What do you think?
Rate this book
Kew
El huerto de las brujas
* Sanadores, boticarios, hechiceros, herboristas... con independencia del nombre, lo cierto es que hace milenios que se cultivan plantas por sus fabulosas propiedades místicas y curativas.
* Describe más de medio centenar de las principales plantas empleadas para la magia, así como sus diversas aplicaciones tanto legendarias como demostradas.
* Desde el chillido de la mandrágora a la calma que produce la hierba de san Juan, la historia de estas especies esotéricas es muchas veces tan oscura y huidiza como el propio arte de la herbología.
Se narran anécdotas sobre todo tipo de contra el mal tiempo, contra el mal de amor, para proteger del mal o incluso para lograr la inmortalidad.
Acompañan a estas anécdotas exquisitas ilustraciones botánicas, imágenes de algunos de los especímenes más fascinantes que se conservan en el archivo de los Royal Botanic Gardens de Kew y antiguas representaciones de prácticas ocultistas que evocan la relación con la brujería de estas misteriosas especies.
* Describe más de medio centenar de las principales plantas empleadas para la magia, así como sus diversas aplicaciones tanto legendarias como demostradas.
* Desde el chillido de la mandrágora a la calma que produce la hierba de san Juan, la historia de estas especies esotéricas es muchas veces tan oscura y huidiza como el propio arte de la herbología.
Se narran anécdotas sobre todo tipo de contra el mal tiempo, contra el mal de amor, para proteger del mal o incluso para lograr la inmortalidad.
Acompañan a estas anécdotas exquisitas ilustraciones botánicas, imágenes de algunos de los especímenes más fascinantes que se conservan en el archivo de los Royal Botanic Gardens de Kew y antiguas representaciones de prácticas ocultistas que evocan la relación con la brujería de estas misteriosas especies.
Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2020
101 people are currently reading
1605 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
December 24, 2020
If you like plants, folklore and history, you'll enjoy this book! Loved the combination of illustrations and photographs which really brought the prose sections to life
March 7, 2023
The content was good, interesting, but the title really doesn’t warrant the witchy title. It’s basically a history of how the herbs and plants grown at Kew have been used in medicine. It wasn’t very detailed, so a bit disappointing.
April 6, 2024
This book is misnamed, in fact I’m almost certain it was written under the concept of “the healer’s garden” and then changed to “the witch’s garden” to capitalise on the trend for all things witchy.
This is mostly descriptions of the medical history of plants, mainly from herbals written by men. It’s well written and interesting(!) but I felt misled by the lack of witching and women’s history.
This is mostly descriptions of the medical history of plants, mainly from herbals written by men. It’s well written and interesting(!) but I felt misled by the lack of witching and women’s history.
April 19, 2021
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Such wonderful insight into herbal medical history, beautiful illustrations and just absolutely fascinating.
December 20, 2024
This book feels like you're walking through an exhibition looking at plants in a forest. Despite the title there is very little mentioned about witch's and witchcraft but I still learnt quite a bit!
My overall rating of 2.5 stars would have been higher if not for that one page about fly agaric :(
My overall rating of 2.5 stars would have been higher if not for that one page about fly agaric :(
May 19, 2025
TAN BONITO😭 me ha encantado
June 11, 2025
nice (if a little shallow) overview of the most common plants and their historical uses but not really "witchy" or actually focused on gardening and application
July 1, 2023
Lovely illustrations and a good introduction to plant lore. Has very little to do with Witchcraft however, but a pretty book and a nice addition to the bookshelf.
February 14, 2024
Perfect if your interested in plants and folklore with the odd witchy reference. Really interesting!
January 18, 2024
An easy book to pick up and put down with beautiful illustrations. A great introduction into how plants and herbs have evolved medicinally throughout history, involvement with withcraft and interpreted through mythology and folklore all over the world. Some mind blowing stories and facts that sometimes made me laugh out loud that I had to share with friends. I plan on reading more from the Kew series!
February 4, 2024
Very interesting in a slightly dull sort of way.
May 11, 2023
This is a beautiful book. The colours, images and illustrations make reading fun and it feels like you are travelling through time. I also enjoyed the formatting of the writing, which I haven’t really ever considered before, but it’s formatting made it much easier for me to read (although it could be too busy for some people).
I realise this book is more of a fun starting point for plant lore/history, I learned lots of new things, but found it lacking in depth in places. I also feel like I cannot rely on the information I read because of two errors I found in the book.
1. Mugwort (which is the number one witch herb) was given the latin name Artemisia Absinthium, which is incorrect, that is the latin name for Wormwood. Mugwort’s latin name is Artemisia Vulgaris. In later mentions of Mugwort in the book the latin name was correct.
2. It states that the mushroom Fly Agaric (Amanita Muscaria) grows with beech trees. This species is a symbiotic mushroom, meaning it needs a relationship with another organism to grow. Fly Agaric requires either Birch or Pine to grow, not beech!
Other than these errors, which really did frustrate me, I enjoyed reading this book. I just wonder whether there were more errors that I read as fact that were actually incorrect.
I realise this book is more of a fun starting point for plant lore/history, I learned lots of new things, but found it lacking in depth in places. I also feel like I cannot rely on the information I read because of two errors I found in the book.
1. Mugwort (which is the number one witch herb) was given the latin name Artemisia Absinthium, which is incorrect, that is the latin name for Wormwood. Mugwort’s latin name is Artemisia Vulgaris. In later mentions of Mugwort in the book the latin name was correct.
2. It states that the mushroom Fly Agaric (Amanita Muscaria) grows with beech trees. This species is a symbiotic mushroom, meaning it needs a relationship with another organism to grow. Fly Agaric requires either Birch or Pine to grow, not beech!
Other than these errors, which really did frustrate me, I enjoyed reading this book. I just wonder whether there were more errors that I read as fact that were actually incorrect.
January 9, 2021
This is an entertaining read for anyone interested in some folklore behind plants, even some very common herbs we consume widely today and flowers we favor for gardens. This is an instance where I love the design of the book as much as the content. It includes illustrations from various historical contexts as well as images from herbarium sheets of the dried plants being discussed, and overall is just laid out well and pleasing to view. While other cultures around the world are featured, it leans a little heavily on European folklore, but that might be expected with the title and the image sources. I chose it as a fun and inspiring read before diving into gardening instruction books and was not disappointed.
March 19, 2022
A non fiction account of flowers and fauna from Kew gardens. This includes the fighting early physicians had to do to be recognized. I never had thought about it to be honest, where the occupation originated from. Each plant has one page dedicated to it, so your not committing to a huge read and it is summed up nicely.
January 7, 2021
Such an interesting book for whoever is interested about plant's world and want to know more.
Full also of pictures and legends from poisonous plants until love potion.
Full also of pictures and legends from poisonous plants until love potion.
March 26, 2023
Kew: The Witches Garden is an odd one. It feels more like an exhibition guide printed off and published rather than a book in it's own right. The book flits around through time periods, countries, social class, plants used for good and plants used for evil. In theory it covers a wide array of topics under the plantlore umbrella, but ends up feeling restrictive to just the work of a few renaissance era writers. This is understandable to an extent as the books of these writers have been preserved whereas earlier books or oral herblore traditions will have been lost to time, but it makes the quick non-European, or non-British specifically, lines feel more like underdeveloped asides.
A lot of the information also feels surface level or not particularly well proofread. Various plants or concepts are listed without explanation or example, and some terms (such as a vascular plants) are mentioned in one chapter but only defined in a later chapter. We get more in depth information at the end of each chapter where we have a page or two dedicated to talking about one specific plant, completing the exhibition like feel, where the beginning of the chapter is the information board at the start of that room and then the individual plant pages are a display case contents. Unfortunately a lot of that plant information starts to become very repetitive, there are only so many times you can read about how white flowers brought into the home are bad luck, or how almost any plant can be used by a girl to predict when she will get married. It's also a shame that there is barely any mention as whether, or if they do how, any of these treatments actually work, though unnecessary in the case of the husband predications!
There are some sections which get a bit more interesting. The one on Nicholas Culpeper is a standout, covering how social upheaval at the time affected medical treatment, as Culpepper railed against the College of Physicians to give medical information and affordable treatment to regular people. These social aspects are easily the most interesting, such as how the traditional role of women healers was restricted by male dominated medical establishment. Unfortunately, this is a minority of the book, but these more chronological sections show how a more engaging book could perhaps have been written.
Aesthetically the book is very pretty. As a coffee table book to glance into, or for looking up information on a particular plant, it works well. The book doesn't skimp on the illustrations and colour, with each page spread having one page dedicated to a large single image, with the other page often having smaller illustrations. It does cut down on the amount of information you get to in the 201 pages (again adding to the exhibition like feel), though given how repetitive the book was maybe that's a blessing.
A lot of the information also feels surface level or not particularly well proofread. Various plants or concepts are listed without explanation or example, and some terms (such as a vascular plants) are mentioned in one chapter but only defined in a later chapter. We get more in depth information at the end of each chapter where we have a page or two dedicated to talking about one specific plant, completing the exhibition like feel, where the beginning of the chapter is the information board at the start of that room and then the individual plant pages are a display case contents. Unfortunately a lot of that plant information starts to become very repetitive, there are only so many times you can read about how white flowers brought into the home are bad luck, or how almost any plant can be used by a girl to predict when she will get married. It's also a shame that there is barely any mention as whether, or if they do how, any of these treatments actually work, though unnecessary in the case of the husband predications!
There are some sections which get a bit more interesting. The one on Nicholas Culpeper is a standout, covering how social upheaval at the time affected medical treatment, as Culpepper railed against the College of Physicians to give medical information and affordable treatment to regular people. These social aspects are easily the most interesting, such as how the traditional role of women healers was restricted by male dominated medical establishment. Unfortunately, this is a minority of the book, but these more chronological sections show how a more engaging book could perhaps have been written.
Aesthetically the book is very pretty. As a coffee table book to glance into, or for looking up information on a particular plant, it works well. The book doesn't skimp on the illustrations and colour, with each page spread having one page dedicated to a large single image, with the other page often having smaller illustrations. It does cut down on the amount of information you get to in the 201 pages (again adding to the exhibition like feel), though given how repetitive the book was maybe that's a blessing.
November 17, 2025
- náučná literatúra
- liečivé rastliny
- spojenie vedy a mágie
- historické súvislosti
- ľudové tradície
- magické využitie
Na prvý pohľad by sa mohlo zdať, že Magické rastliny sú len ďalším herbárom z mnohých. Omyl. Ide o totižto o bohatú encyklopédiu rastlín, ich histórie, symboliky a využitia v minulosti. Dozvedáme sa, ako sa byliny používali v každodennom živote, ale aj v mágii a liečiteľstve.
Každá rastlina tu má svoj príbeh. Od praktického po tajomný, od vedeckého po duchovný. Preto sa mi na tejto knihe veľmi páčila forma, akou je písaná. S nadhľadom, ale aj s rešpektom k prírode a tradíciám, kde sa miešajú fakty s atmosférou minulosti. Nepôsobí to sucho ani vedecky, ale skôr ako magické rozprávanie, ktoré nás zasväcuje do sveta rastlín a ich tajomstiev. Text je prehľadný, pútavý a krásne doplnený ilustráciami, ktoré dodávajú celej knihe jemný, až mystický nádych.
Magické rastliny je pre mňa kniha, ku ktorej som sa vracala počas mnohých večerov. Nie len preto, že je krásna na pohľad, ale aj preto, že v sebe nesie kus múdrosti, histórie a úcty k prírode.
- liečivé rastliny
- spojenie vedy a mágie
- historické súvislosti
- ľudové tradície
- magické využitie
Na prvý pohľad by sa mohlo zdať, že Magické rastliny sú len ďalším herbárom z mnohých. Omyl. Ide o totižto o bohatú encyklopédiu rastlín, ich histórie, symboliky a využitia v minulosti. Dozvedáme sa, ako sa byliny používali v každodennom živote, ale aj v mágii a liečiteľstve.
Každá rastlina tu má svoj príbeh. Od praktického po tajomný, od vedeckého po duchovný. Preto sa mi na tejto knihe veľmi páčila forma, akou je písaná. S nadhľadom, ale aj s rešpektom k prírode a tradíciám, kde sa miešajú fakty s atmosférou minulosti. Nepôsobí to sucho ani vedecky, ale skôr ako magické rozprávanie, ktoré nás zasväcuje do sveta rastlín a ich tajomstiev. Text je prehľadný, pútavý a krásne doplnený ilustráciami, ktoré dodávajú celej knihe jemný, až mystický nádych.
Magické rastliny je pre mňa kniha, ku ktorej som sa vracala počas mnohých večerov. Nie len preto, že je krásna na pohľad, ale aj preto, že v sebe nesie kus múdrosti, histórie a úcty k prírode.
June 6, 2023
The title is a total misnomer. Although this book does touch on the fact that herbalism has gone through phases throughout history of being misunderstood and labeled as magic or witchcraft, it isn't really about that. It is a good introduction and invocation for further research into herbalism and the folklore surrounding it. It is also just an enjoyable read with a fair amount of dark humor woven in, which I really appreciate. It is not super in depth but is a good and interesting starting point for further research. I did notice some inconsistencies/editting mishaps (such as referring to Isis as a god instead of goddes or sometimes confusing the latin names of mugwort (artemisia vulgaris) and wormwood (artemisia absinthium). BUT, overall, it is a compendium that opens the door for further research, and, as such, it is an excellent resource.
Aesthetically, it is a beautiful book with an incredible cover and lovely illustrations throughout.
Aesthetically, it is a beautiful book with an incredible cover and lovely illustrations throughout.
October 26, 2023
Interesting introductory glance into the historical use of plants within medicine and folklore. The pictures are definitely the highlight of the book, on every other page at least, making it a good book for a browse. I found the incorporation of plant meanings from a range of different cultures and places, rather than just focusing on the European perspective, a nice inclusion. I found that the structure of the book and the chapter divisions were a bit confusing and the book seems to jump around between topics without much reason. While an interesting introductory text, this is not a book that offers guidance in the usage of the plants and the title’s reference to the witch doesn’t accurately reflect the majority of the information laid out by the text.
December 11, 2024
The Witch’s Garden: Plants in Folklore, Magic and Traditional Medicine by Sandra Lawrence offers an enchanting exploration of the mystical and medicinal roles of plants throughout history. The book blends botanical knowledge with fascinating folklore, weaving a rich tapestry of the cultural significance of plants in magic and traditional medicine. The stunning illustrations and engaging anecdotes make it a visual and intellectual delight, perfect for both plant enthusiasts and history buffs.
It’s an inspiring and beautifully crafted read that will deepen your appreciation for the plants around you. A solid 4-star recommendation for anyone intrigued by the intersection of nature and folklore!
It’s an inspiring and beautifully crafted read that will deepen your appreciation for the plants around you. A solid 4-star recommendation for anyone intrigued by the intersection of nature and folklore!
January 28, 2024
Fairly bite-sized information on a fascinating subject, looking at the connections between plants, folklore, myth and traditional medicine. There are pages on a few specific plants mentioned, with the information split into several chapters. It doesn't give much confirmation either way about most of the beliefs about the plants, whether or not there was any real basis for our ancestors to use particular plants for particular treatments (aside from a few examples), although this may be because there still isn't a lot of scientific proof either way about what medicinal value many plants may have. It's a well-laid out, interesting book, with gorgeous illustrations to enhance the information.
April 21, 2021
This is such a beautiful book about so many beautiful things: plants, history, folklore, magic - definitely my cup of tea.
I learned so much from this read. The illustrations and photographs are a wonderful accompaniment to the pages of information and anecdotes, and Lawrence has a perfect balance between informing and entertaining in her writing. I also realised that I have a real interest in the history and wonders of plants and herbalism that I'd love to keep exploring - and I'll certainly be returning to this book in the future!
I learned so much from this read. The illustrations and photographs are a wonderful accompaniment to the pages of information and anecdotes, and Lawrence has a perfect balance between informing and entertaining in her writing. I also realised that I have a real interest in the history and wonders of plants and herbalism that I'd love to keep exploring - and I'll certainly be returning to this book in the future!
September 5, 2025
Admittedly a beautiful book, is is however quite basic.
Each chapter has a small introduction, the goes on to have a page per plant ona variety of plants. The chapters and the info seemed quite chaotic to me, it didn't feel very clear. It's a little bit too wordy for an ideal coffee table book.
The author does state it covers some basics, and is intended as a starting point to explore medieval plant history further.
Each chapter has a small introduction, the goes on to have a page per plant ona variety of plants. The chapters and the info seemed quite chaotic to me, it didn't feel very clear. It's a little bit too wordy for an ideal coffee table book.
The author does state it covers some basics, and is intended as a starting point to explore medieval plant history further.
July 26, 2023
More accurate rating: 7.5/10.
This is basically the botanical equivalent of Sandra Lawrence's other book The Magic of Mushrooms, and thus a nice and very colourful publication about plants in culture and folklore. It is divided in different thematic chapters (plants for healing, witchy plants, plants for different phases of life, etc...) and presents both general information about botany, or rather ethnobotany, as a whole, and more precise information about different species of (mostly vascular) plants.
I would've appreciated a little more raw botany, was a little disappointed a couple of personal favourite plants were absent from the book, and I'm pretty sure I spotted one or two mistakes in the text... but the book otherwise contains what is advertised in the title, with lots of beautiful illustrations to boot! It's definitely a solidly enjoyable publication for botany and ethnobotany aficionados alike!
This is basically the botanical equivalent of Sandra Lawrence's other book The Magic of Mushrooms, and thus a nice and very colourful publication about plants in culture and folklore. It is divided in different thematic chapters (plants for healing, witchy plants, plants for different phases of life, etc...) and presents both general information about botany, or rather ethnobotany, as a whole, and more precise information about different species of (mostly vascular) plants.
I would've appreciated a little more raw botany, was a little disappointed a couple of personal favourite plants were absent from the book, and I'm pretty sure I spotted one or two mistakes in the text... but the book otherwise contains what is advertised in the title, with lots of beautiful illustrations to boot! It's definitely a solidly enjoyable publication for botany and ethnobotany aficionados alike!
November 30, 2023
Interesting content
This book held so much promise and does have lovely illustrations but the format hasn't been struggling to easily read on Kindle making it virtually impossible to read the words. For make text bigger the words are a bit blurry all in all if you can put up with the format the content is interesting,
This book held so much promise and does have lovely illustrations but the format hasn't been struggling to easily read on Kindle making it virtually impossible to read the words. For make text bigger the words are a bit blurry all in all if you can put up with the format the content is interesting,
December 17, 2023
Loved this book, perfect night read with a cup of herb tea before I go to sleep. I liked the illustrations and all the pictures that were included. There is so much information for all the plants and herbs and folklore, and I loved the writing. I chucked a few times by the witty comments on the use/beliefs of certain herbs.
May 7, 2025
I found this fascinating. As some said, it isn't that much about witchiness but there was the odd reference so I didn't hold it against it. I loved the lore of the different plants and the illustrations really added to the book and I loved the style of them. Just the right amount of detail to appeal to me. A little bit of curiosity about each flower and plant!
February 11, 2021
Difficult to read
The type in the kindle version overlaps and has sporadic spaces which makes reading difficult and gave me a headache. I haven't seen the print version but I wouldn't recommend this version to anyone.
The type in the kindle version overlaps and has sporadic spaces which makes reading difficult and gave me a headache. I haven't seen the print version but I wouldn't recommend this version to anyone.
April 21, 2022
I just wish a few more common plants were included
Fascinating book and the pictures are lovely to look at
The mythology and folklore is all very interesting and unique and it is nice to see it coherently written through comparison and detail
Fascinating book and the pictures are lovely to look at
The mythology and folklore is all very interesting and unique and it is nice to see it coherently written through comparison and detail
June 20, 2022
This book was a gift and a wonderful one. A charming compendium on plants through folklore. I learned plenty about my own plants, and it has inspired me to grow more (and perhaps look at installing a stillroom). The illustrations are gorgeous, too.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews