Strange Garden Beliefs

• Weeping willow wood brings sadness and sorrow
• Rosemary and sage grow well in the garden where the woman dominates
• Never openly give a plant cutting to someone
• Parsley and basil will only grow if you curse them vigorously
• If you're pregnant while planting seeds, everything will do well
• Never plant or graft anything on Sunday
• Dandelions brought into the house will cause children to wet the bed
• A cradle made of rowan wood will protect the child from witches
• Planting an elder bush near the home protects against witches
• The dew collected from the perennial lady's mantle can turn base metals into gold
• Fairies live inside foxglove flowers
• A hedge of gooseberries protects the home from the devil
• If Kniphofia blooms in fall, a family member will die
• It will bring bad luck if nuts are collected on a Sunday
• Bringing hawthorne flowers into the house will cause a death in the family

Wes Porter is a horticultural consultant and writer based in Toronto. Wes has over 40 years of experience in both temperate and tropical horticulture from three continents.