Hedgerow Plants and Their Folklore: A Seasonal Guide

The British hedgerow is full of folklore. Elder was thought to shelter a guardian spirit, hawthorn belonged to the fairies and to May Day, rowan was hung over doors for protection, and hazel stood for wisdom. Learning these old stories turns an ordinary walk into a seasonal ritual. Enjoy the plants with your eyes, though: many are toxic.

This guide gathers the folklore of nine much-loved hedgerow plants, suggests a simple walk for each season, and offers ideas for bringing the spirit of the hedge indoors. It is about stories and symbolism, not foraging.

Why the hedgerow matters in folklore

Hedgerows have marked the edges of British fields and lanes for centuries, and some are very old indeed. For the people who lived beside them, the hedge was a source of firewood and walking sticks, a home for birds, a windbreak for livestock and a boundary between the tamed land of the village and the wild beyond. It is no surprise that so many hedgerow plants gathered stories about luck, protection and the fairy folk.

For modern hedge witches, the hedgerow is also a symbol of the boundary between this world and the otherworld. If you are new to the idea, our beginner's guide, what is hedge magic?, explains more.

A note on safety before you go

Many hedgerow plants and berries are toxic and should never be eaten unless identified by an expert. Several of the plants below, including elder, holly and ivy, have parts that can make people or pets unwell, and some lookalike plants that grow along hedges and verges are seriously poisonous. This guide is about folklore only. Never eat, drink, burn or apply any wild plant, keep children and pets away from berries, and wash your hands after touching plants on a walk. Look, learn, photograph and sketch instead.

Nine hedgerow plants and their folklore

Elder

Elder is perhaps the most storied plant in the hedge. In parts of England and Scandinavia, an Elder Mother was said to live within the tree, and it was thought wise to ask her permission before cutting any of its wood. Burning elder was widely considered unlucky, and the tree was sometimes planted near cottages to keep harm away. Its flat, creamy flower heads fill the hedges in early summer, followed by drooping clusters of dark berries in late summer. Parts of the elder are toxic, so admire it from the path.

Hawthorn

Hawthorn is the tree of May. Its white blossom, often simply called "may", was gathered for May Day garlands, yet in many places it was considered very unlucky to bring the blossom inside the house. Lone hawthorns standing in fields, especially in Ireland, were believed to belong to the fairies and were left uncut, with farmers ploughing carefully around them. Hawthorn is also linked to the legend of the Glastonbury Thorn, said to flower around Christmas as well as in spring. In autumn the hedges glow with its dark red haws.

Rowan

Rowan, or mountain ash, is the great protective tree of British folklore, especially in Scotland and the north of England. Twigs were tied into small equal-armed crosses with red thread and hung over doors and in byres to guard against ill-wishing and enchantment, and rowan was planted beside houses for the same reason. Look closely at the base of a rowan berry and you will see a tiny five-pointed star, which may be one reason it was thought so lucky. Its bright berries ripen in late summer and are a favourite of blackbirds and thrushes.

Blackthorn

Blackthorn is one of the first hedgerow shrubs to flower, its white blossom appearing on bare, dark branches in early spring, before the leaves. A cold snap at this time is still known in country speech as a "blackthorn winter". Its long, sharp thorns made it a formidable boundary, and its tough wood has long been prized for walking sticks, including the traditional Irish shillelagh. In folklore it has a sterner, more serious character than its gentler cousin the hawthorn. Its blue-black fruit, the sloe, appears in autumn with a dusty bloom.

Hazel

Hazel is the tree of wisdom. In Irish legend, hazels grew over a sacred pool, and the salmon that ate their falling nuts gained all the knowledge of the world, a gift that passed to the young Fionn mac Cumhaill when he tasted the cooked fish. Forked hazel twigs have long been used for dowsing, and hazelnuts were used in love divination at Hallowe'en, which in parts of northern England was once known as Nutcrack Night. Its catkins, the "lambs' tails" of late winter, are among the first signs of the year turning.

Holly

Holly keeps its glossy green leaves through the darkest months, which made it a natural symbol of life continuing through winter. It was brought indoors at midwinter, and cutting down a whole holly tree was often thought unlucky. In some areas hedge-layers left hollies standing proud of the hedge, a custom sometimes explained as stopping witches from running along the hedge tops. In modern pagan practice, the Holly King and the Oak King are said to share the year between them. Holly berries are poisonous, so keep them away from children and pets.

Ivy

Ivy is holly's old companion, as the carol "The Holly and the Ivy" reminds us. Clinging and evergreen, it has long been linked with fidelity, friendship and binding together. In the classical world it was sacred to Bacchus, and an ivy bush was once hung outside English taverns to show that wine was sold, giving rise to the saying "good wine needs no bush". Ivy flowers late, in autumn, offering a precious late feast for insects. All parts of ivy are best regarded as toxic.

Yarrow

Yarrow grows in hedge bottoms, verges and meadows, with feathery leaves and flat heads of white or pale pink flowers through summer. Its botanical name, Achillea, comes from the Greek hero Achilles. In British folklore it was a plant of love divination: a young woman might place yarrow under her pillow and say a rhyme, hoping to dream of her future love. Much further afield, dried yarrow stalks are the traditional means of consulting the Chinese I Ching.

Mugwort

Mugwort is a tall plant of waysides and waste ground, its leaves dark green above and silvery beneath. It is easy to overlook but rich in lore. It is the first herb named in the Old English Nine Herbs Charm, where it is called the oldest of herbs. Across Europe it was linked with Midsummer and St John's Eve, when it was gathered and worn, and an old belief held that a traveller carrying mugwort would not grow weary on the road. In modern practice it is often associated with dreams and the otherworld. Like everything here, it is a plant to admire, not to use.

Seasonal hedgerow walks

A hedgerow walk is one of the simplest rituals in hedge magic. Choose one stretch of hedge, on a lane, a footpath or a park edge, and visit it through the year. Take a notebook, walk slowly, and let each season show you something new.

• Late winter: look for hazel catkins and the first green shoots at the foot of the hedge. Note the date; next year you can compare.
• Spring: watch for blackthorn blossom on bare branches, then the hawthorn's may blossom a few weeks later, a lovely way to mark Beltane on the Wheel of the Year.
• Summer: elderflower, yarrow and the tall stems of mugwort. Walk at dusk around Midsummer and simply listen.
• Autumn: haws, sloes, rowan berries and ivy flowers busy with insects. A walk around Samhain is a good moment to give thanks for the year.
• Midwinter: holly and ivy come into their own. Notice which birds visit the berries, and how the hedge shelters them.

A few habits keep a walk respectful: stay on paths, leave flowers for the bees, never uproot plants, and avoid disturbing nesting birds in spring and summer. If you take anything home at all, keep it to a fallen leaf or a twig where plants are plentiful, and only where you have permission.

Bringing the hedgerow indoors

You do not need to pick anything to bring the spirit of the hedge into your home. A few ideas:

• Scent: woody, green candles carry the feeling of a walk indoors. The Ash & Woodsmoke and Leaves & Linen soy candles suit autumn and spring evenings.
• Dried grasses and brooms: a jug of dried cantal grass on the windowsill echoes the seed heads of late summer, and a set of decorative pampas brooms nods to the old hearth besom.
• The Green Man: the leafy face found carved in many old churches makes a lovely guardian for a hedge witch's home. Our Green Man tree trunk carving sits well on a shelf or by the door.
• Incense: resins such as frankincense on charcoal give a deep, old-fashioned smoke for marking the seasons. Browse resins and charcoal, and read our beginner's guide to incense if you are new to it.
• A seasonal altar: a small offering bowl holding a fallen leaf, an acorn or a pine cone can change with each walk.
• A hedgerow notebook: record each walk in a Book of Shadows, with sketches, dates and the folklore you learn.

Keep candles, incense and charcoal on a heatproof surface, well away from dried grasses and flowers, and never leave them unattended.

Bring it home

The hedgerow rewards patience: the more often you walk the same stretch, the more it has to tell you. If you would like to take the next step, our guide to starting a hedge magic practice at home shows how to turn these walks into a simple weekly ritual.