Plants for a Mary Garden: Common Daisy (Bellis perennis)
Karen Meyers Common daisy is often included in Mary gardens although it is most closely associated with Mary Magdalene rather than with the Virgin Mary. Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus’ most…
Plants for a Mary Garden : Sea Thrift ( Armeria maritima) Our Lady’s Cushion
Armeria maritima is associated with the Flight into Egypt by the Holy Family which is described in the Gospel of Matthew (2: 13-15). According to this account, after the birth…
Plants for a Mary Garden: Pot Marigold (Calendula officinalis)
This short lived tender perennial is native to southern Europe and North Africa but has naturalized in much of Europe where it is grown as an annual. . It is…
Plants for a Mary Garden: Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla mollis)
In the Bible, mantles symbolize authority, responsibility, and the transfer of spiritual power as illustrated in the story of Elijah and Elisha. During the Middle Ages people, especially the monks…
Plants for a Mary Garden: Morning Glory (Ipomoea tricolor)
During the Middle Ages people, the people, especially monks, who cultivated monastic gardens, often named plants to connect them to the attributes of the Virgin Mary and to the life…
Plants for a Mary Garden: Strawberry (Fragaria vesca)
Karen Strawberries have a long history going back to Neolithic times and continuing into the rich heritage of ancient Greece and Rome and beyond. According to version of Greek mythology, strawberries…
Plants for a Mary Garden: Rose
Roses have been cultivated since 500 BC in Persia and China and were well-loved by the ancient Roman’s and Greeks. As Christianity spread through the Roman Empire the rose was…
Plants for a Mary Garden: Madonna Lily (Lilium candidum)
The Madonna lily has been revered since ancient times and was considered a symbol of beauty, fertility and wealth. The ancient Egyptian dedicated it to Isis, the goddess of motherhood…
Plants for a Mary Garden: Iris (Iris sp.)
Iris is a genus of herbaceous perennials mostly found in the temperate Northern Hemisphere from Europe to Asia and across North America. They grow from creeping rhizomes in moist environments…
Plants for a Mary Garden: Periwinkle (Vinca minor)
Also called myrtle and the Virgin flower this perennial evergreen vine is a member of the dogbane family, Apocynaceae, that also includes milkweed, oleander, and bluestar. It is native from…