Plant Profile: Common Blanket Flower (Gaillardia aristata)
Karen Common blanket flower is a herbaceous perennial native to northwestern and north central US where it grows in meadows. It is a member of the aster family, Asteraceae, that also…
Plants for a Mary Garden: Spotted Dead Nettle (Lamium maculatum) “Madonna’s Milk”
Karen Meyers The name “Madonna’s Milk” for Lamium maculatum probably arose from Christian folklore and medieval plant symbolism. The white markings on the leaves of spotted dead nettle probably suggested drops of…
Plants for a Mary Garden: Italian Daisy (Aster amellus) “Our Lady’s Birthday Flower”
Italian aster is known as “Our Lady’s Birthday Flower” because of its later summer bloom about the time of Mary’s birth. The Bible does not provide information on Mary’s infancy…
Plant Profile: Desert Four O’Clock (Mirabilis multiflora)
Also called Colorado four o’clock, this herbaceous perennial is native to southwestern US from California to Colorado and Texas where it grows in deserts, grassland, hillsides, meas, and pinyon-juniper woodland.…
Plant Profile: Narcissus Flowered Anemone (Anemone narcissiflora)
Narcissus flowered anemone is a herbaceous perennial native to northwestern North America and Eurasia where it grows in high mountain grasslands, thickets, grassy meadows, pastures, open woods and along roadsides.…
Plants for a Mary Garden: Bleeding Heart (Dicentra spectabilis) “Mary’s Heart”
Hearts have traditionally been associated with the love, compassion, and sorrow of the Virgin Mary. The unique shape of bleeding heart’s flower which resembles a heart with a droplet falling…
Plant Profile: Yellow Bedstraw (Galium vernum)
Native to grasslands and meadows of Europe, North Africa and southwestern Asia, this rhizomatous, herbaceous perennial is a member of the coffee family, Rubiaceae, that also includes gardenia and Pentas.…
Plant Profile: Hollow Root (Corydalis cava) Our Lady’s Hens
The link between Corydalis cava and the Virgin Mary rests on two features of the plant, its rootstock and its cluster of flowers. The rootstock consists of a hollow tuber…
Plants for a Mary Garden: Water Forget-Me-Not (Myosotis scorpoides) “Eyes of Mary”
The small, delicate, blue forget-me-not flowers link the plant to the Virgin Mary. The modest, yet beautiful appearance of the flowers reflects Mary’s humility and the blue color symbolizes her…
Plant Profile: Sweet Woodruff (Galium odoratum aka Asperula odorata)
Also known as sweetscented bedstraw, this herbaceous perennial is native to Europe, Asia and northern Africa. It is a member of the coffee family, Rubiaceae, that also includes gardenia and…