Six on Saturday: That Spooky Time of Year

My garden has some perfect ingredients for a Halloween party this week, so I thought I would share some and join Jim at ‘Garden Ruminations‘ and the Six on Saturday crowd. Thank you for hosting this weekly meme, Jim.

First off the witch’s cauldron!

This giant black pot stands in the corner of the yard and although the bamboo still looks good, the annual geraniums planted at the base are looking gruesome and grizzly since our frosts. Definitely time to pull them out.

The witch’s least favourite plant is probably the Witch Hazel, as it has such healing powers. This Hamamelis ‘Diane’ is clothed in her lovely autumn cloak.

The (witch’s?) Broom (Cytisus ‘Allgold’, I think) is trying to flower… a mystery, as it usually flowers in the late spring/early summer!

After debating whether to cut down these rather ugly seedheads of Veronicastrum virginicum ‘Diana’, I am glad I didn’t. They are standing firm after some frosts and rain, so will be allowed to remain through the winter. I think they look a bit like witch’s fingers, don’t you? 😉

There was some spooky light around these ghostly white Miscanthus seedheads. (Or maybe there was a touch of enhancing the original photo…)😜

Finally, there seems to be a lot of blood red in the garden right now… the work of witches?

(Click on any photo for slideshow)

Liquidambar

Gaillardia

Hollyhock

The Flames of Hell? No, so-called ‘Blutgras’. Imperata ‘Red Baron’

Although Halloween isn’t really celebrated here in Germany, we do have All Saints Day as a bank holiday. 😃 Whether you celebrate Halloween or not, have a great week, and do visit Jim and some of the other Six on Saturday contributions linked to his post.

 

Wild and Weedy Wednesday: 21st June, 2023

As it is the summer solstice today I have chosen St John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) as my weed/wildflower of the week.

It started flowering a little earlier than usual last week – as you may have guessed, it gets its name from St John’s Day on 24th June, and usually opens just before that. This pretty yellow flower, with its characteristic reflective shiny five petals, spreads everywhere here, and has recently also started invading my flower beds. Although, I must admit I do have some I planted specifically in my Herb Bed as well, as you can see in this photo below. 😉

And here it is growing wild in the meadow…

I believe Hypericum perforatum is indeed classified as an invasive weed in North America, where it is a neophyte. Like many of the plants growing wild here, it has been used medicinally for centuries, primarily as an antidepressant and for anxiety or sleeping disorders. It is also anti-bacterial, antibiotic, and anti-inflammatory, and Hypericum oil (hypericin) has been used for treating bruises, burns, rashes, rheumatism and sprains. Like many herbal remedies, the pharmaceutical industry has tried to play down its usefulness, but data from 2004 showed it is the most frequently prescribed anti-depressant in Germany and for light to medium depression has the same effect as other drugs. (I read the other day that over 8 million people in the UK take anti-depressant medication – hopefully hypericum is sometimes prescribed there too).

The oil is in the leaves, and the glands can be seen when the leaves are held up to the light, looking like tiny perforations. (Hence the botanical name Hypericum perforatum.)

The flower buds produce a reddish purple ‘ink’ when squeezed between the fingers, which also explains one of the names used for it in German – ‘Herrgottsblut’  (‘lord’s blood’) – apparently a reference to the blood of the holy Saint John the Baptist.

 The flowers of St. John’s Wort (Johanniskraut in German) are considered to be at their most potent at midsummer and are traditionally used here in wreaths and decorations. These are made with nine herbs altogether and displayed on the door as protection, or the herbs are held over the Johannisfeuer – a bonfire lit on the eve of St John’s Day. One of these other herbs may be Chamomile, which I featured last week. Another is Artemisia, which also grows in my garden. However, the herbs used do vary from region to region. These old traditions are dying out, but in some small communities – particularly further south – the traditional bonfires and midsummer parties still take place.

I wonder if this flower grows wild near you… or if it finds its way into your flower beds like here. I would love to know if it is common in the UK in particular, as I do not recall it from my childhood.

If you would like to join me one Wednesday with a wild and weedy post, please do. And leave a link in the comments below.

Thanks for reading, and happy solstice! 😉

Happy Christmas!

Another old Christmas carol has been popping into my head the last few days  – ‘God rest ye merry gentlemen’ – with the line ‘comfort and joy’ seeming just perfect for the kind of Christmas I would like this year. A few days of cosiness, with good food, music, and some relaxation. So I wish you all the same: Comfort, joy, a happy and peaceful Christmastime and all good wishes for the New Year!

🎄🎄🎄

Winter Solstice in Bavaria, Krampus et al

About 250km to the south of us lie the Alps, already covered in a good thick layer of snow at this time of year. The mountains have always been fascinating to me, and seeing them awakens that same childish pleasure as when I catch the first glimpse of the sea on the way to the seaside.

Summer near Berchtesgaden

And the traditions find it fascinating too.

Before the age of digital photos I would occasionally drive there, either for some sightseeing of the beautiful lakes and mountain passes, or for a day of skiing.

Life in the villages and remote farms in mountainous regions used to be very hard in winter (and still can be), and many superstitions arose, particularly regarding this time of year. Some of these are rather sinister, with evil spirits and fearsome creatures playing a role. One of these is Krampus, often depicted as a hairy horned man-like figure, who frightened children into being well-behaved. This is one of the least frightening photos I could find. If you search ‘Krampus’ online you will see even scarier images!

Photo from National Geographic

Similarly, in Bavaria ‘Knecht Ruprecht’ was an evil man dressed completely in black, who supposedly ate naughty children. Here he is depicted as part animal, resembling the devil…

While, on December 6th, the good children receive gifts from Saint Nicholas (the original Santa!), naughty children were tortured; I remember a student of mine (an adult at the time) telling us how he was still filled with dread on December 6th when he recalled how he was collected by Krampus/ Knecht Ruprecht every year and put in a sack, convinced he was going to die!!

Another myth involves evil who people make a pact with the devil during these dark days and turn into weirwolves, threatening humans and animals alike. It was common to burn incense in the stables and barns over Christmas, to ban evil spirits. One of the superstitions I have heard is that the animals in the barns are suddenly able to speak, and foretell the future. Should, however, anybody hear them, he or she is destined to immediate death. (Not sure how that one can be explained!) Another story is that on New Year’s Eve the animals can air their complaints to the ‘house spirit’ about the farmer if they have been mistreated, and he will then be punished. (I like that one!)

All of these myths and many more have become tradition and are remembered, re-enacted or celebrated in December, mainly between Thomas Day (today, December 21st) and Epiphany (January 6th) – the so-called ‘Rauhnächte’ – varying greatly from region to region. The appropriate clothing, masks and paraphernalia are passed down through generations or carefully preserved by communities. I love the fact that so many truly ancient traditions are still alive here today, mostly with pagan origins, being then rearranged around Christian holidays and adapted or extended over the centuries. I am sure, though, that children nowadays are not tormented as much as my student was 50-odd years ago. 😉

And now some nicer images… of my garden on a frosty winter solstice day. 😃

(Click on any image to open a slideshow).

Wishing you a happy Solstice day.

❄️☀️❄️

In a Vase on Monday: A Winter Solstice Posy

It is the shortest day of the year, but also a Monday, so I am joining Cathy at Rambling in the Garden again for her Monday meme. Every week Cathy invites us to join her in putting some materials from our gardens into a vase and sharing it. Not easy at this time of year, so I dared to cut a flower off my newest Hellebore. 😉

My little pottery church tealight holder came from a Christmas market many years ago. And the tiny pottery vase was bought at another Christmas market one year, actually with snowdrops in mind. It contains a winter Hellebore flower, a Heuchera leaf and some silvery artemisia foliage to signify spring, a Scabiosa bud for summer, and an Allium seedhead and some Sporobulus grass for autumn. 😃

My thoughts are with all those separated from their families this Christmas. Wishing you all a wonderful, peaceful and happy Christmas, however you are celebrating!

🎄⭐️🤗

 

 

Wordless Wednesday: Advent Baking

Homemade mincemeat tart

🎄😃🎄

(Not) In a Vase on Monday: Advent Wreath

It is Monday again (where did last week go?) and time to join Cathy (Rambling in the Garden) for a vase. Instead of searching (quite possibly in vain) for something to cut today, I decided to have a go at making a wreath. The neighbouring farmer is very good to us and came over specially to bring me some ‘premium’ fir branches he had saved. Some spruce was cut down near us last week, but he insisted fir was better. After years of calling all evergreens ‘firs’ I am slowly learning to remember the difference. Living on the edge of the Bavarian Forest and having a small area of woodland too means I must make the effort! Having two languages as well as botanical names makes it a bit tricky. 😉

The finished wreath:

Well, thank goodness for YouTube videos as I immediately got the hang of it after watching one and the result was better than I had expected and certainly easier than attempts in previous years! We have no berries left for decorations, so I added some of my favourite little tree decorations and placed a new candle at the centre. Many people have four candles on their crowns, one for each sunday in Advent. But I chose one large candle I had in reserve for the middle.

There are such pretty candles in the shops and at the markets here at Christmas and I always buy far too many… I was so glad of this as I had plenty of unused ones in my ‘stash’ for this year. My decorations are mostly from the Christmas markets and this pewter one is one of my favourites…

Do you make a wreath or crown for Christmas? What materials do you use? And do you have a favourite Christmas decoration?

Wishing you all a lovely week full of little pleasures and joys as appropriate (and necessary) for the season!

🎄🥨🎄