The Witches Garden

The Witches Garden This extraordinary garden is a place of beauty to restore mind and spirit. It is a place of harmony and inspiration. This remarkable home offers B&B.

Visit our website for information on accommodation or holding an event: www.thewitchesgarden.com The Witches Garden soothes the mind and inspires the spirit. Wander it's meandering paths and find gardens within gardens. There is an energy about this place that fills the soul. In the middle of the gardens is 'Riversong House', a gracious Arts & Craft home that overlooks the Mitta Mitta river. Stay the night, renew mind and body, leave relaxed and renewed.

Our Magnolia is starting to flower, but I rarely get to enjoy the blooms as our Bower birds eat the buds. Did you know t...
03/09/2026

Our Magnolia is starting to flower, but I rarely get to enjoy the blooms as our Bower birds eat the buds. Did you know that Magnolia buds and petals are edible and have a unique, spicy taste reminiscent of ginger, cardamom, and cloves? So who can blame those pesky birds?
The raw petals have a strong, peppery kick, and lighter or white petals tend to be milder and more floral, while dark pink or purple petals are spicier and can be slightly bitter.
Buds and petals can be eaten fresh, cooked or pickled. Add them fresh to a salad plus they pair wonderfully with radicchio, goat cheese, red onion, fennel and orange. They can be infused into a simple syrup for use in cocktails and dessert drizzles, or even dried and ground to a powder to use in place of dried ginger. Or they can be dipped in tempura batter and fried.
Magnolia tea can be made using dried magnolia buds and this brew is said to help clear nasal congestion, open airways, and relieve sinus pressure.
Note: Always verify the exact species of your magnolia tree before consumption, as safety and edibility can vary, and always taste a small amount with caution first. As with all foraging, the rule is: if in doubt, leave it out.

Hemlock and why it’s essential to know what’s growing in your backyard - or - How I almost poisoned all the guests at a ...
30/08/2026

Hemlock and why it’s essential to know what’s growing in your backyard - or - How I almost poisoned all the guests at a dinner party!
Many years ago I picked a bunch of pretty creamy-white flowers from a tall ferny-leafed plant growing on the banks of the Mitta Mitta River. The flowers were on long, graceful stems attached to an elegant, vivid green trunk whose leaves resembled carrot tops or parsley. I arranged the flowers with pink roses and set the bouquet on the dining table to impress the guests, but rather than gasp with delight, my visitors scolded me for being such a fool as to place enough poison on the table to kill us all.
But for this helpful advice, my infamy might have rivalled ‘mushroom lady’; thankfully, it did not. However, it did incite a curiosity to discover what was growing in my backyard, and this led to a deep dive into the fascinating world of poisonous and medicinal plants and how they have been used throughout history.
The poisonous plant in my bouquet was hemlock (conium maculatum), and it has an extraordinary history, beginning with being the official form of ex*****on in ancient Greece. The plant is so toxic that it was given to those sentenced to death in the form of wine that had been mixed with hemlock. Socrates was one of those who suffered death by hemlock poisoning. The ingestion of even small doses can result in respiratory collapse and death, and every part of the plant is poisonous, even the dry hollow stems.
Hemlock is common in the Mitta Valley, and farmers know not to leave young calves in pastures where hemlock is present, as the youngsters may browse upon the fresh leaves and its toxic nature will soon be evident. Mature cattle have the sense to leave it untouched, perhaps because of the unpleasant gassy smell given off from the crushed plant. However, if baled into hay, it will dry, and stock will ingest it, resulting in death as the plant is still toxic, even when dried.
So how is it possible that such a terrible plant as hemlock found its way into the Mitta Valley?
A possible scenario is that Chinese miners brought the seeds with them when they came to the valley following the gold diggings of the 1850s – 60s. The plant was never taken internally but used topically in a cream or ointment applied to ulcers, tumours, herpes and rheumatoid arthritis.
So next time you pick something from the roadside or the riverbank or even your garden, look beyond the pretty flower and consider what attributes, what history, the plant may hold. Is it a food, a medicine or a poison?

I've been adding to our Hellebore collection over the years and this morning picked a selection to show you. I'm delight...
27/08/2026

I've been adding to our Hellebore collection over the years and this morning picked a selection to show you. I'm delighted to see that some of this year's blooms are new creations flowing for the first time.

03/07/2026

Modern fairy tales give us a sinister picture of witches, portraying them as wart-nosed purveyors of poisoned apples, but if we look deeper, go back about 2,000 years to Celtic times, we find that witches were the healers. The origin of the word ‘witch’ comes from the Anglo-Saxon word “Witan”, which is related to the word “wit” as in a Wise Woman.

Celtic witches knew which plants were beneficial to treat the various medical conditions that ailed the population. Witches were both doctors and pharmacists, and the medicines they used were obtained from plants. In fact, modern medicine has its origins in the garden. Asprin, for example, is derived from salix alba, the white willow. Its bark was boiled and the liquid drunk to relieve pain. The origin of the heart medication, Digoxin, is derived from digitalis, known to us as foxgloves. Artemisia, known to gardeners as silver bush, has been used traditionally as a malaria preventative. Aloe vera soothes burns, while the juice of stinging nettle is a coagulant that quickly stops the flow of blood from a cut or a nosebleed.

However, modern medicine is generally much safer and more effective than ancient medications because ancient remedies used whole plants, which contain a mix of helpful and sometimes toxic compounds. For example, witches of old prescribed willow bark for pain, but unfortunately, in some patients, it could irritate the stomach and cause internal bleeding. Modern science has isolated the active ingredient in willow bark to create Aspirin, which can be taken safely.

The advance of modern medicine has seen our reliance on plants as medicine fall from favour. Because of this, the ancient knowledge and sometimes the very plants themselves become scarce and lost. At The Witches Garden, we collect and grow rare and unusual plants, particularly those with medicinal attributes. The gardens are now over 40 years old and delight visitors with shady paths and flower-filled borders. Plus there’s a lake spanned by a Monet bridge, and on the other side, a fairy tale witch’s cottage containing potions, spell books, a crystal ball and a collection of broomsticks from around the world. The Witches Garden is closed over winter, but we reopen in the spring when you will be welcome to visit and view our ‘living library’ to honour the fascinating world of medicinal plants.

Soft Autumn light is giving a delightful glow to a salvia at The Witches Garden
15/04/2026

Soft Autumn light is giving a delightful glow to a salvia at The Witches Garden

Autumn subtle colours are spreading their glory throughout the garden
15/04/2026

Autumn subtle colours are spreading their glory throughout the garden

I've been slow to fall in love with canna lillies, but it's official! I'm seriously collecting them now. These guys come...
23/03/2026

I've been slow to fall in love with canna lillies, but it's official! I'm seriously collecting them now. These guys come in so many stunning flower and leaf colours, plus, there's giant right down to dwarf varieties. Here's the first of the new arrivals to flower.

The Witches Garden is closed on Saturday 6th December for a very special wedding. However, we will be open on Sunday 7t...
05/12/2025

The Witches Garden is closed on Saturday 6th December for a very special wedding. However, we will be open on Sunday 7th, 10am till 6pm. 608 Dartmouth Road Mitta Mitta. $10pp. Or text Felicity on 0458 584 964 to make a mid week appointment to come visit 💐

The Witches Garden is open this weekend and looking spectacular! Roses still stunning and the evening lighting a delight...
29/11/2025

The Witches Garden is open this weekend and looking spectacular! Roses still stunning and the evening lighting a delight. $10 pp 10am till 6pm 608 Dartmouth Road Mitta Mitta

Address

608 Dartmouth Road
Mitta Mitta, VIC
3701

Telephone

+61458584964

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