Deep in shady forests and gardens, grow one of my favorite plants, the fern. The fern (as just mentioned) grow best with full shade, although my own plants will tolerate a few hours of early morning or evening sun (indirect sunlight). Ferns love rich acidic, moist soil, and they require constant watering (I confess I sometimes neglect to water them every day and sadly, they fade a bit). It is also a good idea to mist the plant as you water it, as the fuzzy stems absorb much of the water. Ferns do not flower, rather they produce spores on the back of the leaves. They also spread with their rhizomes roots (much like the iris).

Much lore surrounds the fern. For centuries, it was considered magical, for here was a plant with no apparent flowers or seeds and yet magically, little baby ferns would emerge around its parent fern. Other lore suggested the fern bloomed only at night...beautiful blue flowers which would fade so quickly, few men ever saw them. And it was thought the flowers would produce little yellow seeds which would only ripen in the moonlight, and (as fate would have it) the little seeds were invisible.

It is said burning the leaves outdoors will make it rain. Burning the powdered leaves indoors would banish evil spirits and provide a protective “barrier”. But you don’t have to burn the plant to protect your home. Growing ferns inside and out also provide protection, as well as luck. If gathered on Midsummer’s night in the moonlight, the spores could provide invisibility, particularly magical invisibility.

Like comfrey and marigold, the fern can be boiled down to make a balm or compress to sooth the pain of bruises and minor abrasions. In years past, it was used to make a decoction to ease stomach pains, colic, even some diseases of the spleen. Though it was cautioned to never mix with alcohol as the results could be fatal. In modern times, the fern is not often used for medicinal purposes.

*Note: The top photo shows my ostrich fern growing with dead nettle. The photo below shows my potted Australian tree fern...also remember the care of a potted fern is different than one growing in your garden...

Fire was used for centuries for more than just warming the home and cooking food. It was ritually used for cleansing, banishing, protection, or a celebration. And of course, by religious fanatics to burn people accused of being witches.

There is century old lore about a household fire. For example, it was considered very bad luck for your fire to go out. You would have to get an ember from a neighbor and ensure that it stayed lit as you carried it home. The only time it was ok for your fire to extinguish was on a Sabbat (Samhain would be one of them), when you would rebuild your fire from a piece of the ritual bonfire.

One of my own favorite use of fire is a banishing ritual. The purpose of this burning ritual is to help you cut ties or heal your heart and spirit of a wrong inflicted on you.

First, find an item which reminds you of a painful situation or memory. This could be a photo, an article of clothing, or a trinket. Then, build a small fire in a fire pit or fire place (though I recommend a fire pit). If you don’t own one or it is not allowed in your neighborhood, ask a friend to use theirs.

While saying a blessing of healing, throw the item onto the fire. Visualize your pain being consumed by the fire and melting into the flames, and your heart being pure and free from the pain. Take a deep breath and let it go.

Finally, toss a few herbs on the fire. I suggest any combination of the following: Bay (for protection, healing, strength, and purification), Rue (for healing and love), Sage (for wisdom and protection), Wormwood (for protection and love), Southernwood (for love and protection), Rosemary (for love, protection, and healing), Mugwort (for strength and healing), Eucalyptus (for healing), and Garlic (for healing and protection).

Remember, wish no harm on the one who wronged you...no good comes from harming someone back.

One of my favorite summer flowers is the foxglove. It comes in a variety of colors: pink, yellow, purple, and white (some with gold flecks and some with dark purple). This perennial will grow in full sun or partial shade, and beware, this tall flower will scatter its seeds everywhere....hurray! free plants! It will rarely bloom before midsummer. Foxgloves has many folk names including fairy thimbles, fairy fingers, fox bells, witches’ bells, witches’ thimbles, and deadmen’s bells.

Rabbits apparently are repelled by foxglove. And in my own experience, those pesky little critters won’t eat the roses and vegetables which grow near the foxglove. Foxglove is also very disease resistant and will even help other plants around it grow stronger and more disease resistant. Tomatoes (and other members of the nightshade family) and apples are particularly effected by them.



Foxgloves have male and female flowers. The female at the bottom have the most nectar, but this decreases as the honeybee or bumblebee travels up the stem to the male flowers at the top. This encourages the bee to move on to another foxglove stem, starting once again at the bottom thus fertilizing the plant.



Foxglove is a protective flower, so growing them in the garden is beneficial for keeping evil spirits at bay. But old lore advises against cutting the flowers to bring indoors as this will anger the fairies in your garden. It is said fairies love foxgloves (which could explain some of the folk names) In many years past, a black dye was made from the leaves and was used to painting protective symbols on the doors.

For almost 200 years, foxglove was used to treat heart disease, but it is rarely used today. Foxglove is poisonous if too much is ingested. It is advisable to consult a herbalist doctor for the proper dose.

With delicate white flowers and a strong familiar scent, jasmine is not hard to recognize. The jasmine goes by many names: jessamin, yasmin (a Persian word meaning “Gift of God”), moonlight in the grove, jessamine. This tropical flower is a climber and can reach the height of 20 feet or more. In cooler regions, it can be wintered indoors.

While the jasmine berries are poisonous, the flowers and sometimes leaves are still used for medicinal purposes. The oil from the flowers has a warming effect, so it is often used for coughs and breathing problems, cold cramping muscles, and even menstrual pain. Certain cultures in Asia use the flowers in a tea to soothe a headache or insomnia as well as ease many types of pain. Some even make a soothing ice cream from the flowers! Nicholas Culpepper says “A poultice of the leaves, boiled in wine, dissolves cold swelling and hard tumors...” Interesting. Its most common modern use is, of course, in aromatherapy...an anti-depressant and nerve relaxer.

Considered an aphrodisiac, the flowers and oil are often used to draw love. If you have trouble sleeping at night, burn jasmine incense or add a few drops of oil to a diffuser. This can also cause prophetic dreams. Jasmine is a symbol of love, sensuality, grace, and elegance.

My own varieties are pictured here. The Star Jasmine, Trachelospermum jasminoides (above) and the night Jasmine, Cestrum Nocturnum (below).