Ok, the idea of this post is to give people an idea of where you can buy or find herbs that will enrich your magical craft. As many of you will know, I am a member of the website 'wiccantogether' (www.wiccantogether.com/profile/MageMoonshine482) and something that was asked there was "how do I find herbs if i don't have a garden or if my garden isn't big enough to grow my own herbs?"
Well in all honesty, as much as I would LOVE a garden big enough to plant rows and rows of herbs, it isn't the case! My garden is fairly small, in that it is about 20 square feet - however, I think that with the right knowledge you can obtain herbs no matter how big your garden is, or even if you don't have one at all and here, I will try and show you how easy it really is!
Firstly, find a grassy area - whether it is in your own garden, or maybe just take a walk... I think that you will be surprised at how much you find! Take a closer look and you should see that there are several different species all living side by side together... with some research (online or in books) its just as easy as identifying them and then researching! Below are the herbs that are all naturally found in my garden, small as it is, just to give you an idea of how simple it is!
- Nettle (Beggar's Lice)
- Dandelion (Lion's Tooth, Priest's Crown)
- White Clover (Semen of Ares)
- Blackberry (Scaldhead)
- Ivy
Bear in mind that this took me 2 minutes to have a scout around and see what I could find, I am sure that there would be more, should I take the time to have a look... also this is in such a small amount of space! Take a walk and see what you can find... Look in people's gardens, along paths and sidewalks, Look at the trees, go for a walk anywhere, and as I said, you will be pleasantly surprised at what you find - even in suburbia!
I bought an array of different herbs, for both magical and medicinal purposes online (These came from eBay and cost about £10!). The beauty with buying online is that if you know which herb you are looking for, it couldn't be easier to get hold of it! Below are some images of my herbs that I bought this week to replenish my store cupboard. As I come to use them, I will create more posts with detailed factfiles on each...
As a further thought on how plentiful the herbs around us are (and also to tie in with my Mabon celebrations) on Sunday I am going for a walk through my local forest, so you can expect another post boasting what I find!
This blog is proving to be a success, but please feel free to invite your friends - also your questions and comments are welcome.
Blessed Be
You may not want to recommend for people in suburbia to pick road side plants. If they are injesting this could be quite a problem. It is also not a good idea to tell people to just take a walk and find them. For someone who has studied plants for over a decade this can be dangerous as well. Pictures in books can be deceiving and many plants resemble one another but the properties are completely different, sometimes dangerously so. If you do not have the ability to grow your own then buy from reputable sources.
ReplyDeleteThis is an excellent point. I do not condone ingesting ANYTHING that you find unless you are 100 percent certain of what it is and the correct way to use it. As this person has pointed out even books can be deceptive. However this is still an excellent way to increase your herbal knowledge. Remember to be cautious and if in any doubt.... Leave it be!
ReplyDeleteMoonshinewitch x
This article was exactly what I needed. Although I have the room to grow herbs I have two miniture daschunds that love to dig and I would hate to put in the money and effort just to have it dug up in seconds.
ReplyDeleteMM Serenity
ReplyDeleteIm glad that this helped you, really, I think that herbs can be so easy if you know where to look!
I know how you feel about the daschounds too - i have 6 chickens and a rabbit to contend with!!!