ABOVE: The Backyard Diva's Wild Garden
Garden witches know a great deal about the magical and
medicinal properties of herbs. They love to putter around outdoors, dig
in the dirt and grow a variety of their own herbs, vegetables and
flowers. Practitioners of this tradition of the craft use these
homegrown plants to make a variety of lotions, potions and culinary
creations for use in their own celebrations and magical rituals.
WILD CRAFTING
Garden witches may also collect certain herbs in their natural habitat,
a practice which is called wild crafting. Wild crafting should only be
done in an area where you have obtained permission from the land owner.
When wild crafting, be sure to leave behind enough of the plant
material you are harvesting to ensure the survival of future
generations of the plant. Unethical collectors over harvest or even dig
up the entire population of the herb they are collecting.
Certain species of herbs can no longer be ethically wild crafted due to
the over harvesting and destruction of their natual habitat. One of my
favorite herbs suppliers has gone so far as to list the herb products
that they will not carry due to their being over harvested by
commercial enterprises.
THREATENED HERBS
A few of the herb species that are being threatened due to over zealous
wild crafting include:
- Beth root (Trillium erectum)
- Lady's slipper root (Cyprideium pubescens)
- True unicorn root (Aletris farinosa)
- False unicorn root (Helonias lutea)
- Wild American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius)
- Wild goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis)
Take care,
The Backyard Diva
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