Gardening With Mary

Excerpted from "Mary's Flowers: Gardens, Legends and Meditations" with permission of St. Anthony Messenger Press.

During the Middle Ages, the Catholic faithful saw reminders of Mary, the Mother of God, in the flowers and herbs growing around them. Violets were symbols of her humility, lilies her purity, and roses her glory. They called her "Flower of Flowers" and named plants after her. Marigolds were Mary's Gold, clematis was the Virgin's Bower, and lavender was Our Lady's Drying Plant.

Before the Second Vatican Council of the early 1960's, May crownings were the tradition in Catholic schools during Mary's month of May, and makeshift home altars bearing an image of Mary were decorated with the choicest home-grown blossoms.

Those traditions have almost disappeared, but the medieval custom of finding reminders of Mary's attributes, glories, and sorrows in flowers and herbs has left a legacy that can enrich our lives in this new millennium.

Reflecting on the flower names, we can honor Mary and find relevance for our own lives. We see Mary's humility as we gaze upon the humble violet, sing her praises with petunias, and share her sorrows as we behold the purple blossoms and sword-like leaves of the blue flag iris.

More than 30 flowers and herbs bear legends about Mary's life. Many of the plants can be easily grown in your own Mary Garden, a garden dedicated to Mary and containing her image and plants associated with her by name or legend. The legends thatwhich follow can take us, in spirit and in our hearts, on a virtual journey with Mary.

Columbine, or Our Lady's Shoe

Columbine is said to have sprung up wherever Mary's foot touched the earth when she was on her way to visit her cousin, Elizabeth.

The spurred flower resembles a little dove and came to symbolize the Holy Spirit. In England, doves were used to decorate the altar in during Whitsun Week, the week following Pentecost Sunday, as the faithful made a connection between the dove, the Holy Spirit, and Our Lady's Flower, the name they had given the columbine.

Oxeye Daisy, or Mary's Star

On the night that Jesus was born, the Magi, praying on a mountainside, saw a star appear in the form of a fair child. The child told them to go to Jerusalem, where they would find a newborn child. When the Wise Men, following the star, reached the village of Bethlehem, they looked for a further sign. Suddenly, King Melchior saw a strange white and gold flower that looked like the star that had led them to Bethlehem. As he bent to pick it, the door of a stable opened, and he saw the Holy Family.

Juniper, or the Madonna's Juniper Bush

In Sicily, it is told that the juniper bush saved the life of Mary, Joseph, and the infant Jesus during their flight into Egypt. As the soldiers pursued them, the Holy Family hastened through fields of peas and flax and thickets of various shrubs. A juniper bush growing nearby opened up its thick branches to enclose the Holy Family, hiding them until Herod's men had left. The inside of the large bush became a soft bed, sheltering the fleeing family, while needles on the outside branches grew prickly as spears. Herod's soldiers could not penetrate the spiky branches of the juniper and passed the family by.

Fuchsia, or Our Lady's Ear-Drop

The gently drooping flowers resemble ear-drops, or pendant earrings. It is said that Jesus might have playfully hung flower jewels of ruby and amethyst colors on his mother's ears.

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