What is a Mary Garden?

Mary Mother of God, Blessed Mother, The Virgin Mary, Our Lady, are just a few of the names we use to address her. And we honor her as Jesus’ Mother, ask for her intercession in our prayers and venerate her by invoking her name in grand and simple ways. We name glorious cathedrals after her as well as the humblest of roadside plants. In Medieval times, cloistered gardens sprung up with collections of herbs and flowers with Marian names, their common names extolling the virtues and attributes of Mary. These gardens came to be called Mary Gardens and the tradition continues to the present day.

For inspiration and research in creating my own Mary Garden, I have depended upon a book by Vincenzina Krymow called Mary’s Flowers: Gardens, Legends and Meditations. My own knowledge and love of gardening, my niece Antonia’s manual labor and the guiding hand of Our Lady of the Barn have additionally helped me in the creation of “The Mary Garden at the Barn for the Poorest of the Poor.”

I will be posting pictures of the individual Mary flowers and plants in my Mary Garden along with the Marian Name, Common Name and Botanical Name. Additionally, I will give a brief run-down of the Mary legend(s) associated with that particular plant as well as my gardening commentary.

Maria