Garden Witchery (5 page)

Trees

Question number four of our garden witchery quiz asked about trees. What species of trees do you have at home—old maples and elms? Do you have any blooming trees, like a pink flowering crab? You don't have just one tree, standing out in the middle of your yard like a lone soldier, do you? Maybe we should get him some company. If you don't have any trees in your yard or you'd like to add a few to the landscape, go to a nursery and pick some out. How about a magickal tree? Or would you prefer an ornamental? I promise you, anybody can plant a tree. I'll tell you how.

Clip the wire cage off of the root ball. Next, dig the hole as deep as the root ball and twice as wide. Ease in the tree, then straighten or turn as needed. Amend your soil with some composted manure mixed into the dirt that you took out of the hole. Root stimulator is good also; follow the directions on the package for amounts. Fill in with soil around the tree, pat the soil around the ball down firmly, and water in well.

Don't forget to keep watering. The nursery can instruct you as to the proper amount. But remember, a sprinkler for the lawn is not the way to water a tree. (Your grass will soak up all that water, the tree won't get any of it.) Use a bucket, pour it in slowly. Primitive, yes, but much more effective. Most dead tree returns to nurseries happen because the homeowner didn't water the tree correctly, or at all.

Here is a short index of trees and their magickal properties. Check your quiz answers and jot down the magickal associations of the trees that you have at home. In this list I tried to specify trees that are usually easy to find and common to most of the United States. For a more complete listing, I recommend Scott Cunningham's
Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs
. It's quite simply the best.

I think that I shall never see
a poem lovely as a tree.

Joyce Kilmer

Common Magickal Trees

Apple
(
Pyrus
). The apple tree is a favorite witch tree. There are many different species and cultivars of the apple. For the average homeowner, growing a dwarf fruit tree is often the most practical, as they bear full-sized fruit and take up less space in the yard. A good apple to try is Golden Delicious. This tree is described as self-fruiting and is often used as a pollinator tree for other apple varieties. The Golden Delicious apple performs well in the cold hardiness zones of 5 to 9. Also a great wood for a magickal wand, the associations of the apple tree are love, health, and garden magick.

Traditionally, a secret way to let someone know that you are a witch is to cut an apple crosswise. The seeds inside are arranged in the shape of a star. The fruit is employed at Mabon and Samhain, and in love spells (see
page 63
for a Halloween love spell). A favorite family tradition at my house is to take the family apple picking on the first day of fall, the sabbat of Mabon.

Bay
(
Laurus nobilis
). Also known as sweet bay and bay laurel. In the cold hardiness zones of 8–10 in the United States, this evergreen tree can grow from six to twenty-five feet tall, if protected from winter winds. Smaller, container-size plants are adaptable to being grown in pots and make for lovely topiaries. Grow bay outside in the summer and bring indoors as a houseplant in the winter. The bay tree or the woody potted shrub has dense bright green, rather leathery leaves. The bay tree was sacred to the God Apollo. It has the associations of prophecy, poetry, and healing. A wreath of bay leaves became the symbol of excellence for athletes and poets.

Birch
(
Betula pendula
). The silver birch is a charming and graceful tree with its silvery-white bark and oval-shaped leaves. It may grow twenty to sixty feet in height and the leaves are a lovely shade of yellow in the fall. A traditional broom wood for witches, the wood is also used for Yule logs as well as maypoles. This is also a Goddess tree. The birch is an excellent tree for protection and purification. Zones 2–7.

Dogwood
(
Cornus florida
). The dogwood grows up to thirty feet in height and is a very popular tree in the nursery trade. Spectacular off-white flowers will appear before the leaves unfold. Shiny, medium-sized fruits will show up in the fall, and the birds will thank you for them. The fall foliage is a luminous scarlet. There are pink varieties of the dogwood as well, though the white ones are tougher.

The dogwood tree prefers
shade
. They require the dappled shade from other taller trees or at least full afternoon shade. (I don't care what the guy at the nursery says!) The number one dead tree return at
every
nursery that I have ever worked for is the pink flowering dogwood. The reason? The trees were planted in full all-day sun, and the customers didn't water them properly. If you want a pink, blooming tree for full sun, try a crab apple instead. (The magickal associations for the crab apple would be the same as the apple. See above.)

The magickal properties of the dogwood are love and protection. Cultivate this blooming tree in your garden to promote a loving and happy home environment. In the language of flowers, the dogwood signifies durability. The dogwood thrives in zones 5–9.

Elder
(
Sambucus nigra
). This small tree grows to fifteen feet. It bears clusters of star-shaped, off-white flowers in early summer, which are followed by dark purple berries in the fall. The berries are high in vitamin C and are utilized in cooking. Elderberries are a popular fruit for jellies and wine making, and it's a common wild plant that is included in many different country's magickal plant folklores. Sacred to the Mother and Crone Goddesses, the elder tree has the magickal properties of love and blessings. The leaves and berries are used for protection and in breaking spells that were cast against you. Growing an elder in the garden will protect your property from misfortune and harm. Zones 3–8.

Elm
(
Ulmus campestris
). A tree reported to be popular with the elves, its folk name is elven. Used primarily for love and dream work, this tree is not as popular as it once was, due to Dutch elm disease, which almost wiped out the species in the 1950s. The elm is supposed to protect you from lightning; however, I recommend that you keep them pruned (that's
pruned
, not topped—see Topping Trees,
page 29
) to avoid damage from breaking limbs during high winds. Zones 3–10.

Hawthorn
(
Crataegus
spp.). Valued for their lavish flowers, fruits, and attractive growth habits, hawthorns are dense and thorny. They can be difficult to find in most modern-day nurseries, due to the huge thorns that cover the upper trunk and the branches. If you don't have any luck locating one, try the Conservation Department instead. If you have an adult hawthorn in your yard, clip off the low-growing thorns to keep your children safe. Zones 4–7. (This zone information may vary slightly for the many different species of the hawthorn.)

The hawthorn tree has a long magickal history. The trinity of faery trees are the oak, the ash, and the thorn. It is said that where these three trees grow together, you would gain the power to see the faeries. Happiness and fertility are the magical associations of this tree.

Maple
(
Acer
). There are several varieties of the maple, including the following: the common silver maple (
Acer saccharinum
), a wonderful shade tree and a staple in many a yard of older homes like mine. The leaves transform into a soft yellow in the fall. With the sugar maple (
Acer saccharum
), the sap of this tree may be boiled down to make maple syrup and sugar. The sugar maple's changing leaves may turn anywhere from a bright yellow to a fire-red color during the fall months. Lastly, there is the red maple (
Acer rubrum
), one of the first trees to change into a brilliant red color in Missouri. Maple leaves of all varieties are used in love spells and for prosperity work. The branches are often used to create magickal wands. Magickally used to sweeten things up. Zones 4–8.

Oak
(
Quercus
spp.). The oak is considered the king of trees, and may grow up to 110 feet tall. There are many varieties of oak trees, such as English oak, pin oak, red oak, scarlet oak, and the white oak. Check and see which of these varieties are best suited to your climate. Zones 3 or 4–9. (The zones will vary according to the variety of the oak.)

Sacred to the Druids and the God, oak wood can be made into a powerful wand, or a small twig may be carried to bring about good fortune. Acorns are charms for fertility, sexual potency, protection from storms, and are amulets for youthfulness and beauty.

Pine
(
Pinus
spp.). The pine may be easily discerned from other evergreens because their needlelike leaves are produced in bundles of two to five needles. They require full sun to grow and look their best. The tree of protection and money, many prosperity spells call for pine. Isn't that handy? A lot of green candles are pine scented. Pine needles may be burned to cleanse your home of unwanted astral nasties or bad vibrations. Pines may be used in the garden or yard as specimen trees, as a screen, or for a wind break. Also, most types of evergreens make excellent habitats for birds and other local wildlife. Cold hardiness zone requirements will differ from species to species. On average, zones 3–7.

Rowan, or European Mountain Ash
(
Sorbus aucuparia
). This tree is worth growing in your yard, as it has four-season interest: flowers in the spring, green leaves in the summer, and reddish foliage in the fall. It bears small orange-red berries that are prized by birds throughout the late fall and winter months. Zones 3–7.

Traditionally the rowan is thought to be a witch tree. It is a tree of the Goddess and is sacred to the faeries. A rowan growing near a stone circle is considered to be the most powerful. The rowan protects from all sources of evil. Two rowan twigs tied into an equal-armed cross with red thread is a powerful protective amulet. The berries are used in charm bags for power, healing, and protection.

Willow
(
Salix alba
). The willow enjoys growing near the water and has the planetary association of the moon. Therefore, wands made out of willow branches are for moon magick. The willow is sacred to many moon goddesses, including Artemis, Lilith, and Hecate. The leaves are a charm for love. All parts of this tree—twigs, leaves, and branches—may be used as amulets for protection from evil. Zones 2–9.

Witch Hazel
(
Hamamelis virginiana
). A fragrant, late-winter bloomer, these hardy trees may grow thirty feet tall by twenty-five feet across. This tree starts out with ribbonlike yellow blooms in late February–early March. It then has oval-shaped leaves all summer and ends the season with luminous yellow foliage in the fall. The witch hazel will thrive in sun to part shade. It is an intriguing addition to an informal garden or a smashing addition to a woodland garden. This species is hardy in zones 3–8.

According to folklore and legend, the witch hazel is a tree of learning, poetry, fire, loveliness, and fertility. Traditionally this tree is associated with benevolent witchcraft. Its wood is often used for divining rods.

To the Druids, trees were sacred—especially the oak and the mistletoe that grow there. The Druids divided their year into thirteen lunar months, each month having its own tree. There were the seven noble trees of Ireland and, last but not least, we have the nine sacred woods for a magickal fire.

In this anonymous poem, we find more hints as to the magickal folklore of nine various trees, or woods. Read the poem carefully: the woods and their properties are listed. Consider the associations as you choose wood for a new wand or lay your next magickal fire into the fireplace.

The Poem of the Nine Woods

Nine woods in the cauldron go, burn them fast and burn them slow.

Birch into the fire goes, to represent what the Lady knows.

Oak gives the forest might, in the fire brings the God's insight.

Rowan is the tree of power, causing life and magic to flower.

Willows at the waterside stand, to aid the journey to the Summerland.

Hawthorn is burned to purify, and draw faery to your eye.

Hazel, the tree of wisdom and learning, adds its strength to the bright fire burning.

White are the flowers of the apple tree, that brings us the fruits of fertility.

Grapes that grow upon the vine, giving us both joy and wine.

Fir does mark the evergreen, to represent immortality unseen.

Elder is the Lady's tree, burn it not, or cursed you'll be.

Topping Trees
(Boo! Hiss!)

Topping—or “heading,” “tipping,” and “rounding over”—is perhaps the most harmful tree pruning practice known. Topping is the indiscriminate cutting back of tree branches to stubs. In truth, topping does the following to trees: