Hi, my loves and welcome to WiccaNow. I’ve been covering some of my favourite rituals and spells recently, like this abundance drawing spell and a home protection ritual but today I wanted to divert back to another topic I’m passionate about. A couple of weeks ago I was covering a lot of ground about plants and herbs. I talked about herbs for luck and herbs for protection as well as herbs for love spells and the origins of healing herbs. Today I want to continue on this path and answer some commonly asked questions and give you some tips and tricks on how to create your very own magical witch’s garden.
In order to make sure no one feels excluded, I just want to clarify that you don’t have to have an actual outdoor garden in order to create a witch’s garden! I, for example, live in an apartment. I don’t have a balcony and I don’t have that much space. I do however have a little natural light through a few of my windows and an abundance of pots with plants in them all over the house.
To me, this is just as much a witch’s garden as a sprawling plot filled with herbs, flowers and trees. Don’t get me wrong, I dream of a sprawling plot to garden in often but due to my current city-loving ways this isn’t currently an achievable option so I’ve learned to compromise!
What is a Witch’s Garden?
A witch’s garden is a way to connect with nature and the natural world in an increasingly concreted and sterile environment. Gardening lets us feel our connection to the earth and allows us to ground ourselves. Did you know that there are actually scientific studies researching the health benefits of grounding? We should all put our bare feet on the ground a little more regularly.
There is something absolutely magical about having your hands in the earth and then watching plants grow and flourish through your labour. While gardening can be a lot of hard manual labour, I’m talking about the bags of compost I have to lug up 3 flights of stairs, they are also immensely useful.
A witch’s garden can contain all the things you need to use in your spell and ritual work. It provides healing plants so that you can cure small problems naturally. It can grow produce which you can use your kitchen spells. Overall, I’d say a witch’s garden, no matter how small it is, is a wonderful tool which can heal, protect and provide for you both magically and physically.
Witches Gardens in History
Did you know that witches gardens have been around for a very long time? I’m not sure that you would have called them “witches gardens” originally, due to the term “witch” being a less than desirable title for a good length of time, but nonetheless healing gardens have old origins.
Early history has shown the use of medicinal plants as treatments for illnesses as early as 3000BC, with other evidence pointing to the use of herbs as healing tools as early as 60,000 years ago. Personally, I consider any garden that is intended for use in healing as a magical garden, so in my opinion, witches gardens have been around for over 5,000 years!
Before doctors became the go-to for any ailments, people would travel to find a man or woman who had knowledge of herbal lore and a garden in order to cure themselves. Amazing how this was later turned on its head and used as evidence of witchcraft during the witch trials. Some poor man or woman was out there trying to help people and instead was burned or drowned for it. The world is a messed up place sometimes.
What Plants Grow in a Witch’s Garden?
To be honest, you can grow whatever plants you want in your witch’s garden! It really depends on what your aim is in this garden. Are you growing herbs to dry and use at a later date or are you planting herbs to keep on windowsills for protection? Do you have a large outdoor space where you can plant a lot or a limited space and you just want to know the basic plants you should keep around? Below are the herbs I keep as my “baseline”.
My Top Herbs for a Witch’s Garden
- Rosemary
- Sage
- Vervain
- Basil
- Mint
- Lavender
- Chilli
- Bay
- Lemon Balm
- Thyme
- Cacti
- Fern
I find that these herbs cover all my bases for protection, love, love spells, luck and self love. To read more about all these herbs check out the linked blog posts.
What Plants do Witches Use?
Witches use everything available…
Click here to read this complete article.
