Star of Bethlehem Plant

You might see these bright little six-petaled white flowers growing in neglected areas of your garden or yard, or around town in places that grow wild. They are certainly cute and dainty and very easy to admire. Their common name is Star of Bethlehem, but before the time of Medieval pilgrims this plant was known by other names, like Dog's Onion. It is thought this little flower derived its name from the Greek word ornithogalum meaning “bird’s milk flower”. Ornithogalum umbellatum is its proper name.

Related to garlic and onions, they are part of the hyacinthaceae family. They have small bulbs and grass-like leaves. If you ever pull these up and see the bulbs, they do look like wild onions or garlic even, but without that easy-to-spot onion scent. 

Every year when we work our garden soil we find oodles of the bulbs that we guess must have been planted long ago, as our home is around 75 years old. I'm sure whatever was planted back then, the ones we have now are the result of decades of unchecked proliferation. These plants don't need any help, they grow as they please. Some states consider them an invasive species and noxious weed. They are banned in Alabama. If you want to grow them, it is recommended to plant them in flower beds or pots. 

They bloom in late Spring from about May-June. 

While history tells us many stories of people eating the bulbs and flowers as sustenance during famine, they are in fact poisonous, and cooked incorrectly, they can cause heart attack and even be fatal. 

The white of the flower symbolizes innocence, forgiveness, truth, honesty and purity. They are often used in flower arrangements for weddings, baptisms and Christenings where these themes are common.   

For spells and magickal workings, they are well suited for trauma or loss of a loved one. Add the dried flowers to sachets, mojos, amulets and ritual powders to give comfort and to ease the pain of grieving, or any kind of trauma. 

Grape (Wild) Hyacinths

The first century Greek physician Discorides wrote, 
"of this wort it is said that it was produced out of dragon's blood, on top of mountains, in thick forests."

The Grape, or Wild, Hyacinth is in bloom right now and will hopefully continue through the end of May to early June if we are lucky. These little flowers are not true Hyacinths, which have six-petaled star-shaped flowers. Grape Hyacinths have little bluebell or 'grape-like' flowers. They can be planted but spread quickly, and are often found in the wild in large numbers in open fields or in forests.

The flowers have a slight, starch-like scent, which are not especially enjoyable and while beautiful to look at, are not grown for their scent. 

This little plant was named after Hyacinthus. Hyacinthus was a charming and handsome Spartan youth, loved by both Apollo and Zephyrus. Hyacinthus preferred the Sun-God to the God of the West, who sought to be revenged. One day, when Apollo was playing quoits (a game kind of like our game of horseshoes) with the youth, a quoit that he threw was blown by Zephyrus out of its proper course and it struck and killed Hyacinthus. Apollo, stricken with grief, raised from his blood a purple flower on which the letters 'ai, ai,' were traced, so that the cry of woe might for evermore have existence on the earth. 

Magickal uses for Grape Hyacinths include grieving and loss spells, rituals and as incense to help ease the pain of loss. Some varieties can be made into tea, though other species are so bitter that they have earned the name Bulbus vomitorium.