Alchemy Works

Do you want to create a magic or witch's garden? One day in my internet searches I came across Alchemy-Works when I was looking up information about black colored flowers. Alchemy-Works is a website for "developing your wortcunning (knowledge of plants)" if you're so inclined. They sell seeds, oils, resins,incense and supplies for people who practice magic and like to grow their own plants for that purpose.

In a previous post I mentioned wanting to create a magic themed garden and if and when I do I'll probably be ordering things from this site because they offer a nice selection of unique seeds you may not find elsewhere. For example even though I don't have the room or place to plant it I'd really like a Dragon Tree (Dracaena drago) because of it's unique growth habit. Other plants I'd like to grow from their selection are; Rusty Foxglove (Digitalis Ferruginea), Swansdown poppy (Papaver Somniferum), Himalayan Mandrake (Podophyllum hexandrum) just to name a few.

What I really like about this website is the interesting information that's included along with the seed/plant description and sowing directions. The site is designed simply and it's easy to navigate but the site has the potential to be a really wicked (pardon the pun) if they'd update it a bit. As you can probably tell I really like the seed selection the rest of the items they offer I don't have a use for but with a little thought their seed selection could create a garden that's unique and unlike any McGarden near you. They also offer seed collections if you would like to start a theme garden, they include: Astral Herbs, Black Flowers, Cottage Garden, Dye Plants, Medieval Plants, Moon Garden, Victorian Favorites, Witch's Garden along with custom orders.

I have to give Alchemy-Works 5 out of 5 stars because they offer gardeners some interesting plants and seeds to play with.

Richters Herb Catalogue 2007

This is the second time I've gotten Richters' catalog in the mail since I signed up for it on their website and I haven't ordered a thing from them. I have to say that I'm really impressed with the design and quality of their catalog and it makes me want to order even though I'm not interested in growing my own herbs but if you like herbs and veggies sign up for this catalog.

What I particularly like is the design and effort put into producing this catalog. Nice color photos that illustrate what the plants look like. I'm not very fond of books or catalogs that have B&W photos of plants or even worse- illustrations! The photos of these herbs and plants are accompanied by a short description (over a thousand plants) of what the plant is used for and sometimes information about the country a particular plant is popular in.

The plant selection is unique and a good resource for people interested in making their own remedies for a particular ailment, gourmet cooks and people interested in ethnic foods. I don't really fall into those categories so I'm not sure I'll ever order from them. But I am tempted to order some seeds from them because I've been toying with the idea of making a small garden around an alchemy theme and some of the plants like European Mandrake, Liverwort and Skeleton Rose would be welcomed additions.

Richters' plants and seeds are available according to the catalog as plants, plugs packs and plug trays. What's especially cool is that they sell seeds in bulk for people interested in purchasing seeds in large quantaties. You can also order extracts & oils books if you're interested in reading up on things like cooking with edible herbs or the healing properties of certain plants.

From my Google searches I get the impression that they're really slow to ship and problems with shipping internationally (they're in Canada) can leave American gardeners getting dead plants. Some people in the States reported receiving dead plants while others were very pleased with the plants and condition they arrived in and in particular the packaging. It may be a better seed source for Americans than a plant source but with anything else your results may vary.

A visit to Richters.com left me unimpressed with the design and usability of their website. But I did like the little articles and information they provide. The information is particularly good if you're thinking about growing certain crops. I have to give the Richters Herb Catalog 5 out of 5 stars for their great catalog and plant selection.