A green witch will design her/his garden to what they hope to achieve and the available space they have to do it in. Also, look at your climate and altitude when planning your garden.
You can plant what herbs, flowers, and plants you will use the most, or plants that are specifically associated with the magickal arts. For example, gardenia could be sown for spiritual awareness; rosemary and lily improve willful focus, and so on.
You can also pattern your garden. There are many different symbols, styles, and patterns out there to choose from. An obvious pattern would be a pentagram. Other ideas are runes, hermetic emblems, a symbol honoring your personal god or goddess, even Egyptian hieroglyphs.
There are many different themes that you can use for planting your magickal garden. Here is a list of a few and their descriptions.Fairy Garden:
Work well on a small scale. For a general array of plants, those said to please the Fey you want to attract, include heather, clover, hawthorn, hazel, oak, ash, primrose, roses, straw, strawberries, and thyme. Whatever you plant should be set into a circle, making a beautiful fairy ring! If you want to attract a certain type of fairy, here are some ideas.Water Fairies:make sure to have a bird bath, fountain, or other water source in this garden. Flower and plant choices include: grapes, catnip, chamomile, spearmint, thyme, aster, birch, crocus, daffodil, daisy, foxglove, gardenia, heather, iris, lily, morning glory, mosses, pansy, and willow.Earth Fairies:
Rocks and rich soil help to make this garden. Flora choices include: alfalfa, mushroom, peas, sorrel, vervain, ferns, honeysuckle, ivy, magnolia, oleander, primrose, and tulips.
Air Fairies:Include a gathering of feathers or wind chimes in this garden. Choices for plants include: beans, mulberry, parsley, lemon grass, marjoram, mint, savory, sage, clover, dandelion, lavender, meadowsweet, pansy, and violet.Fire Fairies:Try to include some kind of solar imagery in this garden, perhaps a pot that features a sun in splendor. Choices for greenery include: chives, squash, sloe, basil, dill, garlic, lovage, rosemary, cactus, carnation, hawthorn, juniper, marigold, poppy, snapdragon, sunflowers, and thistle.Meditation Garden:Pattern for this would be like a Mandela, or other peace symbol. You can create this one two different ways. One way would be to use plants and flowers that visually, spiritually, and aromatically motivate or deepen your meditative state. Examples of this kind of flora are: hyacinth, magnolia, lavender, and gardenia, or any others that are you personal favorites. The second way to create this garden would be to make a Zen rock garden. This type is usually made of sand and various sized stones with only a few plants mingling in as the energy flow dictates. These kind are low maintenance, but remember that you can make designs in the sand to resemble ripples, symbols, etc.Dye Garden:If you’re interested in making your homemade dyes for your magickal wardrobe, grow things like dock (black), marigold (yellow and orange), broom (green), wode (indigo/blue), saffron (yellow), madder (yellow-green), zinnia (greenish-grey), and safflower (red).Aromatherapy Garden:This can be done two ways also. First you can create it as a sacred space where the energy of the aromatics lifts your spirits. If you do this, you want flowers and herbs geared towards your own personal needs. The second way would be to plant those herbs and flowers that you would use regularly in making your magickal oils, perfumes, incenses, and potpourris.Goddess/God Garden:For those that follow a specific deity, you can also dedicate your magickal garden to them. Place statues of them in the garden, preferably in the center. Around the statue or other form of resemblance of your deity, plant the herbs and flowers that are sacred to them. This is a good way to help you stay connected to your chosen deity as well as honor them.Moon Garden:A garden is a very different place under the enchantment of the moon. The moon is the mistress of magick, and the ancient rules of gardening fall mostly under her divine sway. The pale, ethereal scents and sounds of a moon garden give a quiet meditative bliss. These gardens unveil their beauty only at night. Flowers to include in a moon garden are: datura, nicotiana, jasmine, gardenia, camellias, white lilies, and pale poppies. These bloom at night and add pale lunar mystery throughout your garden.Sun Garden:A garden of this nature would have plants that represent the Sun and its life giving power. Plants to include in this garden are: sunflowers, marigolds, chrysanthemums, and heliotrope (this one is poisonous and should not be ingested, but planted in the garden, it banishes evil spirits and gloom).Water Garden:Water in a garden is the blood life—without it, you have a desert. Water spirits love to play in a garden that welcomes them. Water gardens bring emotional release, relaxation, meditative joy, deep psychic power, and loving healing. A spring or well is the most powerful water magick in a garden. Nymphs live in springs and wells form special gateways into the other world. If a small creek runs through your garden or if you are living near a pond, the watery powers that gently sweep physically and energetically through your garden are gentle and revitalizing. They take ill or dark energies into their watery embrace and replace them with calm and ease. If none of these watery energy sources are in your garden, then a small fountain, birdbath, or artificial fishpond is recommended. (Remember that certain fish, like koi (carp), are said to bring money.) This water source will be the “feeling heart” of your garden and should be kept up with clean vital water. Your water spot will be a great healing center for emotional and physical problems. Some plants to include in a water garden are: lemon balm, burdock, Solomon’s seal, cress, lotus, asters, water hyacinths, irises, willow trees, and birch trees.Fire Garden:Fire can also be honored in your garden theme. This would represent the Sun (another garden theme already mentioned) that is the basic energy of all living things. You can sow plants that honor Fire and that protect oneself from unwanted fire energy. Energy and power are needed for growth. A representation of Fire can be a fire pit, a lamp, a simple outdoor lantern, or a stone lantern (these are used in Asian gardens to balance the elemental feng-shui—to provide a balance of fire energy with the graceful water spot). Some plants that ward off fire are: St. John’s Wort, snapdragons, mistletoe, and the larch tree. Other plants, trees, and herbs to sow in your Fire Garden are: alder, ash, rowan, pine, oak, hawthorn, carnations, anemones, marigolds, yucca, fireweed, sunflowers, basil, bay, rosemary, peppermint, mullein, garlic, goldenseal, dill, and fennel.Love Garden:Flowers are the most powerful love magick, just ask anyone who courts a lady or the lady that is adored. Who would not want to have a garden that drew love to them. Flowers to include in a Love Garden are: roses (of course!), periwinkle, honeysuckle, columbine, pansies, daffodils, violets, lavender, bachelor’s buttons (for men), peppermint, marjoram, Lovage, ginseng, yarrow, rosemary, catnip, and basil. Some trees you can include are: almond, birch, beech, hawthorn, linden, myrtle, maple, and juniper.Healing Garden:Plants are, of course, the origin of almost all healing medicines. The garden in ancient times (and even today) functioned as Mother Nature’s pharmacy as well as her pantry. Millions of healing plants exist and still more are being found each day. Yet healing has always been an art that has focused on more than just the physical; the energies of the garden also promote healing of the spirit, the heart, and the mind as well as the body. Of course, simply sitting or lying in the garden will help heal you. Prepare a light herbal tea, inhale the perfume from a healing flower or herb, and let Mother Nature fill you with her healing touch. Here are some herbs and plants to include in a Healing Garden: St. John’s Wort, lemon balm, burdock, fennel, garlic, mullein, horehound, peppermint, red carnations, honeysuckle, white carnations, red geraniums, gardenias, rowan tree, ash tree, birch tree, and oak tree.As you can see, there is no limit as to how you can create your garden! There are Lucky Gardens, Ghostly Gardens, Money Gardens, Friendly Gardens, and more
