Garden Folklore

Old timey beliefs concerning witches,witchcraft
and the garden.

I would reckon that many of the beliefs of our ancestors regarding witches and the garden came over to the new world from the old country. Many beliefs were kept true and some were slightly changed or addended to combined with aboriginal influence.
Here is a short list of some of them.

1.White
blossoms are sacred to the white Goddess. Rowan,Hawthorn,Dogwood,Holly
and Elder are among those trees which share white blossoms and thus worthy of special care. The red berries which many had were symbolic of the life force so were thought to be protective against witchcraft and the evil eye.

2.The Elder tree, in England, was never struck by lightening and also saved a house from anykind of sorcery. Germans tip their hats to the Elder, Romany persons call it yakori bengeskro or 'devil's eye' because of the shiny black berries which when gathered on Midsummer's Eve, protect their possessor from witchcraft.

3. The Wood of the Ash, Fraximus excelsior - the 'husbandsman's tree' is renowned for tool handles and walking sticks. An iron tool with an ash handle was doubly protective to its owner from both evil witches and bad faery.

4. Sweetbriar, with its scent of spice and apples, and honeysuckle over the door keep both witches and fever at bay.

5. Snapdragons break charms.

6. Box or Juniper bush growing at the doorstep stops a witch who must pause and count every leaf before working evil.

7. Leaving a portion of ones garden untended and wild was and is today still thought of as giving nature a chance to reclaim itself from human interference. Whether one would call it the faery spot or the devil's spot it was thought of as important to include in ones yearly gardening.

8. Iron implements and tools were thought to keep evil fairies and witches away as Iron was once thought to be such a powerful metal it could stop such negativities from claiming one's
produce.