A third extract from notes supplied by Patrick Duffy in 1994:

‘Cut thistles in June they’ll grow very soon. cut them in July and they’re sure to die.’

Three pointed hazel [Corylus avellana] sticks driven into the ground were used to place a curse on an adversary.  You uttered your imprecation while planting the sticks, and an evil result was said to follow.

A rod taken from a hazel bush has been used for generations of people divining water.

The ash [Fraxinus excelsior] has for centuries been one of man’s greatest assets.  He has used it for a walking stick, also to drive his stock, and, of course, as a weapon defence when threatened.  Stories relating to Ireland’s past tell of fair-day brawls where ash plants were used and ‘blood flowed freely’.

Never destroy a lone whitethorn [hawthorn, Crataegus monogyna] or you will incur the wrath of the white fairy or banshee.

Images:  main, ash, Scadbury Park, London Borough of Bromley; inset, hazel, beside River Cray, Foots Cray Meadows, London Borough of Bexley; both July 2025.

6 July 2025, edited 15 January 2026.