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Samhain in the Garden
Samhain approaches, at the end of this month, the night of the 31st of October. The garden, orchards and hills are full of seeds, fruits, berries and nuts, and here in Herefordshire we have had a…
Autumn in the Garden
The Latest from the Garden Hello, all herb lovers! Autumn approaches, and the days and nights will be equal when I run my second-to-last herb course of the year on September 20th & 21st. There…
Radical perfumery
The word ‘perfume’ comes from the Latin ‘per’ ( through) and ‘fumar’ ( to smoke). So, ‘from the smoke’. Scent arrives in our brains unmediated by consciousness. We respond before we know it. Since…
In praise of plants: using our own resources
The use of medicinal plants in wartime Britain … and a bit about the legal rights of herbalists to practise. In 1512, under the rule of Henry VIII, an Act was passed that became known as the…
Elderflower – Power and Protection
Also known as Sambucus nigra, Ellhorn, Eldrun, Hyldor, Witches’ tree, Pipe tree and many other names. There is a wealth of folklore about this tree, which is one of the most noticeable flowering…
Spring Tonics and Rosemary!
….making the Earth a Common Treasury for all…” First Digger Manifesto, 1649 Many traditional ‘spring tonics’ serve the purpose of a spring cleanse after a winter deprived of fresh food. Such herbs…
Herbs of Early Summer – Fennel, Thyme, Chamomile and Lemon Balm
Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) is a perennial herb, now naturalised here, especially on limestone. The name derives from the Roman foenum = hay, and they cultivated it for its aromatic fruits and…
Re-wilding – The Nature of a Garden
My main aim as a herbalist is to promote and share knowledge about herbs and wellbeing, and to show how to integrate this into people’s own lives in practical ways. By teaching in a domestic…
Notes from a Hedge Witch
Common sage (Salvia officinalis) is a familiar kitchen garden plant, though its native habitat is the northern shores of the Mediterranean. Like Rosemary, it is a valuable evergreen herb: plants…
Elfwort and Queen of the Meadow
Many of you will have noticed the ditches full of Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria) that are so much a feature of Herefordshire lanes. I associate this plant with Lammas so it feels early, in the…
Who Controls Healing?
Working with the plants that grow around us teaches us to value them, and is an integral part of living sustainably within our environment. We can use plant medicine to strengthen and rebuild our…