FRUITS OF LABOUR
Juniper is a plant steeped in mythology and folklore. In Looking After Juniper – a dossier by the conservation charity Plantlife, whose work studying and conserving juniper is extensive – there are pages of superstitions and beliefs about the plant, which was one of the first tree species to grow in the UK after the last Ice Age.
‘In Scotland, juniper was used in “saining rites” usually for the New Year,’ it says, referring to an intense sort of smudging in which juniper bushes were burned indoors, filling a home with smoke, before fresh air was let in to mark a new year. ‘In Sutherland,’ it continues, ‘juniper wood was used to make teething rings to protect babies. Sprigs of juniper were tied to horse’s tails to keep them safe. In Italy, stables were thought to
