Cauldron Corner

Other Witches Gardens A place to see how other Witches gardens grow be it a garden, herb pot/box or allotment. If you have a photo you'd like to include please send it in with any comments you have about your 'garden'.
Whitewitch's Garden Once upon a time Whitewitch didn't much like gardening at all, she had a love of a few plants such as clematis and roses but she didn't grow that much. Then she got chatting to Debs about herbs, you can read the rest of the story below. Over the past few weeks I've been doing my back garden, I weeded the borders and got my hubby to help me lay bark chips to stop the weeds and moved all the herbs that used to be at the front to the back. Everything is in pots so we can move them when necessary. I have so many herbs now as follows: Tangerine Sage, Parsley, Winter and Summer Savory, Cinnamon Basil,	Catnep, Creeping lemon Thyme, Variegated Myrtle, Myrtle, Orange Scented Thyme, Chamomile, Pineapple Sage, Angelica, Lemon Balm, Bergamot "Cambridge Scarlet", Sweet Cicely, Vervain, English Mace, Verigated Rue, Chocolate Peppermint, Ginger Mint, Sweet Woodruff, Garden Mint, Rosemary, Thyme Ruby Glow, Lavender, Chives, Garlic Chives, Sweet Basil, Pink Hyssop, Gold Splash Marjoram, Kitchen Bay, Cotton Lavender "Lemon Queen", Lavender "Miss Katherine", Snowman Lavender, Borage (grown from seed), Hot Chilli peppers (grown from seed), Echinacea, Mint Grapefruit, Catmint, Red Valerian, Lavender "Kew Garden" and not forgetting my Butternut Squash WOW I didn't realise I had so many herbs.
If you had said to me 3/4 years ago that I would be gardening I would have looked at you as if you were completely insanely mad and now........ So how did my green fingers start...... My favourite plant/flower has alway been the clematis their colours and huge flowers are stunning and there are so many varieties these days however my favourite has and is "Niobe" the gorgeous deep purple red colour then turning a light purple colour, I have always had a clematis growing in a pot so you may think that was sort of a start. I then fell in love with the roses (patio) not far from where I use to live a friend introduced me to a specialist rose "farm" I thought it was going to be pretty expensive but was suprised ..! I have purchased 4 different patio roses : White Bianca, Sweet Magic, Sweet Dreams and my recent purchase Golden Jewel. White Bianca bud and opens as white they then turn white/pink, Sweet Magic bud and opens a peach colour then turn peachy yellow, Sweet Dreams bud and opens as peach colour and Golden Jewel buds and opens brilliant yellow reminds me of the sun. Since joining the MS forum we have "threaded" interests on herbs and I think the interest came when Debs mentioned the pineapple sage... I just had to have one, I purchased the usual culinary herbs first, Garden Mint, Rosemary, Sage & Bay, unfortunately my sage died so when I did eventually purchase my Pineapple Sage I asked hubby to plant it and its gone mad!! Growing at such a speed, I then wanted to grow seeds which I did with chillis, borage and recently butternut squash (ok I know its not a herb), but Going to the Gardeners World live show with Debs also inspired me I loved the "chill out" garden...sorry debs couldn't remember the name but it was the one with the herbs in and that little tent thingy with the cushions like a meditation garden it was wow! I wanted it!! ( It's called the Inspirational Garden and was done by Heidi Thompson and Sabbi Ward, see the Moonshadows Meet Up page for more photos from GWL ). Since doing the herbs which I must add are all in pots, I then moved to the front porch and that is mainly flowering plants, I love the cottage garden look and can't wait until we buy our own cottage ...! dreaming again!! Not sure how the garden will go next year as this is pending a move date and also might even not have a garden....Oh Goddess please move me into a house with garden LOL!!

More Gardeners World Photos Here

Moonshadow's Garden

The back garden in March 2004 after it's post Winter pruning and weeding session. The freshly dug circle in the centre is the start of the apothecary bed that I've been working on.

In the back herb bed there's lemon balm, various lavenders, rosemary, sweet cicely, feverfew, vervain, english mace, hyssop, echinacea and a buddliea. The rest of the garden has a wildlife pond and my goddess patch as well as a cottage pink border that also has lavender, bergamot, tarragon & rosemary in with it.

By April it was looking like this photo above, planted up with chamomile, St Johns Wort, Mace, Sweet Cicely, Hyssop, Arnica, Lavenders and various Sages to name but a few.

By the end of June the bed has really come into it's own. It's full of wonderful scents and colour, I added some annuals like marigolds and violas to pad things out while the herbs get established. Moonshadow keeps vigil. There's still a lot of work to do on this bed, but by next Summer it should be just how I want it :)