I live in Algonquin territory above the Great Lakes where bearwalkers are evil sorcerers who can curse and shapeshift into a bear, an owl, or a ball of light.
Yarrow (achillea millefolium) is used by many peoples to repel and protect from witches and evil spirits.
In addition to the TWENTY FIVE STRAWBERRY SEEDLINGS that I've managed to get started (when west coast seeds says something has a high germination rate they are not fucking around), my Colorado Mix Yarrow is moving along pretty well! I'm so excited to see what colours these dudes will be. :DD
Garden log 3/31: Things I'll take credit for but have put no effort into this year
Yarrow is thriving, blooming already. I think I've succeeded at using/camouflaging that stump in the middle of the garden, finally, by covering it in perennial flowers with dense greenery.
Oregano, escaping from under the herb bed. She's thriving; I see no downsides.
Some of my seeds seem to be coming up! I saw some foliage that looks like baby Yarrow by the street (or at least I hope it's the yarrow), and the Baby Blue Eyes leaves are popping up! Looks like all that sowing in the rain may have done something after all.
The Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is a wildflower found all over Eurasia and North America. This plant attracts pollinators as well as hoverflies, whose larvae feed off insect pests like aphids.
The leaves and flowers have a plethora of uses in herbal medicine in both European and Native American traditions, but surprisingly these claims are not well supported by medical research. The most famous use is to help heal wounds and there are some medical studies suggesting the crushed herb does have antibacterial properties.
In these modern times it’s definitely safer to use sterile dressings and topical antibiotic creams on wounds, but our ancestors used yarrow since their options were limited.
A weed is a highly successful plant that shares a close relationship with humans. In many instances, weeds are seen as nuisance plants, interfering with the goals and intentions we have for a piece of land. In natural areas, they are blamed for, among other things, threatening the existence of the native flora, despite the fact that human activity and disturbance brought them there in the first…