APRIL 2017
Honoring Our Blessed Mother With A Mary Garden
In the month of May, we honor our
Blessed Mother through special Marian
Devotions, novenas, May Crownings, and
Marian walks. Some families even prepare a
small altar in their homes and pray the
rosary daily during May. There’s another
way we can honor Mary that is often
forgotten - a Mary Garden!
A Mary Garden, as the name implies,
is a garden with various plants and blossoms
that remind us of our Blessed Mother. The
garden can be any size. They may be planted
in a yard, or, if space is limited, a small
section under a patio. Mary Gardens can
even be done in miniature and kept on a
counter or table top. The possibilities are
endless!
The key is to select plants that
represent Mary or her life. For example,
legend says the angel Gabriel is said to have
been holding a lily, representing purity,
when he appeared to Mary to announce she
would bear a child. Irises represent the
sorrows which pierced Mary’s heart, and
marigolds were said to fallen out of Mary’s
purse when thieves attempted to rob Mary
and Joseph during the flight into Egypt.
There are many online resources
with information about associations between
plants and our Blessed Mother. But
honestly, with a little imagination, just about
any plant could be connected to Mary.
Whether or not a plant is on a list
somewhere is not important. What IS
important is that the garden calls to mind
Mary, and offers us a chance to talk about
her to others. Before creating the garden, we
should spend some time thinking about
Mary’s life and how we can tell others about
her through plants in our gardens.
Plant Suggestions for a Mary Garden
Marigold (Mary’s Gold)
Pansy (Trinity Flower)
Daffodil (Mary’s Star)
Rose (Crown of Mary)
Lilly (Purity)
Baby’s Breath (Innocence)
Gladiolus (Swords/sorrows in Mary’s Heart)
Lilly of the Valley (Mary’s Tears)
English Ivy (Heart of Mary)
Carnation (Mary’s pure love)
Fern (Mary’s humility)
Iris (Mary’s sorrow at the Passion of Christ)
Do you have a Mary Garden? Do you plan
to plant one? If so, send us a picture! We’d
love to see them! Post them to our
Facebook (facebook.com/
visitationofourlady) or click HERE.
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