Category: Plants

Plants, Wheel of the Year

Imbolc is Coming

Wild Fen

How are you, on these stormy January days?

As the wheel of the year continues to turn, we head towards Imbolc, celebrated on and around the 1st of February. Imbolc is the mid point between the Winter Solstice (Yule) and the Spring Equinox (Ostara) and can be thought of as the birth of Spring. I love this time of year as I notice a little more light returning to the afternoons. The first flowers are pushing up through the dark earth, catkins are unravelling and there is even some warmth in the Sun on the odd day or two. The energy is beginning to quicken from one of hibernation and slumber to an unfurling, demonstrated wonderfully by the first brave snowdrops and the colourful hazel trees.

In today’s post I shall be sharing my favourite herb and tree to work with at this time of year, along with some simple rituals, so lets dive in!

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Plants

The Magick of Mallow

Wild Fen

Common Mallow (Malva sylvestris) flowers abundantly throughout the Summer months, providing a vibrant nectar source alongside verges, hedgerows, wastelands and meadows.

It is a highly nutritious plant thought to have been brought to Britain by the Romans who admired its edible and medicinal qualities. The leaves, flowers and seeds are all edible and rich in vitamins and minerals.

The vibrancy of Mallow flowers always draw me in and spending just a few moments by her side guarantees a sight of a busy bee foraging its nectar.

Mallow is a cooling, soothing plant associated with the moon and an important ingredient in our Moon Incense Blend.

We would love to hear how you like to work with Mallow, if at all. She seems especially abundant this year in the East of England!

Common Mallow Flower
Blending our Moon Incense
Topped with Mallow Petals
Plants

Bay

Wild Fen

Just like the other aromatic herbs that we have covered in our herb explorations so far, Bay (Laurus nobilis) not only enhances the flavour of our dishes but helps us to digest them. Culinary herbs, such as Sage, Rosemary, Thyme and Bay all have properties that help stimulate our digestion and helps calm the stomach, easing gas and cramps. These herbs, including Bay also help to ease symptoms of coughs and colds.

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Plants

Sage

Wild Fen

Onto another aromatic herb native to the Mediterranean, and now commonly grown in the garden; common Sage. The name of this plant’s genus ‘Salvia’ comes from the Latin ‘Salvare’ meaning ‘to save, or to heal.’ The plant has long been used medicinally with examples from Ancient Greece and Rome and throughout the Middle Ages where it was commonly grown around monasteries for its healing properties.

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Plants

Rosemary

Wild Fen

As another warming evergreen, Rosemary is a wonderful Winter ally and complements Thyme extremely well. Both of these herbs bring great benefits to our health, as well as attracting wildlife to our garden during Spring and Summer months.

The name Rosemary is derived from the Latin – Ros marinus meaning ‘dew of the sea‘ as it tends to grow in close proximity to the sea in its native area of the Mediterranean.

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Plants

Thyme for tea

Wild Fen

The Winter months can be a good time to really reconnect with some of our evergreen aromatic garden herbs. This month I have found myself particularly drawn to using Thyme, so thought it would be nice to begin a herbal journey focusing on it.

Thyme is thought to derive its name from the Greek words ‘thymos’ meaning strong and ‘thyein’ meaning to make a burnt offering, highlighting its ancient use as an incense.

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Plants

Nutritious Nasturtiums

Wild Fen

We were gifted some lovely Nasturtium plants early in the season which we planted up in our herb garden. We are now greeted each morning with a wealth of the most vibrant orange flowers. Nasturtiums have been so easy to grow, requiring very little care. They are an excellent companion plant drawing aphids away from other more delicate plants.

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Plants

The benefits of Bay

Wild Fen

We are lucky to have a huge supply of Bay in the garden thanks to a rather old and beloved Bay tree. I love adding the leaves to our herb bundles for burning.

Did you know that Bay leaves contain Linalool a compound known for its calming properties, also present in plants such as Lavender. Studies have shown that Linalool reduces elevated stress levels to almost normal conditions.

These lovely leaves also contain Eugenol which is known for its antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and pain relieving qualities. As mentioned in our previous post, burning is an effective way to release the therapeutic benefits of a plant into your environment.

You can find Bay in our best selling herbal garden smoulder sticks.

Plants

The magic of Goldenrod

Wild Fen

It is lovely to watch the flowers that you have planted grow, but it is extra special when they find their own way into your garden themselves, which is exactly what happened with some Goldenrod this year.

Goldenrod is known to be richer in antioxidants than green tea. Its Latin name, Solidago translates as ‘to make whole or heal’ and reflects its long use in herbal medicine. It has superb anti inflammatory action and pain relieving qualities thought to help arthritis, cold and flu symptoms and bladder & kidney problems.

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Plants

Wild about Roses

Wild Fen

I am never quite sure what draws me in first with Rose; the beauty captured by the eyes or the nose, both have the ability to infuse a day with magic. According to fossil evidence, the genus Rosa is thought to be 35 million years old and contains around 200 species and thousands of hybrids growing across the world. Roses have long held a rich symbolism of love, heart healing and beauty and it is easy to understand why.

There is so much to learn from this beautiful plant and I love connecting with her in so many ways. In the Spring and Summer we gather Rose petals to infuse into teas, oils and elixirs. We weave dried petals into our Smoke Cleansing Blends & Smoulder Sticks. But perhaps best of all, we stop to smell as many as humanly possible, breathing in and giving thanks for her gentle yet strengthening messages.

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