Wild Roots Apothecary

10/31/2025

hello sweet ones,
Welcome to the season of autumn magic. I love this time of year when things feel truly magical from the light on the autumn leaves, the chill in the air and of course —the portal to our ancestors opens, bringing in that sweet energy of connection and wonder. I've been dreaming so many dreams of my parents and ancestors as they enter into our consciousness and if we allow them to guide us. Keep a notebook on your nightstand for any particular downloads from above.
Yesterday when we were clearing plants, this little red eft stage of the red spotted newt was rescued by a delivery driver and we tucked it back into the rocks and in the magic of fall. And I dove into the symbolism of the newt - which is they are meant for luck and wisdom through transformation, often bringing signs of change and adaptability. Yes please!
Celebrating Samhain (pronounced sow-wen) this weekend marks the opening of the darker half of the year. For those of us who practice, this holiday is rooted in the Pagan celebration of Samhain the ending of the harvest. We treat it with a sense of play and reverence enjoying it as we get dressed up and embrace it all candles, the play of the dark and the light and connecting with our ancestors.
As we do we tap into the love and magic that our lineage has that can nourishes and sustain us deeply. This is a chance to honor where we come from and where we want to go. If this doesn't feel aligned maybe do some deeper digging into our ancestral line and see where healing or uncovering is needed. As we move forward into the dark half of the year a gentle reminder to hold space for reflection between the old year and new is powerful.
Our Samhain Ancestor Altar set up down by the river for all to enjoy…

As we stretch into this fall, remember to reach for each other and find the moments of joy and true grace.
Green blessings
Colleen and the Wild Roots crew

10/20/2025

We love being at Wldwst in leesburg grab some goodness

10/13/2025

Love this —- authenticity and showing up! We have a few of these coming together.

10/12/2025

Updates from October

This week finds us in the heart of harvest season. Like herbalists and gardeners everywhere, we're watching the weather forecasts closely, gathering our final harvests as we feel the season shifting toward its gentle close.

Last week, while making green black walnut hull tincture with Molly—one of our Seed to Soup apprentices—I found myself caught in familiar doubts about whether I'm doing my part on staying vigilant and action oriented towards the chaos in the US right now. Molly reminded me of something simple but profound: giving people tools and information for self-care is resistance and activism.

So we keep going and do the work. We make medicine, plant acorns and pawpaws and hazelnuts in shallow beds (protected from crazy-eyed squirrels), teach people how to make medicine and bring joy in our gardens to our humans, animals & birds and insects who venture in.

As the colder seasons approach, I hope you'll find ways to connect—with us or with others in your community—and share your own gifts of knowledge and beauty with the world.

In the coming weeks, I'm excited to share some deep dives into common resilience plants thriving in our backyards and neighborhoods. One blessing of fall here in zone 7a is the return of edible greens. Foraging for dandelion greens is its own form of resistance. Every time I taste that pungent bitterness I know that we will continue to keep moving forward, together.

Inviting you to join in on the following:
Browse our upcoming in person classes and events

https://www.wildrootsapothecary.com/collections/events-classes

Stock your home apothecary with teas and syrups for the cooler months ahead

https://www.wildrootsapothecary.com/collections/wild-roots-products-we-make

Buy a herb or garden book that build resilience to tuck into (my gotos)
https://www.wildrootsapothecary.com/collections/books

As we mourn the loss of Dr. Jane Goodall this month, I've placed these quotes on my office wall as a reminder to keep going:
"Hope is contagious. Your actions will inspire others."
"Hope does not deny evil, but is a response to it."
"Hope is what enables us to keep going in the face of adversity. It is what we desire to happen, but we must be prepared to work hard to make it so."

We are so thankful for your support of our work and healing spaces, please spread the word if you feel inclined or follow along on our Instagram or Facebook accounts.
Again keep finding the magic in nature, be resilient and take care of yourselves.

Green Blessings,
Colleen and the Wild roots crewer

09/25/2025

Our lovely FARM TOUR is this weekend!

Join us for the Rappahannock County Farm Tour is a free, two-day, self-guided tour of local farms. We’re happy & honored to be part of it again this year:)

join us between 11-5 on Saturday & Sunday in the love,wild gardens for self guided tours around the plants, pick your own bouquets, a kiddos treasure hunt & more!

We’ll have s’mores kits and herby popcorn plus warm and cold drinks to purchase!

PS we could use a few more volunteers to help us make the weekend a success reach out if you have a few hours to sit in the gardens with us!

09/23/2025

happy new moon & autumn equinox.

our wolf & the web toolkit is key to stepping into the the season of autumn.

six handmade remedies + our autumnal grimoire that create the rituals to hold us together with the support we need this season.

“i am the beast in the fable” -Kiki Rockwell

08/02/2025

Join us for these upcoming classes and workshops! Please check out our site for more information and reach out with any questions. We have memberships available or drop in rates for each event. Hope to see you soon!

Sun, Aug 3:
Joy of Play Game Night with Rose

Sun, Aug 10:
Rooted Creative Circle with Rose

Mon, Aug 11:
Resilence Book Club: The Small and the Mighty with Colleen

Sat, Aug 16:
Line by Line: Learning the Art of the Linocut with Sam

Sat, Aug 16:
How your Artist Grows: Cultivating a Creative Practice with Mason

Wed, Aug 20:
Escapism Book Club: Found Family with Rose

Sun, Sep 7:
Joy of Play Game Night with Rose

Mon, Sep 8:
Resilience Book Club: book TBA with Colleen

Sat, Sep 13:
Wild & Weedy Plant Identification Walk with Colleen

Sat, Sep 13:
Kitchen Witching: Fire Cider and Oxymels with Colleen

Sun, Sep 14:
Rooted Creative Circle with Rose

Join the hive on the Heylo app to be notified of upcoming events and join our community.

4 river lane
sperryville, va

Join in on our herbal magic connecting the dots between plants and their magic of healing.

07/18/2025

let’s talk about our love for the abundant catnip🌿

with its square stems, soft leaves, and white flowers reaching for the sun. steve, of course, weaving between them like it’s there just for him.

catnip is known to be beloved by cats for its mischievous effects, but once the initial energy is worn off they rest and sleep calmy basking in the sweetness of the sun if they can.

For us humans, catnip doesn’t have that energy burst effect. rather, it provides the calming support our nervous and digestive systems want and need.

it’s a gentle healer & one we can all turn to.

it’s a comfort for fussy and whiney children (and adults), a soothing aid for restless bellies and minds, calming the spirit & helping us find calm centeredness.

harvested with love, destined for tinctures, glyercites, teas, and maybe a cat nap in the shade.

we’re here ~
mon-fri: 10-5
sat:10-6
meander the gardens anytime when we’re open.

enjoy this plant in our sleepy time wonder tea