrance is often our most powerful memory trigger. I still associate lilacs with my Grandma Doris. She had huge lilac shrubs growing alongside her house in the city. When I was a child, my sister and I used to play underneath and inside of them—it was like being inside a fragrant, purple cave.

Color is an all-important aspect of moonlight gardens. Pastel colors, silvery or pale green foliage, and as many white blooming plants as you can find will perform their own magick at twilight. Flower colors that really pop at night include white, cream, yellow, and pale pink. If you want to try your hand at moonlight gardens, look for those colors in bedding plants this year. You can add some of these colors to the perennial garden layout on page 78.