There are literally dozens of plants which are associated with Mary, so many that a Mary Garden can be created to suit the growing conditions of any part of the world.
A History of the Mary Garden
Devotion to the Virgin Mary was at its peak during medieval times, the age of chivalry and honour towards women. The third Ecumenical Council in 431AD proclaimed Mary as a divine being and from this date, Marian devotion became widespread and shrines and churches dedicated to Mary began to appear.
It is also from this date that popular plants began to be named after and associated with Mary. Some plants which had previously been named after pagan gods and goddesses were renamed.
Mary gardens on monastic sites and also in private gardens. They were a place where people could sit quietly and pray or think. Privacy could be hard to come by in the Middle Ages, when even the wealthiest people lived in crowded conditions, so the gardens must have provided a rare time to be alone.
How to Create a Medieval Mary Garden
First of all, decide on your plot size. Many medieval gardens were extremely small, due to the cramped living conditions in towns and cities. Medieval people devoted much of their growing space to fruit and vegetables for their own consumption and for sale to others. Any plants grown for pleasure occupied any space which was left over.
Find a quiet corner of your main garden to use, so that your Mary Garden can be a place for peaceful reflection. Even a window box will do to start with. The aim is to have a small space for growing Marian-inspired flowers and if you enjoy the project, you can always expand later.
Marian flowers are, by tradition, the more simple and plainly coloured flowers. The medieval Mary Garden was usually square in shape, perhaps inspired by a monastery’s cloister, a place where Mary Gardens were often situated.
There are dozens of plants to choose from and, of course, you can also select plants of your own choosing. However, if you wish to stay authentic to the medieval Mary Garden, choose some of the plants from the following section.
Plants to Use in a Medieval Mary Garden
Carnation – said to have originally grown from tears shed by Mary on the road to Calvary.
Forget Me Not – widely associated with Mary because of its rare blue colour, said to mirror the eyes of the mother of Jesus.
English Primrose – a symbol of the feast of Corpus Christi and a feature of many medieval tapestries.
Madonna Lily – a simple lily, one of the first plants to be associated with Mary.
Wallflower – known as Mary’s Flower and found in many medieval monasteries.
Fleur de Lys – known as Mary’s Sword of Sorrow, said to symbolise the prophecies of the suffering of Jesus.
Foxglove – Our Lady’s Gloves
Wild Thyme – Our Lady’s Herb, tradition states this was used as a mattress of baby Jesus.
How to Decorate a Medieval Mary Garden
Once your plants of choice are in place, you can consider extra decorations. Medieval Mary Gardens were supposed to be somewhere people could come to pray and reflect. Some were decorated with small statues of the Virgin, others had a fountain or stream.
A small seat or bench can encourage visitors to sit and linger and a windchime can provide gentle sounds. The Mary Garden will change as the seasons alter and can be a place you will return to all year long.
Sources
McLeod, Judyth In A Unicorn’s Garden [Murdoch Books, 2008]
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