Elder

I've recently had the enormous pleasure of welcoming a wonderful addition to the Hedgewitch herb garden .. a beautiful young elder tree, which had obligingly seeded it itself into a tub behind our house.

It is small enough that I think it has a good few years before it becomes too large for the roof garden, and it is covered with little flowerbuds. Many of the local elder trees are already in bloom, so I'm looking forward to seeing the first blossom on the Hedgewitch tree sometime soon.

This tree is steeped in folk-lore and is a fount of mystery and medicine. I have been collecting elderflowers for years, and am so delighted to be able to have my very own elder growing amongst the herbs in my garden. Further information on the Elder can be found on the Earth and Tree blog where I have posted an information sheet and directions for making elderflower tea.

Needless to say, I wasted no time in trying a leaf to take impressions and was pleased to see that it works very well - a more subtle impression than some of the herbs with more ribbed leaf construction, but perhaps the more beautiful for this?