Bud, Blossom & Leaf: The Magical Herb Gardener's Handbook [Paperback]

Dorothy Morrison (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2001

Walk down the garden path as you've never done before with this magical guide to herbs and lore * From the bestselling author of Everyday Magic - over 4,000 UK copies sold * Includes 125 spells, invocations, rituals and recipes, and shows how to plant and grow a magical herb garden indoors or out * Explains how to predict the weather, and explores magical garden themes, garden shapes, and planting ideas * Offers recipes for cullnary, cosmetic and first-aid use In one single volume, everthing you need to know about herbs, both the mundane and the magical. Do you want to know how to tend them with hydroponic magic? Use them to clean your home? Or brew them into fine wines fit for the Gods? This book not only answers these questions, but takes you on a magical journey down the garden path.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As "winter thaw" turns to spring verdure, spiritual gardeners begin sharpening their tools. In Bud, Blossom, & Leaf: The Magical Herb Gardener's Handbook, Dorothy Morrison (In Praise of the Crone) digs through the spiritual side of gardening, offering 125 invocations, rituals, recipes and spells to help readers connect with the spirit of their bit of earth. Morrison's good humor and practical tips make this an entertaining ode to springtime.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"* "Herbs can bring us more relaxation than a session with a massage therapist, more energy than a pound of chocolate, and lift our spirits higher than the most prescribed mood-elevator on the medical market." - author Dorothy Morrison"

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications (January 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156718443X
• ISBN-13: 978-1567184433
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 7.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #343,740 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bud, Blossom & Leaf : The Magical Herb Gardener's Handbook, August 21, 2001

By 

Boudica (Ohio USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bud, Blossom & Leaf: The Magical Herb Gardener's Handbook (Paperback)

This book is probably the most complete Witches herb planting reference book I've seen in a long time. It was made for a Witch to put together his/her herb garden.

Ms. Morrison starts with the basics; choosing the right places to plant, the kind of garden you want (kitchen, healers etc.), choosing plants, seeds, pots, tools; all those things that makes a garden a garden. She talks about watering, spacing, weeding, insect pests. She also gives some very basic yet excellent advice on practical control of both weeds and insect pests. Companion planting, beneficial attractants and repellents, she includes many simple and common sense ideas for keeping your garden in order.

Then she makes it magical... Gardening permission Ritual, Blessings of the seeds, protection spells for sprouts, invoking the Spring Ritual, magical help for indoor plants. All the additional things a Witch gardener would want to know in addition to the usual gardeners information.

I was pleased that Dorothy included the basics of gardening as well as the magical aspects. Most books I've seen cover either one or the other. You get a book on gardening, and it tells you about laying out the various types of plants, all the basics on compost etc. etc. Magical digests cover the usual properties of herbs, astrological inferences for different plants and so on. Ms. Morrison put it together in one handy reference book. She has even included some recipes that can be made from materials you harvest from your garden. A very complete book if you ask me.

I have always enjoyed Ms. Morrison's work. She is continually coming up with new ways to look at things, and this book has not disappointed me. She even has a section on floriography - the language of the plants. OK, it means what the plants energy and vibrations are. Very important to know if you want to use any of your garden in your spell castings. Magical associations is just another plus to make this more than just another gardening book.

A little magical help on my first planting of this kind can only help, I think.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pot pourri of interesting ideas and good bed time reading..., June 6, 2004

By 

Dianne Foster "Di" (USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Bud, Blossom & Leaf: The Magical Herb Gardener's Handbook (Paperback)

Dorothy Morrison's BUD, BLOSSOM & LEAF contains something old, something new and some things borrowed from other gardeners, as well as a good deal of original material based on her own experiences. She combines all these bits of gardening wisdom and lore into a practical but fun book that has more to do with using herbs than growing them. I appreciate the old bits, such as being reminded of the multiple uses of Chamomile, a natural antibiotic remedy and a soothing balm, and new information seldom found in gardening books - such as how to make wine from excess fruit and other plant materials. The best part of her book is entitled "Mother Nature's Household" where Ms Morrison offers ideas and suggestions for everything from `Cleaning with Herbs' to `Herbal Beauty'. She includes recipes for products for the bath and boudoir, as well as the kitchen.

If you are a new gardener, you will probably want to purchase another gardening book that goes into greater depth concerning the care and feeding (growing) of herbs, as Ms Morrison's discussion of gardening techniques is directed to the experienced gardener and, not the novice. There are a number of herbal gardening books on the market, for example Rodale'S ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HERBS, which is a good place to begin to learn more about herbs. Herbs are generally annuals (Basil, balms, Borage) or perennials (Lavender, Artemisia, Echinacea) so bed preparation is similar to that undertaken for flower gardening. However, every experienced gardener knows not all flowers have the same requirements. For example, if you are going to raise lavender, it helps to know that it prefers dry alkaline growing conditions. Like most flowers, most herbs require lots of sun (many come from the Mediterranean), so you'll have better luck growing herbs on a sunny balcony, than in a shady moist location.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful, practical and magical, January 23, 2005

By 

A. Fetzer (SC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bud, Blossom & Leaf: The Magical Herb Gardener's Handbook (Paperback)

I've had this book for some time and hadn't seriously read it till today. Its enjoyable, practical, and well organized. For those looking for more--and for the author to do ALL the work for you, look elsewhere. This is a witch's garden at its simpliest, something I prefer. Who has time for more? The spells and chants are simple, to the point, and yes there are other books out there that are more in depth, but for me... gardening, harvesting and using plants and herbs in my daily magical life IS simple. If you want the plot of a garden, or indept herbal/plant usage, I suggest Cunningham, Rodale's Herbs, or Garden Witchery.