Garden Witchery: Magick from the Ground Up
by Ellen Dungan
Published By llewellyn
Ellen Dugan holds 'Master Gardener' status through the University of Missouri and according to her bio has many years of nursery and gardening experience. She is also clairvoyant and a witch with a sense of humor. As she is raising three teenagers all these skills are useful.
Dugan's book is a "user-friendly" introduction and guide to witchcraft. GARDEN WITCHERY is also a great resource for mothers and aunts and anyone else interested in fun-filled ideas for creating special gardens, places for divination and spell casting, Sabat holiday decor, and other pagan treats that can be enjoyed by adults and children alike. Many of her suggestions, such as dying Easter Eggs with red cabbage leaves, can be found elsewhere, but Dugan is a practical witch and suggests it is not un-witchlike to buy Easter Egg dye. She uses natural materials at hand for many of her projects, but she recommends craft stores and yard sales as great places to stock up on supplies such as orange lights for Samhain or plastic colored eggs for Ostara.
Dugan not only provides the instructions for making and using many scented items, she includes some suggestions for growing the ingredients-although this is not a gardening book per se. I grow many of the herbs she recommends, and can testify it isn't hard to maintain pots of lavender, scented geraniums, and other plants on a patio, porch, or balcony-as long as you have adequate sun and remember to water them occasionally. And, it is extremely rewarding to make sachets and other scented items with plant material you grew yourself. If you intend to use Dugan's recipes and want to grow your own ingredients, however, buy a good gardening book such as Rodale's ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HERBS which includes detailed information about the cultivation and uses of herbs (as well as how to grow them organically AND when they are noxious!!).
Although Dugan has many nifty ideas about gardening, the one
concern I have concerning her advice is her recommended use of pesticides. This
is quite ironic as she lists "eagle watching" as a fall pastime her
family enjoys. If you can skip the poisons (some witches do use them) and stick
to her other suggestions, this is a nifty source for many child-centered or
adult "fun" activities.
