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A Mary Garden is a garden, filled
with flowers, plants and trees named for Our Lady and Jesus.
It is
designed to be a place of beauty that reminds us of our Lord and our
Lady. A Mary Garden allows one to experience God's creation, and invites prayer
and contemplation. Because Mary is a type of the Church as Bride,
the garden should be enclosed if at all possible, based on the words
of the fourth chapter of Solomon's Canticle of Canticles.
SOURCE:
http://fisheaters.com/marygardens.html
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| Clematis |
Virgin's Bower |
| Columbine |
This plant is said to
have sprung up wherever Mary's foot touched the earth when
she was on her way to visit Elizabeth. Its flower resembles
a little dove and symbolizes the Holy Spirit. In England
doves decorated the altar on Whitsun Week (the week after
Pentecost) and the faithful connected the dove, the Holy
Spirit and Our Lady's Flower, the name they had given to the
columbine. |
| Crocus |
Penitent's Rose |
| Daffodil |
Mary's Star |
| Day Lily |
St. Joseph's Lily |
| Fern |
Lady's Hair |
| Forget Me Not |
Eyes of Mary |
| Geranium |
Lady Beautiful |
| Grape
Hyacinth |
St. Joseph's Bells |
| Hosta |
Assumption lily |
| Hyacinth |
Lily Among Thorns |
| Iris |
During the 14th century
in France, a wealthy knight, Salaun, renounced the world and
entered the Cistercian Order. He was very devout but could
never remember more than the first two words of the Ave
Maria. He kept repeating the two words, "Ave Maria," as he
prayed to the Virgin. He prayed to her day and night, using
only those two words. He grew old and when he died was
buried in the chapel yard of the monastery. As proof that
Mary had heard his short but earnest prayer, a fleur-de-lis
plant sprang up on his grave, and on every flower shone in
golden letters the words "Ave Maria." The monks, who had
ridiculed him because of what they viewed as his ignorant
piety, were so amazed that they opened his grave.
There they found the root of the plant resting on the lips
of the knight. Finally they understood his great devotion.
In Chartres Cathedral in France, the famous 13th century
rose window of the north transept, which depicts the
Glorification of the Virgin, includes the fleur-de-lis
(iris), said to be a symbol of the Annunciation. |
| Lilac |
Ascension Flower |
|
Lily of the
Valley |
It was said that when
Mary wept at the foot of the Cross, her tears fell to the
ground and turned into fragrant blossoms of lily of the
valley. In England, they are called Our Lady's Tears because
from a distance the flowerettes gave the appearance of
teardrops falling. They are a symbol of the Virgin Mary
because of their pure white color and sweet and humble
appearance. They symbolize the Immaculate Conception and
represent the purity of body and soul of Mary. |
| Madonna Lily |
Annunciation Lily, Virgin
Lily or Mary's Lily. The Venerable Bede (A.D. 672-735)
described the white petals as symbols of Mary's body, and
the golden anthers as symbols of the glory of her soul.
White lilies' association with purity cause them to be
depicted with many saints, such as Saints Francis and
Claire. They are most strongly associated with St. Joseph,
whose rod is said, in the Gospel of the Nativity of Mary, to
have blossomed to prove he was worthy to guard Mary and
become her spouse…and with the archangel Gabriel, who is
depicted as presenting Mary with the lily at the
Annunciation (hence the name "Annunciation Lily")…Their
beauty is commented upon by Christ Himself (Luke 12:27). |
|
Marigold
|
Mary's Gold |
| Periwinkle |
Virgin Flower |
| Petunia |
Our Lady's Praises |
| Rose and Lily |
Rosa - Our Lady's Rose
and Lilium - Mary's Lily. About 12 years after Jesus'
resurrection, an angel appeared to Mary to tell her that in
three days she would be called forth from her body to where
her Son awaited her. Mary asked that her sons and
brothers, the apostles, be gathered near her, so that she
could see them before she died and so they could bury her.
The angel told her the apostles would be with her that day,
and they were immediately plucked up by clouds wherever they
were preaching and transported to her house. Then
Jesus came for her and her soul went forth out of her body
and flew upward in the arms of her Son. As Mary rose, she
was surrounded with red roses and white lilies. Three days
later, her body came forth from the tomb and was assumed
into heaven, accompanied by a chorus of angels.
Thomas, however, was not present and when he arrived refused
to believe that this had happened. He asked that her tomb be
opened and when it was opened it contained only lilies and
roses. Roses and lilies have been symbols of Mary
since earliest times. The rose, emblematic of her purity,
glory and sorrow, was her attribute as Queen of Heaven and a
symbol of her love for God and for Christ, her son. The lily
represented her immaculate purity, her innocence and
virginity. |
| Snapdragon |
Infant Jesus' Shoes |
| Spirea |
St. Peter's Wreath |
| Tulip |
Mary's Prayer |
| Veronica |
Our Lady's Faith |
|
Violet |
Our Lady's Modesty |
| Zinnia |
Little Mary, the Virgin |
Return to The Mary Garden
Return to The Mary Page
This page, maintained by The Marian Library/International Marian Research Institute,
Dayton, Ohio 45469-1390, and created by Kelly Bodner was last modified
Wednesday, 24-July-2006 by Kelly Bodner. Please send any comments to Johann.Roten@udayton.edu.URL for this page is
http://www.udayton.edu/mary/maryplants.htm |
