Gothic Gardening: Theme Gardens

Gardening for the Fey

Let's get one thing straight here, fairies are not cute. Shakespeare made them seem cute, and Disney finished off the job (sorry, Heather, but it's true). The Fey are capricious, mischievous, arrogant, menacing, and sometimes downright evil and dangerous to humans. The Fey include elves, fairies, gnomes, trolls, goblins, and a host of other supernatural beings who are somewhere 'between men and angels'. Almost all of these beings have a very close connection to nature.

Rosemary

Sicilians thought that this was a favorite plant of the fairies, and that young fairies would take the form of snakes and lie amongst the branches, and the baby fairies would sleep in the flowers.

Ragwort

Also known as St. John's Wort, this plant has a strong connection with the fey. In Ireland, it's called Fairy's horse, since supposedly fairies would ride through the air on it. Leprechauns are supposed to have buried their treasure underneath the roots of this plant. And on the Isle of Man, there is the belief that if you stepped upon a ragwort plant on St. John's eve after sunset, a fairy horse would spring up out of the earth and carry you off until sunrise, at which time it would leave you wherever you happened to be.

Elder

Almost all trees are home to some sort of elven kind, including elm, oak, willow, yew, fir, holly, etc. However, elder trees have the highest elf population. The Elder Mother who dwells within the tree is very protective of her domain, and it is taboo to cut part of the tree without asking her permission first. Stories tell of the Elder Mother tormenting children who were in cradles of elderwood (which had not been asked for) by pulling them by the legs. The chant for asking permission is:

Old Woman, Old Woman,
Give me some of your wood
And when I am dead
I'll give you some of mine

And if you stand under an elder tree at midnight on Midsummer eve in Denmark, you will see Toly, the King of the Elves, go by.

Oak

In Germany, this is the fairies' favorite dwelling place, and they are especially fond of dancing around it.

Barley

A common grain, but one of the main foods of the fairy. Fairies would often borrow oatmeal from storehouses, and returned a double measure of barley as repayment.

Silverweed

Also known as silver cinquefoil, the roots of this plant were another of the fairies' favorite foods, which they called brisgein. However, it likes to grow in marshy areas, so cultivating it might be a problem.

Heather

This is another of the fairies' favorite foods.

Wild Thyme

Another herb that was thought to be home to fairies, since they liked the aromatic flowers, and spend their leisure time among them. If you picked the flowers from a patch of wild thyme where the little folk did live, and placed them on your eyes, you would be able to see the fey.

Cowslip

This flower is also known as Fairy Cups in Lincolnshire, and was often a hiding place for frightened fairies. At dawn, as the light shines on the dewdrops, the fairies "hang a pearl in every cowslip's ear."

Ferns

This plant was guarded by Oberon on Midsummer night, since this is when the fern would flower--a beautiful sapphire blue--and Oberon wanted to prevent mortals from obtaining the fern seed. If you managed to collect it despite him, you would be under the protection of spirits, and while you carried the seed it would render you invisible.

Clover

Finding a four-leafed clover grants you a wish, and gives you the power to see the fairies dancing in their fairy rings. This is also the main ingredient of fairy ointment, which gives you the power to penetrate the fairies' glamour and see them as they truly are. Be careful, though: if you unknowingly carry a four-leafed clover (in a bundle of grass) the fairies have the power to enchant you.

Foxglove

The flowers serve as petticoats for the fairies and in Ireland, they serve as fairies' gloves. Also, flowers are used as thimbles when fairies mend their clothing.

Furze Bushes

The cobwebs collected on its branches are used to make fairies' mantles.

Stichwort

In Devonshire, people do not pick this for fear they be "pixy led." Held in special honor by fairies.

Strawberries

In Bavaria, fairies are very fond of strawberries and peasants will tie a basket of them between cows' horns to assure an abundance of milk.

Rose

In Germany and Scandinavia, this plant is under special protection of dwarfs and elves, both who are ruled by King Laurin, Lord of the Rose Garden.

Cabbage stalks

Also serve as transportation for fairies, who ride these like horses.

Cuscuta Epithymum

In Jersey, known as "Fairies' Hair."

Peziza Coccinea

Used for fairies' hats.

Elecampane

In Denmark, this is known as 'Elf-Dock'.

Toadstools

These are thought to be 'Stylized Pixy Stools' and in the north of Wales are called 'Fairy Tables'.

Pyrus Japonica

Used as kindling for fairy fires.

Tulips

The flowers are used as cradles for fairy children. A folktale from Devon tells of a woman who grew many tulips in her garden because she once went out at night and saw the babes sleeping in them. After she died, the man who moved into her cottage dug up all the tulips because he thought they were useless, and instead planted vegetables and parsley. This so enraged the fairies that every night they would dance on the vegetables and tear their roots out of the ground and shred the parsley leaves. Only on the woman's grave were the tulips still big and beautiful and fragrant. In time, though, the grave became forgotten, the tulips were trampled, and the fairies withdrew far away. Since then, tulips have lost their size and splendor.

Wood Anemone

Shelters fairies in wet weather.

Wood Sorrel

From Wales, its white flowers are known as "fairy bells" and are used to summon fairies to their reveries.

Mallow

The fruit of this plant is called "Fairy Cheeses" in the North of England.

Nightwort

Evil elves prepare poison in this plant. It is also one of the sacred plants of the Dutch Alven, along with elf-leaf, which they watered and strengthened against the coming day. The Alven would sicken or kill people or cattle that touched the plants.

Globe Flower

Also called the "Troll Flower", trolls are supposed to unlock the flower at night and drop venom in the cup to poison dairymaids and herdsmen.

Hawthorn

In Brittany and Ireland, also called "Fairy Thorn", this tree is the trysting place of fairies. To pick a branch or leaf from a hawthorn is to court the displeasure of the fairies.

Wormwood

This is 'Dian's Bud' which Oberon used to remove the enchantment from Titania. Wormwood is also protection against the Rusalky of Russia, who will tickle you to death if they find you in the woods without some of this in your pockets.

Flax

The flowers are not only protection against sorcery, but also are beloved of Queen Hulda, who leads a procession through the valley between Kroppbuhl and Unterlassen while the flax is blooming. Fairy-flax is used by the fairies to weave all their linen. Poludnitsa, the Noon Woman, interrogates women she finds in the flax fields at noon, to make sure they know how to cultivate and spin flax. If they answer incorrectly, she kills them.

To prepare a sleeping place for Queen Titania, you should plant these flowers: 'Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows, Quite over-canopied with lush woodbine, With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine. There sleeps Titania sometime of the night Lull'd in these flowers with dances and delight.'

Any fruit out of season or remaining after the harvest is the property of the fairies. In the West of England, strays are left to assure fairy goodwill. Fairies, like witches, don't like yellow flowers and will go out of their way to avoid them.

Many thanks to my gothic garden researcher, Anagram.....

And for the less dark side of the fae, visit The Faery Garden, a much more complete page than this....