For some reason, Halloween has kind of snuck up on me this year.
Since Halloween is already here, I’m going to delay my usual end of
the month garden question-and-answer column until next week.
Instead, I’m going to write about what every Halloween story needs:
witches!
For some reason, Halloween has kind of snuck up on me this year. Since Halloween is already here, I’m going to delay my usual end of the month garden question-and-answer column until next week. Instead, I’m going to write about what every Halloween story needs: witches!
What would a witch’s garden of yore contain? Poisonous or narcotic plants are naturally connected to witchcraft. Deadly nightshade, also known as Atropa belladonna, is perhaps one of the most notorious. This plant also goes by names like devil’s herb or devil’s cherry because of its shiny black fruit. During the Renaissance, juices of this plant were used as make-up. Taken internally, the juices resulted in a desirable spaciness, hence the name belladonna or beautiful lady. In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, it is belladonna that is taken by Juliet so that she will sleep and appear dead.
Another ideal plant for the witch’s garden would be monkshood. This fall perennial is also known by the name of wolfbane. Arrows dipped in this poisonous herb was used by Native Americans to kill game. The witches brew in Shakespeare’s Macbeth calls for “tooth of wolf,” and is referring to monkshood. In Romeo and Juliet, it is monkshood that Romeo takes after he thinks Juliet has died.
The common vinca or periwinkle has a history of use in witchcraft, too. It’s been called the devil’s eye or Sorcerer’s violet, and was used in wreaths hung from the neck of felons on their way to the gallows. But it was also used as a countercharm against evil spirits. Culpeper, a famous herbalist, said that if the leaves of vinca are eaten together by a husband and wife, it will cause love between them.
If you’re concerned about witchcraft ever affecting your loved ones in the future, make sure you have a few junipers planted by your doorstep. Witches are bound by all their laws to count every last needle of junipers before they can enter a house to work their evil. If they make a mistake, they have to start counting all over again. Have you ever tried counting the needles of junipers? Naturally, almost all the time, witches would end up flying off in a rage.
Holly bushes are also great. They’re considered very holy, and both the leaves and berries can be used as protection against demons, witches and the evil eye. The mountain ash tree, with its colorful plates of red berries, has been valued through history as the “Rowan” tree. In the Scottish highlands, Rowan trees are a common sight on the ruins of old settlements where they are believed to protect the inhabitants from witchcraft.
Finally, some herbs known for their protective powers against evil include angelica, dill, rosemary and caraway. Oh yeah, don’t forget the garlic. Garlic, as any Gilroy resident knows, can ward off vampires. Don’t even let me get started about that …
Keith Muraoka lives and works in Gilroy. His award-winning column has been in this newspaper since 1984. E-mail him at ga********@jp*.net, or write him in c/o The Dispatch, P.O. Box 22365, Gilroy, CA 95021.
