Tag Archives: buds

May 22, 2024 · 6:56 pm

My Garden in bloom 2024 )O(


Merry meet all,

Today’s post will focus on my garden. Everything is in bloom and budding and green. I love it. The ferns are already huge and beautiful. I bought several herb transplants but I haven’t planted them yet. I am still waiting for the frost to pass. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My bleeding heart plant is sporting lovely pink heart-shaped blossoms. My herbs are up – lemon balm, mints, mugwort, nettle, chives, raspberry leaves, and other plants such as lungwort, hostas, lily of the valley, lady’s mantle, astilbe, my witch hazel shrub and the lovely large sage plant I was gifted. The garlic is also growing quite nicely. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The birds are singing their hearts out. A bee pollinated my yellow haskap flowers and the lungwort flowers. The woodruff, dandelions, forget me nots and periwinkle are all greeting spring with their beautiful blossoms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Every day the plants are bigger and prettier. I love being in my garden! I am happy now because the weather is now just warm enough, like it reminds me why I am alive. My garden reduces my stress. Gardening has always had that effect on people. It is really hard for me to be truly miserable if a gorgeous green garden beckons me. My cute cat too!

I planted beans and johnny jump ups. The other day I found violets. I want to return to that spot. I am debating with myself on whether I want to forage for dandelions. I am not bothering to forage for burdock root. Every burdock I see is already a 2 year plant and the roots are best when it is 1 year roots. 

I want to harvest a lot of lily of the valley blossoms because I want to make a scented oil with them. I bet the scent will be heavenly. I plan to invest in a laminator and press flowers too. It is now flower season. I plan to forage and press a lot of flowers. I want to make and sell greeting cards with the pressed flowers! I couldn’t be happier. 

In other news, I plan to transfer to the Herbal Academy revamped Advanced clinical herbalism course! The publisher and I will be soon doing edits on my novella and begin production after that. I am happy about that. My dream come true! 

Blessings, Spiderwitch )O(

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May 4, 2023 · 11:44 am

Beltane Wishes

Merry meet all,

Happy Beltaine!!!!! Beltane is the third of the three spring Sabbats. Flowers are in bloom everywhere here despite the cold snap.

I ordered gold fairy lights for the bookcase. I know that will look amazing. Stringing up the fairy lights is my next challenge. Scotch tape and push pins are my best bet, most likely. The fairy lights are eighteen feet long. I plan to use the fairy lights outside in the garden too. That will look amazing at night. I need to grow some flowers that bloom at night, such as moonflower! 

I finished gluing the moss to the entire bookcase- the side facing out. That is the side that everyone will see, so that gets the moss and decorations. I also kept to one colour plan- gold, browns, moss green, reds and oranges. That is basically the autumn colours but it could also represent the entire green growing season. I foraged, prepared and attached two more pinecones. By ‘prepared’, I meant cleaning the pinecones of any potential pests. I soaked the pinecones in cold water and vinegar for thirty minutes then baked them in the oven at 225% for almost two hours. The sap dried on the cones and they lay more flat. I glued them to the moss on the bookcase. 

I glued fake ivy leaves and pink flowers and leaves to the bookcase. I drew runes on to small round wooden pieces and glued the wood mini logs to the bookcase, leaves and moss. It looks so cool. The mini logs look like natural wood and may be created from real wood. I believe they are, and look like they were always there. I await the fairy lights. The faeries must be overworked today, because the delivery is taking a long time. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I can’t wait for the frost to leave. I am so anxious to get my plants in the ground outside. The soil is deeper, leaving more room for the roots. They are exposed to the elements of earth, air, fire, water and Spirit. They can grow more strongly and as big as they want. It is still cold out. It is so hard waiting. I have a lot of work to do in the garden. I can’t wait for the cold snap to end. I need to clean up the garden, rake the leaves away, and move the spreading raspberry canes to a new home/ spot. They can take over there and would still receive sun. I need to buy several bags of soil and work that into the soil that is already there. I have to tidy up the garden supports. Then, once that is done, and the earthworms are up to the task of working through the soil, I will make my annual twice a year offering of cornmeal, honey and milk and pray to the God and Goddess for a bountiful and beautiful growing season. 

Then I move my seedlings outside to their new homes. This is the part that I look the most forward to. None of this can happen till the frost ceases. I want to grow datura from seed outdoors. It is a poisonous plant but witches are not supposed to be scared right? I also want to start it outdoors to protect my cat from it. I will regularly fill the bird feeder, stir up the compost and tend to my herbs and flowers and veggies. I can’t wait to get started. 

I know lovage will grow well near rhubarb. I plan to get a new lovage seedling from a garden centre. It is easier to start with a seedling and faster. I want to see how well the lovage will grow near the rhubarb. The elecampane main crown root had two new buds (or maybe more) and I hope new stalks come up this summer. I didn’t use the syrup so I won’t make more. The plant needs to get established and it is clearly trying to do just that. 

Once Jack Frost bids goodbye, I plan to be ready and armed with bags of soil and my new cute pink garden trowel in hand. I wish you all a lovely Beltane! 

Blessings, Spiderwitch

 

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October 22, 2022 · 9:15 pm

Elecampane Root Harvest )O(

 

Merry meet all,

Yesterday I harvested the elecampane root. It was a great day. I turned the actions of digging the elecampane root up into a ritual.  The weather was sunny and relatively warm. I gathered together all the tools I need: a garden shovel, a garden trowel, and a stainless steel bowl to wash the roots after. 

I dug a large ring around the root ball. I removed the leaves and rocks from around the plant. Then I dug in with my garden shovel in a ring. I dug away all the soil surrounding the roots. I loosened the soil with the shovel and eased up the roots. I had to remove more small rocks that served as an edging around the plant. The elecampane plant was quite established. 

I removed the roots from the soil. I held the amazing elecampane roots in my hand. Wow. I felt the weight of the roots in my hands. It was so cool. I removed and cut up a long tree root from the soil and a rock. That may have been why the elecampane roots didn’t grow deeper. I carried the roots and the main crown to the back stone step. The roots were smaller than I anticipated. Undaunted, I proceeded to wash the roots. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I scrubbed the roots clean with a toothbrush. I cut roots off from the main crown. I rinsed the water and cleaned them again. I noticed that there were a couple of buds on the main crown. I brought the roots inside to clean them again. I planted the main crown back in the soil. I left an offering of cornmeal and fertilizer. I was so excited and emotional. I have a strong emotional connection to the earth. It hurt me to even dig up the roots. The scent of the elecampane root was amazing! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I returned the rocks to edge the elecampane plant and scattered the leaves over the soil. I hoped the main crown would grow new roots in the soil. I had fun with my fresh rich elecampane roots in the kitchen. They smelled so good and left the scent on my fingers. I cleaned them and chopped them. I arranged the roots on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. I dried the roots in the oven overnight at a low temperature. I removed them from the oven in the morning. The roots were dried, and a pale white colour. I stored them in a jar. I didn’t get as much as I wanted. Since the root crown has rooted again and there were new buds on it, I will get new growth next spring. I may have to wait a year or two to harvest more roots. It will be worth it. 

I am not sure what to do with the elecampane roots. I stored the seeds in a jar. I want to grow a lot more elecampane. Next spring, I will clear away tree branches, roots, rocks and weeds to make a clear space to grow more elecampane. Elecampane is medicinal for lung health and digestion. I am trying to build up an apothecary. This project will take patience. I already have fifty jars (a slight exaggeration) full of herbs: roots, seeds, bark and berries). 

I planted the nettle, mugwort and rue. The herbs will root themselves and emerge in the spring, just like the elecampane roots! I checked the next day and the elecampane main crown resisted when I gently tugged on it. That was exciting!

I love harvesting medicinal roots. My life is more exciting gathering medicinal roots. I hope it’s the same for you. 

Blessings, Spiderwitch 

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October 11, 2022 · 2:09 pm

Seeds, herbal torches and potions- oh my!

My witch hazel in bloom!

Merry meet all,

Don’t you love the month of October? I feel so much magic in the air. I have a pumpkin, a pot of bright yellow chrysanthemums outside, a jar of pumpkin spice, and witchy magazines to read this fall! Bring it on! I am ready. I hope you are too. 

It’s my goal to save as many seeds as I can from my garden this year. So far, I have saved Shasta daisy, elecampane, echinacea, tickseed, dill seeds, lavender, lemon balm, yarrow, marigold seeds and witch hazel! Yes I did save witch hazel seeds. The flowers of my witch hazel are shown in the photo above. The witch hazel seeds are glossy, slippery, and deep black. I have 5 seeds and in the spring, I plan to scatter them outside in the ground on the nature trail. Some seeds need the cold of winter to germinate. 

My witch hazel tree is flush with flowers. The whole tree or shrub I should say, is gorgeous. I have stored the seeds in jars and labeled paper envelopes. I have been feeling especially crafty in the last few weeks. I am REALLY bitten by the herbal bug. I’m brewing jars of burdock root + dandelion root tinctures, hawthorn cordials, gingered honey, and for the first time I made mullein herbal torches. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Making mullein torches is easy. They were known as hag torches. Mullein grows wild where I live. To make the torches, cut and dry mullein stalks. Measure how long you want the torches to be. I have a small pot I have dedicated for melting beeswax in. So the torches are small. You can make your torches be whatever size you want. Melt a lot, like a LOT, of beeswax in your double boiler. You can add essential oils to give your torches a nice fragrance. I chose essential oils that correspond with autumn: cinnamon, clove, rosemary, etc. Dip the torch stalk into the beeswax to ensure they are fully and deeply coated. Sprinkle on herbs that correspond with autumn! Choose marigold petals, chrysanthemum, mugwort and sage. Press the herbs lightly down to make sure they stick. Let them dry on a wire rack. They make great offerings to Hekate! I suggest you burn them outdoors to avoid a fire in your home. 

October is not complete without pumpkins! I have half a pumpkin in my freezer, a squash to puree, pureed pumpkin in my fridge. I baked a lovely pumpkin bread which I enjoy with cinnamon butter. Yummy! I tried to make elderberry mead. It turned into a syrup. I will try again next year!

I have a recipe for Pumpkin Spice Herbal Latte. Mmm I am making it tomorrow and I can’t wait. I still have to harvest the elecampane root and wash the grow bag. Then I have to store the garden knick knacks, clean and sterilize my garden tools, and store everything away for winter. The garden lawn chair cushions will be stored in my Mom’s basement. 

I began nettle from seed in a large pot under my grow lights. I transplanted a few nettle seedlings into the garden. I believe they rooted which means I will get nettle next summer. I am very relieved the nettle is outside because it really does sting! I grew tired of being constantly stung by the nettle. Stinging nettle has its name for a reason. My mint is growing nicely in the pot along with what I believe may be mugwort and rue. They will overwinter indoors. I am not sure if rue would survive the winter. I am planting garlic this fall!

I stocked up on extra jars to hold all my herbs. I had a great harvest this year. In fact, my herb harvest was so successful it has led to me making a big decision about my garden. I am now not growing as many vegetables as I used to. I do better growing herbs. So herbs it is, it is a lot less effort, they are not as bothered by pests, and I don’t waste as many seeds. The soil is not that deep as I would like. The soil is very good quality but not that deep. Herb roots don’t need a lot of depth. 

Having a herb garden and such an abundance of herbs on the nature trail helps me financially. It would cost me a fortune to pay for all the herbs I require for the Herbal Academy. I could never afford it all. It is easier on my wallet for sure. I love living here and I consider myself truly fortunate. 

Blessed Be, Spiderwitch 

Links of Interest:

How to Make Hawthorn Tincture

How & When To Prune Rosemary For Big, Bushy Plants

27 Garden Plants You Can Easily Propagate From Cuttings 

Homemade Wildflower Seed Bombs To Beautify Forgotten Landscapes

How To Prepare Your Garden Beds For Winter

 

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