Category Archives: seedheads

February 3, 2020 · 9:49 pm

Imbolc

Merry meet all,

Happy Imbolc! The first spring Sabbat is finally here! The snow still blankets the earth and the cold nip is in the air. But we are getting closer to spring. Now is the time to peruse seed catalogs. I am already dreaming of what I want to grow in my garden this summer. 

I attended a public ritual the other night. The Imbolc Ritual coincided with the Interfaith Harmony week. A Druid coven also attended the Ritual. I believed the Ritual to be very powerful and emotive. I wish I knew how to utter so fluently in other languages. That is something I just have to master. 

I plan to start plants from seed this week. I want to grow pumpkins (but seriously, wish me luck), tomatoes, cucumbers, dill, amaranth, popcorn (yes, you read that right), mustard seed, purple beans, purple coneflower. I still have seeds saved from last year. Oh this should be fun. I have soil and I need starter trays. My cat can’t get up on the counter. I plan to start my seeds there. The sun will give the starter seeds the light they need. I can’t wait to order mugwort, mandrake, and sage seeds and moonwort. I can’t wait to get them in the mail. I am just as eager to put  my plants out that I have overwintered, such as my ginger, geranium, catnip. I am still fussy about the seeds being natural, otherwise not coated in nasty chemicals. I try to get organic seeds and thankfully, Annapolis Seeds does carry organic seeds. I miss my garden so much. 

You can tell I am eager for spring to arrive. Imbolc brings out my creative side something fierce. I can’t help it. Brigid truly is one of my patron deities. I filled the feeder up with seed. The birds visit the feeder. I saved them from starvation. 

I hope you all have fun planning your garden and ordering seeds. Are any of you ordering witchy seeds? Let me know in the comments below. Happy Imbolc! Happy seed planting. 

 

Blessings, Spiderwitch

Leave a comment

Filed under artemisia, beneficial insects, bird songs, blessing. earth, blessings, blossoming flowers, Brigid, Brigid Bed, Brigid doll, broomsticks, bulbs, Secrets of the Trees, seed, seed companies, seed trays, seedheads, seedlings, seeds, seeds and seedlings, snowdrops, soil, Spring's arrival, Spring's Rebellion, stars, starter pots, starting gardening, sun, sunshine

June 19, 2013 · 2:48 pm

Calendula- Flower of Litha

Merry Meet All,

Calendula – Calendula officinalis

Today we are going to talk more about growing seeds. I have experienced the frustration and joys that most other gardeners probably already knew. Calendula is a seed that is very easy to grow. It is also known as pot marigold. It is an annual flower but if you save the seeds, you can grow more the following spring.

When I opened the packet of the mixed calendula seeds, I was surprised. They did not look like seeds to me. I was unperturbed and immediately planted them in soil in the seed tray. A day or two later, tiny sprouts emerged and I was like, wow! They germinate fast. This makes them an ideal flower to grow. I put the seeds in the spots very close to the surface of the soil and I did not drown them in soil. Sow the seeds 1/4 inch in the soil. That can hinder their growth. Start the seeds six to eight weeks prior to the frost. Sow them outdoors after the risk of frost is passed.

Calendula flowers are grown for their sunny colourful blooms. You can grow the seeds yourself and gain many benefits from this herbaceous flower. It will grow in almost any soil and prefers to receive tons of sunlight. I plan to grow calendula to deter pest insects from eating my tomatoes and pumpkin vines in my garden.

Calendula can grow in pots or right in the soil. You can grow the seeds indoors for an early spring planting. You will grow more calendula flowers if you deadhead the spent blossoms. That forces the plant into more growth of flowers. Calendula self-seeds and will grow like crazy in your garden. It likes to be well watered and to be composted. Also, consider starting seeds indoors to help it withstand the insects munching on it. When the plant is bigger, it can survive that.

Calendula is used in lotions, balms, and salves. Many people grow calendula for those purposes. Wait for the flowers to finish blooming and save the spent flowers to collect the seeds. Dry the flowers indoors well. Check for aphids on the undersides and stems of leaves before bringing indoors. You will know when they are dried when the flower head breaks apart easily. The seeds are big and spiny. These are the seeds. Save them and you will have enough to grow next spring or in the same season, if you wish. Calendula grows well in pots and makes a good cut flower.

The flowers are edible. The flowers are also made into balms and salves for healing.

Blessed Be,
Lady Spiderwitch )O(

Leave a comment

Filed under Calendula, easy flower to grow, flower, gardening, germinating, seedheads, seeds, sunshine