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Herbs @ PathWalkers.Net - A Sunwheel Herb Garden: The Nine Sacred Herbs of Wisdom
an ideal site, garden, or harrow dedicated to the Allfather. It may be desirable to
perform the actual dedication ceremony at the breaking of ground.
Getting Started
First prepare the circle of earth where your Sunwheel will be. You may need to till
up grass and weeds, and clear the topsoil of any large rock particles. Check your
soil type - it will need to be fairly good, and you can correct poor soil by adding the
appropriate conditioners and fertilizers. Even if you have average garden soil, add
compost for nutrients and tilth.
Once your soil is ready, the Sunwheel can be formed with just about any common
garden marker, including bricks, railroad ties, rock, or even out of the soil itself.
However, for magical purposes it is recommended to use local cut rock or
hand-gathered stones or wood. It is possible to create the form based on the number
nine. Simply use sequences of three or nine when placing the markers, or make
sure the total number of pieces used is divisible by nine. For example, make each
spoke of the Sunwheel and each quadrant of the Sunwheel rim out of three rocks,
or nine.
Begin planting your herbs after the last frost, which usually falls in March or April,
depending on your region. The garden needs to receive full sun, which is at least
four to five hours of direct sunlight daily.
The Herbs
Crabapple - There the Apple accomplished it against poison that she (the loathsome
serpent) would never dwell in the Middle Garth.
Crabapple is a tree, of course, and not really an herb. However, the modern
definition of an herb is any plant with common use, be it culinary, medicinal,
household, or magical. As the only tree, the Crabapple should obviously be planted
in the center of the Sunwheel.
Order the tree from a nursery, at about one year of age. There are many different
varieties, just be sure you get one that produces fruit. Check its hardiness in your
area. Most nurseries and mail order companies have a zone chart which will
identify how well your tree will do in your area. If you are not sure, go to a local
nursery and ask. Most people don’t grow Crabapples for fruit anymore, but they
may have Crabapples in stock, or can order them for you.
Soak the roots of the tree in water with fish emulsion fertilizer, available at most
garden or home supply warehouses. Mix the fertilizer as recommended, usually
one teaspoon fish emulsion per gallon water for transplants. (Do this for all
transplanted plants.) Dig a hole in the center of the Sunwheel about one foot in
diameter, and the same in depth. Place the roots in the hole at a depth which will
just cover the roots, but do not encroach up the trunk very high. Just barely cover
the “root ball” at the base of the trunk, from which the roots start to extend. Cover
the roots with soil, pack down lightly, and water well. Crabapple will sap the
ground of nutrients, so you will need to fertilize the garden regularly.
You will likely need to prune the tree, especially if it has been shipped. Cut off any
broken branches or bows with pruning shears. Additionally, you will need to yearly
prune the branches back in late summer, and for instructions I will refer you to
Tree Planting Day, by Charles Spratling (this issue) and Rodale’s Organic Garden
Answers for Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs, which has a very good section on
pruning bearing trees.
Unfortunately, there is not much support in herblore for the common, lowly
Crabapple. It is not touted medicinally, nor for its fruit, which is nearly too bitter
for the palate. However, it is of note that there is archaeological evidence for the
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