The witch's garden through the seasons | House & Garden

In 1752, Britain changed its calendar from the old “Julian” style to the Gregorian version that most of Europe was already using. People rioted, demanding back the 11 days of their lives that had gone “missing” in the switchover, but there would be far-reaching effects too. Any festivals set by the phases of the moon continued as ever, but set dates, such as Midsummer and Christmas, now fell on the “wrong” days. Plants didn’t know this, of course, but it muddled folklore, making some customs even stranger to modern eyes.

Spring was hugely important to our ancestors. The Romans celebrated Flora, goddess of flowers; the Greeks worshipped Persephone’s return from the Underworld. Days had been getting longer since the winter solstice (21 December) and people were tired of root vegetables, dried beans and withered herbs. They gathered the fresh, sweet tips of spring greens such as Good King Henry (Blitum bonus-henricus), dandelions (Taraxacum officinale) and chickweed (Stellaria media) for food and medicine.

Gardeners watched for native plants peeping above ground as a sign that it was time to sow their own crops. But it wasn’t a foolproof method. A cold snap was known as “blackthorn winter” because frost suddenly arrived after the blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) had blossomed. It could damage young seedlings, though was also said to herald a good growing season. Late “onion snow” was considered a good thing, however, or at least for the allium crop. Some gardeners used birds to decide the best time to plant. The wagtail is still known as “potato- setter”, “tater setter” and “potato dropper” in some areas, while in Scotland, the first swallow was a sign to get sowing.

Easter is a lunar festival, held the first Sunday after the first