Let’s Talk Witch – Reaping Summer’s Bounty

REAPING SUMMER’S BOUNTY

With all this time spent outside and with the garden at its height, all the beautiful blooms around you are practically screaming to be picked. It’s hard not to gather them all and plonk them in a vase. They can brighten up any room in your home and make a gorgeous gift for a friend when you pop round for coffee. But there is so much more you can do with your flowers than just display them. Here are some ideas that you can use at home with your beautiful blooms:

Eat them.
Now, I do not suggest that you go around munching on any old flower. But some are edible and delicious. Get a good book on edible blooms and have a go at introducing one or two of them into your cooking. Some of my favorites are rose petals, herbs like chives and thyme, violets, pansies, marigolds, borage, chamomile, and (my all time favorite) lavender.

Drink them.
Add them to drinks or ice cubes before freezing, or try them in cakes and salads.

Dry them.
Hang small bunches of flowers in a warm, dark place, making sure the stems are secured so they don’t fall as they shrink and dry. You can use these dried flowers to make all sorts of things, from a simple arrangement to a pretty decoration or picture. This is a wonderful way to preserve a special bouquet.

Bathe in them.
Add a couple of handsful to your bath to bathe in the essences of the plant. You will feel like a princess or prince, and the water will be infused with the properties of the flower you choose. If you don’t fancy scooping out loose petals, tie them loosely in a muslin square and drop this into your bath instead.

Press them.
Place small blooms carefully in a flower press or under heavy books between tissue paper, and leave them to press for a couple of weeks. Use them to decorate lampshades or picture frames, or place them in your Book of Shadows.

Strew them.
Mix together a few beautiful petals and strew them around your home. They will impart a delicate fragrance and magically charge the air with their properties. I like to use rose petals and lavender in the bedroom for romance and peace.

Repel pests.
Some flowers repel flies, mosquitoes, and rodents, so they are well worth using in the home. Hang bunches of lavender, basil, marigolds, or mint over your door to help prevent flies, and sprinkle dried lavender flowers at access points for mice to repel them.

Bask in them.
Simmer a couple of handsful of rose petals in pure water, strain, and use as a tonic for your skin after cleansing to ease redness and skin irritations. Always do a patch test first.

Speak their language.
Most flowers have a language attached to them— red roses are for love, lavender for peace, dandelions for happiness, etc. Learn about a new flower every time one comes into your life. Then start to send messages to your loved ones with them.

Spell with them.
Include flowers in your spells or sachets to add a soft energy to your magic and bring their properties to aid your goal. Place them on your altar as an offering.

Cure with them.
So many flowers have medicinal uses, from St. John’s wort for depression to chamomile for stress. Research how flowers can help you with some simple remedies at home, or use flower essences already infused with the flower’s energy.

Hedgewitch Book of Days: Spells, Rituals, and Recipes for the Magical
Mandy Mitchell