resurrection

seeds, Easter, and a mikveh

Photo by Alberto Bigoni on Unsplash

The lion of March has pounced, magnificent in its fierceness. The tension that comes with prolonged unseasonably warm weather in late winter has eased this week. Twice I have had the pleasure of walking in an early spring snowstorm, relishing the drifting white and the tiny slap of the feather-soft flakes against my warm cheeks, the pretty contrast of the delicate flakes against my winter darkened hair. Temperatures plunged, sheeting the pond in ice again and rumpling the feathers of the red-winged black bird that has claimed the crab apple tree by our mailbox as her nesting site. Winter likes to remind us that she hasn’t loosened her grip completely, not yet. Warm inside the house I lift the heavy paper covering the last of my seeds. Several times this year I have had to replant. Bad seeds, or less than optimal conditions, keeping my tiny gift-wrapped hope-for-spring curled tightly inside their packages. Jalapenos, usually so eager to grow, and pansies, St. John’s wort, parsley, dill and angelica are the last seeds to be replanted. Daily I water, the skrinch skrinch skrinch of my spray bottle a meditative accompaniment to my seedling care routine, eagerness usually lowering into a patient disappointment as I watch the surface of the potting soil, hoping for a pale, folded green stem to be revealed by the gentle wash of water. Until, at last, the thrill of seeing the newborn plant emerging from it’s soil womb, watching it shake off it’s embryonic covering and unfurl brave and hungry leaves to the welcoming kiss of the sun. I never tire of this ordinary miracle.

Since I rarely trust the tiniest seeds to germinate well (a prejudice based on past experience) I over planted chamomile and mugwort—and, of course, they all grew. These are two of the more difficult plants to grow. Their seeds are so tiny, especially chamomile, their seedlings hair-fine and desperately fragile when they emerge. After failing completely to keep chamomile seedlings alive the first year, I tried keeping them in a makeshift windowsill greenhouse formed from an upcycled store bought baby greens container. This worked so well I’ve done it every year since, with consistent results. Mugwort is tricky because it has to be cold stratified in the fridge for two weeks before being placed in the sun to light germinate. Of the many herbs I had decided to try growing this year, mugwort was the one I most wanted to grow successfully. Also called motherwort, it is known as the witch’s herb because of it’s strong medicinal properties, especially for women¹. Imagine my delight when I started seeing the first peeping shoots. One, then five, then an entire miniature forest of baby mugwort. Apparently, it’s easy to grow once cold stratified, often thriving in even poor soil. A native of Europe, it’s considered an invasive species in the United States and often pulled as a weed (a close cousin of ragweed, the flowers can greatly irritate those with seasonal allergies). I need to pick a spot away from the rest of my garden and let them take over. This will be exciting, but for now they are still small, growing in their protected container on my windowsill, drinking in the sunlight and my artificial rain.

Today the sun regained it’s strength and melted the snow everywhere but in the deepest shade. The girls and I spent the afternoon outside, just walking and walking. I spent some time in my garden as well, digging out a stubborn tree that has been trying to grow in an area where I am intending to expand my garden, and plotting where to plant my herbs. Chamomile can take over my one herb bed this year, it’s in a partly sunny spot that is perfect for it. Lemon balm also likes that partly shady spot, and pennyroyal should too. The lavender and bergamot will need full sun. On a whim I planted a lot of extra thyme, and now I have learned that it is anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant boosting². Chamomile and mugwort for calming, thyme for easing inflammatory responses, mugwort for clarity of mind, stress relief, digestive health, and balancing of female cycles. I feel that I have been given exactly what I need this year.