THE MARY GARDEN - PART TWO

NAMES, LEGENDS AND REFLECTIONS

OF MARIAN HERBS AND FLOWERS

YOU CAN CHOOSE FROM THIS LIST

FOR YOUR BEAUTIFUL GARDEN

 

Amaryllis, or Amaryllis belladonna - or 'Beautiful lady'. Tradition tells us that the flower symbolizes Mary as 'Beautiful lady'

Amaryllis, or Hippeastrum hybrid - or 'St Joseph's Lily'.
  The legend is that when a suitable husband was being chosen for Mary, the suitor who made the most striking impression was Joseph.  
The reason was that when he arrived to meet Mary and her parents, he was carrying a long brown walking stick. At the upper end of the stick, a beautiful flower bloomed - the Amaryllis belladonna . . .

Baby's breath, or Gypsophila panicul - 'Lady's Veil'

Bachelor's buttons, or Centauria cyannis - 'Mary's Crown'

Begonia, or Begonia fuch rosa - 'Heart of Mary'

Bellflower, or Adenophera - 'Lady Bell'

Bleeding heart, or Dicentra spectabilis - 'Mary's Heart'

Blue Flag Iris, or Iris versicolor - share Mary's sorrows as we behold the purple blossoms and sword-like leaves of this herb and flower.
  The Iris was compared to the Virgin in mystic devotion.
The blade-shaped foliage denotes the sorrows which 'pierced her heart' as Simeon prophesied in the Temple during the Presentation of the Baby Jesus

Blue Phlox, or Phlox divericata - 'Lady's Wedding'

Bluets, or Houstonia caerul - 'Madonna's Eyes'

Buttercup, or Ranunculus acris - 'Lady's Our Bowl'

Camelia, or Camellia japonica - 'Purity'

Canna, or Canna generalis - 'Rosary beads'

Canterbury bells, or Campanula medium - 'Our Lady's Nightcap, Mary's Bells, Our Lady's Smock'
 

Carnation, or Dianthus caryophyllis - Mary's love of God.
  These flowers are said to have bloomed at Christ's Nativity, according to a German legend

Castilian roses [Damascus roses or Damask roses] or Rosa damascena  - The variety of roses found by Juan Diego after the heavenly visitation of Our Lady of Guadalupe

 

Christmas Rose, or Helleborus - said to have flowered on Christmas day to honour the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Son of Mary

Chrysanthemum, or Chrysanthemum coronarium - 'All Saints Flower' . Chrysanthemum is believed to have been present as Christ was laid in His Tomb

 

Clematis, or Clematis virginiana- the Virgin's Bower

Clematis, or Clamatis flammula - 'Cross'

Columbine, or Aquilegia vulgaris; known as 'Our Lady's Shoes'
  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 who was pregnant with her second cousin, John.
  Columbine's spurred flower is said to resemble a minute dove; and the flower came to symbolize the Holy Spirit of God.
  In England, doves were used to decorate the altar in Whitsun Week - the week following Pentecost Sunday - as people made connection between the dove, the Holy Spirit and Our Lady's Flower - the other name they had given the sweet columbine

Reflection;
Mary, how many miles you walked upon this earth!
  Your grace-filled being brought the Son of Man close to us.
Have we ever thanked you for the role you played?
  Let us follow your footprints; even better, teach us to walk in your shoes

Costmary,  or Chrystanthemum balsamita - 'Mary's Leaf'

Cowslip, or Primula veris - 'Our Lady's Keys'. In medieval times, St Mary was often referred to as 'Our Lady'

Daffodil, or Narcissus pseudonarc - 'Mary's Star'

Dog rose, or Rosa canina - 'Mary's Thorn'

Edelweiss, or Leontopodium alpinum - 'Purity'

English daisy, or Bellis perennis - 'Mary-love'

Fern, or Asplenium ruta-mur - 'Lady's Hair'

Field Bindweed, or Convolvulus arvensis - 'Our Lady's Little Glass', after a symbolic story in which Our Lady assisted a waggoner to set his cart free after she plucked the flower and gave it to him

Forget-Me-Not, or Myostis scorpoides, Myostis sylvatica- 'Our Lady's Eyes'

Foxglove - 'Our Lady's Gloves'

Fuschia, or Fuschia magellanica and hybrida - 'Our Lady's Ear-drop'.
  The gently drooping flowers of the lovely fuschia resemble pendant earrings or ear-drops. It is said that Jesus may have playfully hung flower jewels of amethyst and ruby colors on his mother's ears.
  Another tradition is that the blossoms were named Our Lady's Ear-drops as a way of paying tribute to Mary, who through her ears 'heard the Word of God, and kept it'

Reflection;
A baby's fascinated play - tugging at his mother's ear, playing with her face and hair, brings a smile to those who watch.
  Little ones cherish their moms, tucking fallen flowers in her hair and bringing her wildflower bouquets to bring her joy.
  Mary, nourish my love for you and Jesus.

Heartsease - known as 'Herb Trinity' because of its white, yellow and purple coloring. Common in medieval paintings of Mary

Holy Hay

Juniper, or Juniperis - 'The Madonna's Juniper Bush'.
  In Sicily it is said that the juniper bush saved both Mary and the infant Jesus life as they fled into Egypt.
  They were being pursued by soldiers, and the Holy Family fled through fields of flax and peas and various shrub thickets.
  The trusty juniper bush opened up its thick branches to enclose the Holy Family, hiding them until the searching soldiers had gone.
  The inside of the large bush became a soft bed, sheltering the fleeing family.
  The needles on the outside of the bush became as prickly as spears, thus protecting the Family within.

Reflection;
  Our garden of life includes both blessing and despair. Mary's life embraced both.
  Mary, you, Joseph and child lived in Egypt, toiling for years to build a good life.
  Sometimes I wonder how you managed to live your life so untouched by bitterness or harshness of spirit. Please teach me.
 

Lavender - Our Lady's Drying Plant

Lily of the Valley, or Convalleria majalis - 'Our Lady'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 the Lily of the Valley.
  This flower was a symbol of the Virgin Mary because of its pure flowers, sweet scent and humble appearance.
  It was held to symbolize the Immaculate Conception of Mary, and to represent the purity of body and soul by which Mary found favor with God.
  Lily of the Valley is one of the flowers used to decorate the Lady Chapels of Churches. 
  In his paintings, the famous early Netherlandish painter Jan van Eyck portrayed the flower in the grass beneath Mary's feet.

Reflection;
The sacred text does not speak of your tears, Mary, as our legend does. It tells us instead that you stood by the cross and you were not alone.
  Other women and John were also there. We wonder at the sorrow, the pain of this little community standing by.
  Fragrant tiny white lily-bells, a thousand quiet tears bowing before the still-cold winter winds, teach me of springtime and the Resurrection just beyond the stone-cold tomb.

Lungwort - 'Mary's tears' - The white spots on the leaves were held to be Mary's tearstains; and the changing color of the flowers from pink to blue represent blue eyes reddened with weeping.
  Lungwort is also known as 'Mary and Joseph'

Madonna Lily - said to have been carried by the Angel Gabriel when he visited Mary to tell her God had chosen her to be the Mother of the Savior.
  The Venerable Bede, 8th-century chronicler of the English people and church, claimed that the color of the flower represented her purity, and the golden anthers the radiant light of her soul

Marigolds - Mary's Gold. The flowers were used as a gold-colored dye for wool, and may have been thought to symbolize Mary's simplicity and domesticity of life

Mantle - Our Lady's Mantle. The leaves are covered with fine silky hairs on which raindrops can settle without wetting the leaf.              
  Possibly because of this the plant was likened to a cloak for the Blessed Virgin

Our Lady's Bedstraw

Ox-eye Daisy, or Chrysanthemum leucanthemum - 'Mary's Star'. Symbolic of purity and simplicity, the daisy is widely portrayed in the flower meadows of medieval paintings.
The legend tells that on the night that Jesus was born, the Magi were praying on a mountainside.
  They saw a star appear in the form of a fair child who told them to go to Jerusalem, where they would find a newborn infant.
  The Wise Men followed the Star and reached Bethlehem village. They searched for a further sign; and King Melchior saw a white and gold flower that looked like the star that had led them to Bethlehem.
  Melchior bent to pick the sweet flower, and, as he did so, a stable door opened and they saw the Holy Family.

The Office of the Star - a mystery play and a pageant about the visit of the Magi on the Feast of the Epiphany, began as a part of the 11th century liturgical service. It probably originated in France.
  The play was later replaced by Feast of the Star, performed partly in church, and partly outdoors.

Reflection
Things, persons and events are prophets pointing the way to God; inspiring people to praise God. 
  Did you learn, Mary, to discern God's graces long before Bethlehem and the coming of your Child?
  If only I could share your wisdom, as did the Wise Men who knelt down before the Child in your arms

Peony - gloriously rich medieval flower which featured in many tapestries and paintings

Periwinkle - 'The Virgin's Flower', probably because of its blue, star-like flowers. Mary was often referred to as Stella Maris, meaning 'Star of the Sea'

Petunia - sing Mary's praise

Pinks - also known as the 'Gilly flower'; they are considered a symbol of the Virgin Mary

Primrose - was used to decorate church altars in May, which is called 'the month of Mary'

Rose - symbolizes Mary herself, known as the 'Mystic Rose'.
  Two of the roses associated with Mary are the antique Rosa Gallica [the 'apothecary's rose] and Rosa Alba.
  The Gallica is reputed to be the oldest cultivated rose and the ancestor of all European medieval roses

Snowdrop - 'Our Lady's Bells'. Snowdrops flower at the Feast of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple - also known as Candlemas - or The Purification of Saint Mary the Virgin.
  This beautiful feast falls on February 2nd

Star of Bethlehem - this flower is a reminder of the birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas

Violet - 'Our Lady's Modesty'. This flower symbolizes the humility of Mary.
  The violet's delicacy, color, sweet scent and characteristic heart-shaped leaves refer to Mary's innocence, modesty and constancy

Wild Strawberry - designated as the fruit of the Virgin Mary and of blessed souls in heaven.
  In his paintings, Jan Van Eyck depicted wild strawberries growing in the grass beneath Mary's feet.