In the spring, witches’ thoughts turn to gardening—since flora and greenery are tools of the craft. Use this lively lesson in intentional planting to create the magical plot of your dreams
You have been on your knees all day—weeding, mulching, planting. Now you are inside, sipping a cup of tea brewed with chamomile from your garden, waiting. Finally, the moon begins to rise. You step outside and follow the intoxicating smell of gardenias to a sea of white blooms, some of which are just opening for the night. Feeling calm and peaceful, you sit down on a flat, moss-covered stone and begin your full-moon ritual. You are in your happy place. Your magical wonderland. Your witch garden.
What is a witch garden? Simply put, it’s a garden created with magical intent. What you plant is totally up to you: veggies, trees, flowers, or herbs. You don’t need a huge yard. You can make a witch garden on a patio, a balcony, or even inside your home. Keeping a garden growing is no easy task, but planting a witchy one makes it feel especially worthwhile. Not only can you enjoy its earthly bounty like a mere muggle, but it will also give you the tools to make your magic—charm bags, wreaths, wands, enchanted teas, bath soaks—the options are endless. Follow these guidelines to invoke your own plant power.
SET YOUR INTENTION
What is your goal for the garden? Do you want veggies? Herbs? Certain flowers? A particular theme (think: love, protection, abundance)? Think of all the things you use in your witchy ways and figure out how this garden can benefit you. What spells you are drawn to? What can you grow in your garden that would enhance your spell work? If you use a lot of sage or rosemary then be sure to include those. Do you want a wand made out of willow? Do you desire a space where you can meditate or read tarot?
Consider your magical practice and your witchy needs and dream about what your ideal garden would look like. Then set your intention. Write your thoughts in a garden journal, either digitally or IRL. We’ll do a reality check later, but for now, let loose and write it all down. This journal will be a constant companion as you figure out your space, understand your plants, and tend to your growing garden.
DO YOUR HOMEWORK
It is super-duper important to get to know your intended plot before you start buying plants. You will need to figure out what type of soil you have, how to prep it, and what areas of your future garden are shady or sunny. There’s also a lot to know about tilling, mulching, and all the other garden shit we don’t have room to cover. But here’s a cheat sheet to get you started.
Shade: It is important to know where the sun will hit your garden. Track its movement throughout the day and note in your journal where the shady areas are, what places get partial light, and what areas get direct sun. Most flowers, herbs, and veggies want direct sunlight, but others thrive in partial shade.
Soil: Get to know your soil, including its pH (its acidity or basicity), by testing it. (Make it easy on yourself and get a testing kit online.) Depending on the type you’ve got, and what you want to plant, you might need to add mulch or compost, or invest in raised beds, which you can then fill with the type of soil that best suits your ideal plants. For example, herbs hate clay soil, but black-eyed Susans love it.
Drainage: Some plants like it wet, some like it dry. After a rain, or after watering your yard, see where and how the water drains off. Are there areas that dry out faster than others? Take note.
Plants: ACYSP: Always Check Your Seed Packs! You can also get seedlings you can transplant from your local nursery if you don’t want to start from scratch, but either way, you’ve got to do your research first. You can’t just plop any plant anywhere you want. You may want to put a particular flower in a certain corner but if it needs more sunlight than that corner gets, you can’t fight nature. Depending on the plants you choose, they may need to be put in the ground at different times. Research each plant individually before you buy; they all have their own likes and dislikes. Consider sticking to native plants—you know they’ll thrive in your climate, and you’ll be supporting the local ecosystem.
DESIGN YOUR LAYOUT
Once you’ve got the lay of the land, it’s time to start planning! Remember the dream garden you conjured? Go back to your journal, read what you wrote, and now that you know the ins and outs of your space, see what you can logistically do. Start by sketching out the garden plot in your journal or use a garden-design app like iScape. Mark any existing barriers like shrub rows, gates, and pathways. If you currently have trees or other plants that you want to keep, make a note of that, including their heights and the color of any blooms, so the existing plants can flow into your design. Then mark down all the things you’ve learned about your garden from sunlight to soil to drainage.
Pick Your Plants
With your intention as your guide, and all those garden details top of mind, narrow down your plant options. Be sure to choose things you genuinely like. Don’t plant something simply because it has a magical purpose. If your neighbors are nosy, you may want to grow tall plants around the perimeter for privacy. If you love to host, set up a place in your garden for friends to gather. If you include poisonous plants, be sure to sequester them in a separate area away from curious pets and kids. Consider filling your garden with an assortment of plants that will take turns poppin’ off all year round. Make the layout work for you and your intentions.
Consider Companion Planting
Companion planting is the practice of growing certain plants together because they help each other out. Some tall plants can help shade those that need it darker. Pairing plants with complementary nutrient needs means they won’t compete for what’s in the soil, and insect-repelling plants are great for growing next to fruits and veggies.
As Arin Murphy-Hiscock explains in her book The Green Witch’s Garden: Your Complete Guide to Creating and Cultivating a Magical Garden Space, this concept can apply to a witchy garden as well. She suggests putting plants with the same magical intention—such as protection—next to each other to strengthen that element of their energy. “The same plants may appear elsewhere in your garden but with different aspects of their energies to bring out: happiness, healing, prosperity, and so forth,” she writes. “Plants have more than one magical correspondence, after all.” Of course, there’s a flip side: some plants get cranky when they’re grown next to each other. “On a magical level, think about the challenge an herb planted for attraction might have growing next to an herb you’re cultivating specifically for returning unwanted energy,” Murphy-Hiscock writes.
Put Your Design (Witch) Hat On
Now it is time to get creative. When plotting your garden, it is nice to have a focal point—an archway, a fountain, or a small altar made using a flat rock or a small table. You can have a structured garden with plants of similar heights in straight rows and geometric pathways, or you can have a cottage-style garden with wildflowers of different heights in free-formed beds. Or just say fuck it and have a bit of both. Here’s some witch garden design inspo below. Feel free to combine different features to make the magical garden of your dreams.
Elemental Garden: This design concept pays tribute to the elements: earth, air, fire, and water. Start by using a compass to figure out the north, south, east, and west points in your garden and mark them on your layout. Each direction corresponds to a different element and color. Honor these by creating a focal point in each area with something associated with that element, and cultivating plants that belong to its color family. Or keep it super simple with a single plant or item honoring each element, an approach you can combine with any other garden concept. Here are the directions, their associated elements and colors, and suggestions for focal points and plants with their magical meanings.
North: Earth, Green
Focal point: Stones or a statue
Plant: Hosta (strength, healing, protection, friendship, love)
South: Fire, Red
Focal point: Fairy lights or a sundial
Plant: Bleeding heart (forgiveness, healing, overcoming heartbreak)
East: Air, Yellow
Focal point: Bird feeder or wind chimes
Plant: Cinquefoil/five-finger grass (money, health, power, knowledge)
West: Water, Blue
Focal point: Water fountain, small dish of water
Plant: Forget-me-not (improves memory and helps others remember you)
Lunar Garden: Y’all know witches love to gather in the moonlight. A lunar garden focuses on flowers that bloom at night and any plants that are white, silvery, or have light pastel hues. You can also add fairy lights and lanterns to illuminate your lunar paradise. Some night-blooming buds you may want to include are: moonflower (dreams, divination, luck, happiness), evening primrose (healing, self-love), four-o’clocks (dreams, love), night phlox (harmony, communication, productivity), queen of the night (luck, patience), and fairy lilies (hope, new beginnings, prosperity).
Container Gardens: Container gardens are a great option if you only have access to a patio or a balcony, but you can also nestle them outside in your yard.
*For the Kitchen Witch: In her book Garden Witchery: Magick from the Ground Up, Ellen Dugan suggests using one big pot for various herbs that all aid in protection: rosemary (love, healing, friendship, communication), parsley (purification), sage (wisdom, cleansing), chives (absorbing negativity), bouquet dill (love, money), garlic (exorcism rituals, health), and basil (wealth, good luck, happiness).
*Healing and Peace Container Garden: Monica Crosson shared this design for a combination of healing herbs in her book A Year in the Enchanted Garden: Cultivating the Witch’s Soul with Spells, Crafts & Garden Know-How. Each plant gets its own pot, which can be gathered around a seating area to invoke a peaceful vibe: bee balm (prosperity, peace, clarity), floribunda rose (divination, purification, friendship, happiness), lavender (purification, tranquility, protection, divination, clarity), and lemon balm (healing, happiness, peace, friendship).
DOCUMENT AND TEND TO YOUR GARDEN
Once you’ve finished your initial planting, that’s when the real magic starts. Use your garden journal to track where you planted each plant, what they need, and when. Keep notes about what worked and what didn’t. If you’re using an analog journal with actual pages, paste in your empty seed packets and pressed leaves or flowers. Include pictures of your growing garden, track bugs and birds that visit, and document weather changes such as rains and frosts. You can even take note of the spells you try and what you use from your garden to cast them.
Pay attention to your plants and care for them conscientiously. Try to check on them every day—talk to them, read about what they need, observe them, love them. Be kind to insects and animals by setting up little places where they can access shelter and water. If bugs are destroying your plants, look into natural ways to repel them—never use insecticides if you are using plants for spell work. When picking plants from your garden, be sure to thank the plant for the joy it gives you. Put some respect on its name. And above all, be patient. You won’t grow a dream garden overnight, but nurturing it is part of the magic. Now get down in the dirt; you’ve got spell work to do.
PLANT MAGIC
All plants have some sort of magical correspondence. Here are a few you may want to include in your garden.
Allium: Protection, happiness, and stability.
Apple tree: Fertility, garden magic, healing, and love. The tree’s wood is good for making a wand.
Birch: Fertility, healing, protection, and purification. Write spells on the bark it sheds. The wood is often used to make brooms.
Calendula: Healing, luck, protection, and success.
Chamomile: Peace, calm, protection, and healing.
Honeysuckle: Love, creativity, and prosperity.
Hyssop: Purification, protection, and healing.
Lamb’s ear: Protection and healing. The silver hue also looks spectacular in a lunar garden.
Lilacs: Calming, new beginnings, and love.
Magnolia: Love, peace, protection, and psychic abilities.
Mint: Inspiration, communication, prosperity, protection, and travel.
Mullein: Courage, divination, healing, love, mental health, protection, and safe travel.
Snapdragon: Truth, protection, friendship, and reversal of hexes.
Willow: Divination, healing, love, and protection. The willow is associated with moon magic so it would be perfect for a lunar garden.
Yarrow: Protection, healing, friendship, and courage.
THREE WAYS TO BOOST YOUR GARDEN’S MAGICAL JUICE
- Make moon water by collecting rain or snow and leaving it out to be infused by the moonlight. You can use it in spell work or to water your garden.
- Enhance the energy of your plants by placing stones and crystals with similar properties near them. Want more love in your life? Lay a piece of rose quartz at the base of a rose plant so they can amplify each other’s magic.
- Try this garden protection spell: Light a bundle of sage and walk around your garden’s perimeter, dropping a little moon water on the ground as you go. Envision a protective barrier surrounding your garden. In the southern section light a candle and give thanks to the element of fire and for the sun shining on your garden. In the east place a bundle of sage and give thanks to the element of wind and the breeze on which your plants’ fragrance floats. In the north place a bundle of flowers, leaves, or even a handful of dirt and thank the earth for the soil and nutrients it gives your plants. In the west pour the remainder of the moon water in a small dish and give thanks to the element water for photosynthesis. Take a moment to sit in the middle of your garden and soak in the plants, the smells, the colors, the wind. Before you blow out your candle, thank Demeter (the goddess of agriculture, fertility, and harvest), Gia (the mother of Earth), and Flora (the goddess of flowers and spring) and ask them to protect your garden and bring bounty and joy.
