Rating: 
Summary: yay!
Review: dugan's book is a basic, broad collection of practical gardening tips, lore and herbal/garden magic. i found it fairly helpful, since i'm new to the realm of magic, in coordinating gardening practices and magical ones. however, i'm not new to gardening and would recommend that those who are new acquire books that deal specifically with gardening, whether on veggies, herbs, fruit trees, etc. one thing that i appreciated was that the lists of common herbs, flowers, and trees for her area (missiouri) corresponded quite nicely to my area's native plants, with a few exceptions. i must admit that although i am still searching for that "perfect" herb/garden book filled with practical tips, regional lore and magical hints, dugan's book has helped pacify my craving for now.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Book but not for experienced gardeners
Review: Ellen Dugan has written a very entertaining book, but I wouldn't suggest it as something to garden by. She leaves out some very important information on the plants she suggests. An example would be her recommendations for shade gardening, while the plants she list will indeed grow in shade, she neglects to mention the soil conditions required for those plants. Shaded areas can vary from bone dry to boggy and if you plant a fern or cardinal flower in a bone dry area failure is certain unless you plan to water constantly to keep the area moist. The other concern is that some of the plants that she recommends are highly invasive, mints (which should always be container grown!!), ivy, morning glories and periwinkle! These plants can over take entire gardens in a short amount of time. Check with your local master gardeners to be sure that these plants aren't listed in the noxious weeds list in your area. If you are going to follow her suggestions make certain that you research the plants that you choose, nothing is more disappointing then buying new plants and then killing them by accident!
Rating: 
Summary: Crafty ideas.....
Review: Ellen Dugan holds 'Master Gardener' status through the University of Missouri and according to her bio has many years of nursery and gardening experience. She is also clairvoyant and a witch with a sense of humor. As she is raising three teenagers all these skills are useful. Dugan's book is a "user-friendly" introduction and guide to witchcraft. GARDEN WITCHERY is also a great resource for mothers and aunts and anyone else interested in fun-filled ideas for creating special gardens, places for divination and spell casting, Sabat holiday decor, and other pagan treats that can be enjoyed by adults and children alike. Many of her suggestions, such as dying Easter Eggs with red cabbage leaves, can be found elsewhere, but Dugan is a practical witch and suggests it is not un-witchlike to buy Easter Egg dye. She uses natural materials at hand for many of her projects, but she recommends craft stores and yard sales as great places to stock up on supplies such as orange lights for Samhain or plastic colored eggs for Ostara. Dugan not only provides the instructions for making and using many scented items, she includes some suggestions for growing the ingredients-although this is not a gardening book per se. I grow many of the herbs she recommends, and can testify it isn't hard to maintain pots of lavender, scented geraniums, and other plants on a patio, porch, or balcony-as long as you have adequate sun and remember to water them occasionally. And, it is extremely rewarding to make sachets and other scented items with plant material you grew yourself. If you intend to use Dugan's recipes and want to grow your own ingredients, however, buy a good gardening book such as Rodale's ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HERBS which includes detailed information about the cultivation and uses of herbs (as well as how to grow them organically AND when they are noxious!!). Although Dugan has many nifty ideas about gardening, the one concern I have concerning her advice is her recommended use of pesticides. This is quite ironic as she lists "eagle watching" as a fall pastime her family enjoys. If you can skip the poisons (some witches do use them) and stick to her other suggestions, this is a nifty source for many child-centered or adult "fun" activities.
Rating:
Summary: Working a Magickal Garden
Review: Ellen Dugan is a Master Gardner received from the University of Missouri and has many years experience in nurseries and gardens. In this book, Ms. Dugan gives us the basics of gardening and she does it well. Ms. Dugan is also a Witch, and her gardening techniques include the basics of craft correspondences and practices. Discussions include seasonal plantings, using trees, herbs and plants to enhance your yard, garden and home. Included are histories behind plants and trees and the associations with our holidays, folklore and even faerys making this a well rounded guide. There are some nice correspondence tables for everything from tree and flower magic and meanings to suggested layouts for your beginning gardens. This book is nicely researched and includes practical material for both the beginners and seasoned gardeners alike. There are also special little "magickal" additions to be had in the book. From charm bags, to garden supplies,to bath salts with herbal additions from your garden, Ms. Dugan has included many nice additions to make this an all around garden book. There is a table of contents, an index, a glossary, a nice bibliography and even a gardening journal for you to keep notes. The illustrations by Kerigwen are are simply icing on the cake. This is a nice volume on witchy gardening, and is intelligent in its approach while being easy to use and a good overall reference book.
Rating:
Summary: Crafty Gardening
Review: Garden Witchery is a great how to do it book. The authors Humor carries the Book. Her antecdotal style both makes you think and laugh out loud. If you are new to the Craft or just like to Garden you will like this book.
Rating:
Summary: Informative and Pragmatic
Review: I also would like to disagree with the reader from Jersey who completely slammed Garden Witchery. As a gardener with a couple years experience, I found this book to be quite useful. This book includes help/ideas on how to plan a garden, it goes over the different types of gardens, has info on pH levels in soil, fertilization, how to take care of your garden (i.e. pruning, dead-heading, etc.) and also includes fun "magical" correspondences to plants, flowers and trees. If you love to garden, you will enjoy this book, even if you're not into the whole "magical" aspect of it all. Even then, that information is at least fun and interesting to read. Honestly, when I was finished with the book, I wanted to run out and plant pumpkins! Read the book- you'll see...
Rating:
Summary: Clever and imaginative book
Review: I had to post this review after seeing the latest one from "The Reader" in Jersey. I totally disagree with you on this book. It was wonderful! I thought that Garden Witchery had plenty of solid and practical magical gardening information. It is light, funny and I learned quite a bit from this book.
As a gardener for more than 20 years, I found the information that was presented to be useful for both ordinary, and magical gardeners. This is a thorough gardening book that even discusses cold hardiness zones, soil and shade requirements. The chapter on the faeries was great and I really enjoyed the tips, tricks and plant recomendations. The gardening journal is a nice bonus.
If you are looking for a fun, clever and magical book to read this summer, this would be the one to try.
Rating:
Summary: Clever and imaginative book
Review: I had to post this review after seeing the latest one from "The Reader" in Jersey. I totally disagree with you on this book. It was wonderful! I thought that Garden Witchery had plenty of solid and practical magical gardening information. It is light, funny and I learned quite a bit from this book.
As a gardener for more than 20 years, I found the information that was presented to be useful for both ordinary, and magical gardeners. This is a thorough gardening book that even discusses cold hardiness zones, soil and shade requirements. The chapter on the faeries was great and I really enjoyed the tips, tricks and plant recomendations. The gardening journal is a nice bonus.
If you are looking for a fun, clever and magical book to read this summer, this would be the one to try.
Rating:
Summary: So far, so good
Review: I haven't gotten all the way thru this book yet, but I have to say that so far I like it. The main thing I like is that it's not boring! I like the author's way of writing and the book just has a magical feel to it. Makes me want to make something more of my garden and yard. Yes, it's from Llewllyn (sp?), but don't let that discourage you. If you're well practiced, it's old hat for you and is a nice refresher. If you're new to it, it's pretty entertaining. Remember, all of this should be taken w/a grain of salt and you are ultimately the one who decides if you like it or not.
Rating:
Summary: So far, so good
Review: I haven't gotten all the way thru this book yet, but I have to say that so far I like it. The main thing I like is that it's not boring! I like the author's way of writing and the book just has a magical feel to it. Makes me want to make something more of my garden and yard. Yes, it's from Llewllyn (sp?), but don't let that discourage you. If you're well practiced, it's old hat for you and is a nice refresher. If you're new to it, it's pretty entertaining. Remember, all of this should be taken w/a grain of salt and you are ultimately the one who decides if you like it or not.
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