What Should I Plant in a Magical Garden?

Auntie Shelley Answers…

I LOVE this question because I love working with herbs! Now, depending on when you're reading this, it may or may not actually be time to head to the garden center. I'm answering this in late summer, so we're a little late for planning this year's garden, but it's a perfect time to start thinking about what you want to grow next spring. And if you're reading this when planting season rolls around again, grab your list because I have three plants I'd put at the top: rue, basil, and garden sage.

#1 — Rue

Rue is protective and fantastic. If I could only choose a few magical plants to grow, this one would absolutely make the cut. Rue has a long history of being associated with protection and cleansing, and I love having it growing around my home. You can incorporate it into magical workings focused on protection, clearing unwanted energy, or creating stronger energetic boundaries. It loves full sun so you can plant it near the front of your home to protect your home as well.

#2 — Basil

Basil cleanses your energy like nobody's business. It's also incredibly easy to find, easy to grow, smells wonderful, and you can use it for both magical workings and dinner—which is always a bonus in my book. I love herbs that don't have to live exclusively in the "spiritual stuff" category. Your kitchen is just as capable of being a magical space as your altar.

#3 — Garden Sage

Garden sage is probably the one I'd most encourage people to grow because it's such a useful alternative to white sage. White sage has faced significant pressure from commercial demand and wild harvesting, and you absolutely do not need it to cleanse your home or your energy. Ordinary garden sage works beautifully. It doesn't smell nearly as good when you burn it, in my opinion, but it works just as well. Growing your own also means you can harvest what you need and know exactly where your plant came from.

You don't need acres of land to create a magical garden, either. Basil and garden sage do beautifully in containers, and even a few intentionally chosen plants can give you plenty to work with throughout the year. If you're planning for next spring, spend some time over the winter deciding what you'd actually like to use in your magical practice instead of buying every herb with a metaphysical correspondence attached to its name. Your magical garden should be filled with plants you'll enjoy growing and working with.

The trick is to harvest before it starts to flower. If you don’t have time and it starts to flower anyway, communicate with your plant. Let it know you’re going to remove the flowers so it can grow bigger and stronger. Then pick the flowers kindly using scissors to snip them off the plant.

Give those flowers a purpose by creating a flower essence** for yourself. Fill a glass bowl with water and leave the picked flowers on top of the water outside in the sun for a few hours (1-3 hours is perfectly fine). Then put a few drops in your tea or straight onto your tongue. Put the flower essence into a jar and place in the fridge. Will last a few days.

If you want to preserve the flower essence, you can use alcohol such as grape brandy or vodka in a 1:1 ratio. It will be safe for up to 6 months. **Please look up which flowers are poisonous before you do this. You can still create a flower essence with the flower you picked; just put it outside the bowl next to it, and the water can still pick up the flower's vibration.

And here's another little bonus to planning ahead: once you start growing your own magical herbs, you can learn when and how to harvest them, dry them, save them, and eventually create your own little magical apothecary from plants you've nurtured yourself. There's something pretty damn special about doing a working with herbs you grew from the dirt up.

So tuck rue, basil, and garden sage onto your list for next spring. Future you can deal with how much money you actually spend when you walk into the garden center. 🤣

Want to learn more about herbs? Head over to Not Your Granny’s Magic!

May you always have food on your table, light in your life, and love in your heart.

Your Magical Medium,

Shelley Leggett - Spiritual Badass

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