Holistic Apothecary Weekly Challenge Entry

[Susurrus]

Good morning. I have been working on this challenge for a little bit yesterday & this morning. I have a lot of pictures to show what I have been up to.

I recently put all of my herbs that are in my witchy space into labeled jars. I have 3 different styles of labels, but they all have the name of the herb/flower & a quick list of their uses. I have a shelf in my room that was made by my son in woodshop & I stained it at home & I have a cabinet on my wall from my grandmother’s house that I put things inside & on top of to store them. I also have the greenhouse started with some flowers & herbs & vegetables outside.

In the greenhouse, we have Carrots, Green Beans, Red & Yellow Peppers, Winter Thyme, Kitchen Herbs (I can’t wait to use the iNaturalist app to identify them once they start popping up. Thank you @Jewitch), Tropical Hibiscus, Raspberry Bush, Lilac Bush, Strawberries, Nasturtium, Forget Me Nots, Wild Flowers, Day Lilies & in the actual garden right now there is only Lemon Balm sprouting.

In my yard I found Celandine. I was curious because they look like miniature daffodils but they open up all the way. I found out that they are actually part of the buttercup family. It is also good for Legal Help, Escape, Protection, & Happiness.

As for what I have on my shelves & in my witchy space:

Lavender
Chamomile
Gingko Leaf
Witch’s Grass
Black Sand
Dill
Bay Leaf
Basil
Rosemary
Rose
Calendula
Wormwood
Mugwort
St. John’s Wort
Hibiscus
Comfrey Leaf
Catnip
Echinacea
Sea Salt
Dead Sea Salt
Epsom Salt
Pink Himalayan Salt
Oats
Rice
Witch Hazel
Dill
Rue
Nettle
Hyssop
Red Clover
Dandelion
Sage
Clove

I have attached pictures of my greenhouse, garden, shelf, & cabinet.

In the cabinet I have the elemental sprays & oils, Harmonizing Oil, Full Moon Anointing Oil, & Florida Water.

I have a packet of Astragulus Root. This is good for Health, Balance, & Peace.

On my altar, I keep Scott Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs to look up anything I may find. I also reference Herb Substitutes, Properties, & Old Herb Names if I am on my laptop away from the book. Both are great resources for this information.

Weekly Witchy CHALLENGE - Holistic Magick: A Witch’s Apothecary

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I hope everyone has a great week & enjoys this challenge as much as I did!

[Jewitch]

I may have to get one of those greenhouses to pop up and use as my own! My parents are in the process of planning a greenhouse they’re going to build, but I’m not sure if it’ll be big enough for all the stuff they’re planning and all the stuff I want to grow!

I love the iNaturalist app, but I also have a hard time trusting technology, so I just use it as a starting place to help me quickly narrow in on what the plants could be, and then I use other sources to verify the identification.

I LOVE the shelves and jars! I feel like you and I have very similar aesthetics

[Susurrus]

I have a friend that owns her own landscaping business & is a green witch, so I sort of do the same thing. If she isn’t readily available I will use the app. If she is home then I will use the app then check it with her to see if they are on the same page. It works out great.

Thank you! A tip for the smaller, pop up greenhouse; make sure you anchor the corners & the actual plastic to the corners. If it’s windy or gusty the air will lift it & flip it. That’s what happened to ours. We have rebar in the corners & the greenhouse is attached with Gorilla Tape to keep it on the ground. Also, make sure that when you close it, the door is closed to the ground or air will get in & defeats the purpose of the warm air & humidity in there. If you want I can send you pictures of what I am talking about, but so far it has held in place through a couple of windy/gusty days.

I collect jars of all kinds. Basically if they look interesting I will keep them. It makes me happy that you love them! Similar aesthetics isn’t a bad thing. I love the dark wood on the light walls & room.

[MeganB]

That all looks wonderful! I am a bit jealous of your collection of plants as I haven’t had the funds or space to make my collection grow yet. I also love that greenhouse! If I were to have something like that here in Florida I’m afraid it would blow away!

Thank you for sharing your beautiful spaces and plants!

[Susurrus]

Oh, you’re welcome. I’m happy that you enjoyed it so much! I think you would really have to reinforce the greenhouse in FL. My father lives there & the weather can be a bit touchy. Lol, but that’s why we had to put the rebar in the ground & attach it to the cover. I will have to take a picture of the back, but the first day we had it up there was a lot of wind & it came up & off the frame & was in my neighbor’s backyard. So we found some clear plastic to patch up the tear & use Gorilla Tape on it to keep it sealed. Then we buried the rebar about 3 feet into the ground & attached them to the frame & plastic to keep them down.

I grew a lot last year & my friend gives me some of her herbs when she has extras. Some of them I got with different crafting kits or purchases for things I’m making online. It’s been a steady collection over time.

[MeganB]

Yeah, I think you’re right It would definitely take some reinforcement. Sometimes the wind can make things go everywhere, especially during hurricane season!

[IrisW]

That looks amazing @Susurrus, I have plant envy!

Well I’ve done a little research and as I don’t have much at the moment I’ve ordered a selection kit of herbs from Etsy which will hopefully give me a good base to start from. It includes some more palo santo, sage smudge sticks and a Green Witch spell book to add to my mini library so I’m excited!

[IrisW]

Just had a thought, I’ve got a conservatory so that may well be perfect for growing things in the absence of a greenhouse, I’ll do a little reading… Must confess I’m not terribly green-fingered. I’ve had a cactus since I was a teenager that’s survived mainly because they seem to thrive on neglect…

[Susurrus]

Thank you! My first herbs were a small “kit” from online too & I built from there.

This is my small library of witchy books. I have another book on Irish Paganism coming & a couple that are on order for their release dates. It will all.come together & in time you will have a wonderful library & apothecary! If you have questions just ask away!

@MeganB that’s exactly what I was thinking of, the hurricane season!

[IrisW]

Your post reminded me that I hadn’t added my tarot book to my library.

Now done so there is more space in the box that was housing it for my growing collection of witchy things.

Bought this beautiful handmade mini besom which makes a very fitting rainbow addition to my altar. I’ve added the feathers from my cockatiels’ cage

[Garnet]

Very nice. How Clever!

[Susurrus]

I love it! It’s gorgeous! I hope it serves you well!

@Garnet thank you

[christina4]

That’s beautiful

[christina4]

Lovely collection!

[christina4]

Wow! I might have to order a batch or two off you!!! Lol nj

[AliceInWonderdab]

Oh my goodness girl!!! This is bliss

[AliceInWonderdab]

Oh I love this so much!!! Where did you find it? I wish I knew how to make these

[AliceInWonderdab]

I love jars of any type I’m such a magpie

[IrisW]

I actually found it on Amazon but from a small jewellery company. I’m trying really hard to support smaller businesses when I’m sourcing things

[Liisa]

OMG! Green fingered witch goals right here You’re so organised and it’s all labelled so beautifully <3