by Kristine De Block | Oct 28, 2025 | Blog Post
ROOTS, FIRE, AND REMEMBRANCE – HOW HERBALISTS BECAME WITCHES It always starts with the scent of something drying on the rack. Sage, thyme, maybe the last of the rosehips I gathered with the children before the rains came. The kitchen smells earthy, faintly...
by Kristine De Block | Oct 7, 2025 | Blog Post
Botanical wonders of autumn – the fascinating medicine of Rosehips (Rosa spp.) By October, the hedgerows change character. The soft greens of summer give way to russet leaves and the small red hips of the wild rose that glow even on dull days. When the wind...
by Kristine De Block | Sep 5, 2025 | Blog Post
It’s early September, and already the hedgerows are turning. The rosehips are blushing, the elderberries hang heavy in clusters, and the hawthorn – ah, the hawthorn – she’s been ready for weeks now. Her berries came early this year. Not just by a few days,...
by Kristine De Block | Jul 1, 2025 | Blog Post
ELECAMPANE – THE FORGOTTEN ROOT FOR GRIEF, BREATH, AND HEALING My elecampane is flowering. Tall and luminous at the back of the garden, with golden, tousled petals like miniature suns – not quite elegant, not quite wild, but something in between. I always think...
by Kristine De Block | Feb 10, 2025 | Blog Post
Ancient roots: fertility festivals and pagan beginnings One of the stories often told about the origins of Valentine’s Day is that it replaced the Roman festival of Lupercalia, a fertility rite held on 15th February. Lupercalia was associated with Lupercus, a pastoral...
by Kristine De Block | Dec 27, 2024 | Blog Post
Twelfth Night and Herbal Traditions: As the festive season draws to a close and the quiet stillness of early January takes hold, Twelfth Night arrives – a moment rich in history, tradition, and meaning. Celebrated on 5th January, Twelfth Night marks the end of the...