An early Henbane potion was dedicated to Apollo, the Greek god of healing and disease. A Henbane potion could cure the madness brought on by those under the influence of that other Greek deity, Dionysus and his own potions. In small doses however, a Henbane potion can be calming and act as a sedative, inducing […]
Witch's Garden
Datura unfolding in the witch’s garden
This is my first year for growing Datura. Around here it’s known as Jimson Weed, though I believe what they call that here is a different animal altogether. It’s one of the staples of a witch’s garden, used for poisoning as well as inducing delirious states in whoever takes it. Intentionally or simply because they […]
Ricinus communis: An ally to dictators and the KGB: Friend to mothers for ages, the bane to moles everywhere, the intriguing tale of the Castor Bean plant
Exiled from his native Bulgaria, Playwright and novelist Georgi Markov had just finished walking across the Thames on Waterloo Bridge. There he waited for the bus which would take him to his office at the BBC in London, a regular trip for him. He suddenly felt a sharp pain, as though he’d been stung by […]
What survived the winter in the witch’s garden?
Relatively speaking it was a nasty winter. It turned cold in November and is still a bit chilly most days in March, as well as dipping down below freezing at night. And tomorrow’s forecast is for rain, freezing rain and snow, So it’s not quite over yet. When the wind chill took us below zero, […]
Starting seeds indoors for a witch’s garden
I think my success in gardening for the past three years (and I’m not about to claim great success mind you, at best about a 75% success rate which was a C when I went to school back), has to do with not knowing anything about it prior to taking it up. Not that I […]
