The Country Witch's Cottage

22/12/2025

Repotting the mandrakes (no they didn't scream 😂). This was the third one and largest of the three, the pot it's sitting on is about 50cm across. Realistically they should be larger but the bins they were in became quite compacted and I hadn't redone them the past couple of years. These mandrakes (mandragora turcomanica) are about seven years old; hopefully repotting them gives them some growth.

The ones I grew a couple of months ago from seed survived damage from the supercell. They're looking less than fantastic but soon I'll put them in slightly bigger pots, possibly sell them on to new homes. I will also at some point get the seeds listed somewhere for sale.

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24/11/2025

Our street after the freak supercell Saturday, it looked like a winter storm had hit. The hail was quite deep, there is a road, gutters and the front yards of houses under all of that. The devastation left in its wake is going to take time to clear up. They're saying this is the most extreme weather event in my town's recent memory.

23/11/2025

Mother Nature reigns destruction in a freak weather event.

19/11/2025

I had such plans for this month, I was looking forward to no more markets til next year, getting stuck into the garden, working on some new products.....but alas, as it often does in my life - when things seem to be going well, I get derailed.

After the market at the start of this month both Hunbun and I ended up incredibly sick. I'm talking sore skin, body aches, congestion and constant coughing. We both had very bad viral infections. Hunbun recovered a lot faster, he seems to bounce back from these things quickly but me? Not so much. I'm still recovering, PVFS makes it harder but I'll get there.

The more depressing part is I lost a lot of seedlings I repotted. Being sick meant I could only manage bare minimum watering and not much else; I'll plant new seeds of some things and see how I go.

Such is life but isn't that surprise sweet pea that popped up in my garden gorgeous?

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18/11/2025

I had hoped this would be done sooner but I am back to having a functioning website. I am slowly adding the herbs to it, and other things as and when I get to it. Unfortunately I got really sick after the last market so the past almost 3 weeks have been spent quite ill. If there are any kinks with the website, please let me know, hopefully I will have the Resource Pages on there soon.

Old World Hedgewitchery & Folk Magic Crafts creating darkly delightful small batch handcrafted wares

05/11/2025

"An iron cauldron which is believed to have been sealed inside the walls of a Victorian house more than a century ago to ward off evil spirits has gone on display in Leeds."

https://tinyurl.com/prs6v979

31/10/2025

28/10/2025

"Could curses k*ll, as doth the mandrake’s groan"

Mandragora....the root of legend, spoken of with hushed tones and reverence. It is legendary in the Witch's world, a bane with countless lore and myth attached. I have five of my own plants, three different types within that five  - officinalis, autumnalis and turcomanica. Of the three varieties, the latter is considered rare and the one I have the most of.

Recently I decided to test seed I had harvested over the years. I divided them into groups 1, 2 and 3 and planted four seeds from each group after treating overnight in GA3. All four seeds from groups 1 and 2 have germinated (the last of group 1 had started sprouting this morning). So far none from group 3 but it was the first lot of seed I ever harvested and is a few years old now but I remain hopeful, mandrake can be finicky. Now that I know seeds from groups 1 and 2 will germinate, I will be listing them for sale in the future. Also, likely the plants too when they have some growth on them; we just have to get them through summer.

24/10/2025

Rose love! They're all currently in bloom and looking stunning.

18/10/2025

It's getting closer! This event is going to be amazing, set in a gorgeous location with so many things to look at, buy and learn from. Make sure you mark it on your calendars!!

After one day of medieval goodness, going home was such a letdown.

She wanted to go back, if only to wear the new gown she had bought that day.

He wanted to go back because he was thinking about signing up with the re-enactment group he’d spent most of the day with.

The kids? They plain didn’t want to leave at all!

Such a shame they couldn’t stay, bring the tent, camp onsite, and really feel that medieval
vibe for the whole event.

Or could they?

Could they pack the car full of blankets and canvas and stay?
Turns out, they could.

Book your camp site at Wirrina Cove Holiday Park
Early bird fair tickets available soon!

18/10/2025

Day 2 at Yorke Medieval and Psychic Fair, come say hi at Arthurton!