Reflection: Mary's Garden

The Angel Gabriel visited Mary at the Annunciation to tell her that God had chosen her to be the Mother of our Savior. In this image, the Angel Gabriel is presenting to Mary the Madonna lily which symbolizes purity.

Mary's Garden is a garden, filled with flowers, plants and trees named for Mary and Jesus. It is designed to be a place of beauty to remind us of our Lord and Our Lady, a place of prayer and contemplation.

During the Middle Ages, there were reminders of Mary, the Mother of God, in the flowers and herbs growing around them. Violets were symbols of her humility, lilies of her purity and roses of her glory, marigolds were Mary’s Gold, clematis was the Virgin’s Bower, lavender was Our Lady’s Drying Plant, petunias and purple blossoms of the blue flag iris. The Madonna lily, carried by the Angel Gabriel, bedstraw, holy hay and other herbs filled the humble manger where Mary gave birth to Jesus. The Christmas rose bloomed on that holy night. Many of the plants can be easily grown in your own Mary Garden and can be found throughout the world. More than 30 flowers and herbs have legends about Mary’s life.  May crownings were often tradition during Mary’s month of May and makeshift home altars bearing an image of Mary were decorated with home-grown blossoms.

Lily of the Valley Convalleria majalis Mary’s Tears.
It was said that when Mary wept at the foot of the Cross, her tears fell to the ground and turned into the tiny fragrant blossoms of this early spring plant. In England it had the name “Our Lady’s Tears” because when viewed from a distance the white flowerets gave the appearance of teardrops falling. The lily of the valley was a symbol of the Virgin Mary because of its pure white flowers, sweet smell and humble appearance. It symbolized Mary’s Immaculate Conception and represented the purity of body and soul by which Mary found favor with God.

You are an enclosed garden, my sister, my bride, an enclosed garden, a fountain sealed. Arise, north wind! Come, south wind! Blow upon my garden that its perfumes may spread abroad. Song of Solomon 4:12,16

O Mary, we crown thee with blossoms today, Queen of the Heavens, Queen of the May. Make our hearts a garden of prayers for all those we pray for and their families.