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Flowers of the Madonna Plants of the Bible Horticulture, December, 1953 Flowers associated with Mary, the Mother of Jesus, are deeply intertwined with ancient lore that can be traced back beyond the Christian era. In heathen mythology almost every common plant was the emblem of a god; every tree was the abode of a nymph. The laurel was sacred to Apollo in memory of Daphne who was changed into a laurel while escaping his advances. The anemone, poppy and violet were dedicated to Venus, the narcissus and maidenhair fern to Prosperpine, the willow to Ceres, the pink to Jove and the lily, crocus and asphodel to Juno. The lily was also sacred to Buddha and Brahma, the basil to Vishnu and the henna plant to Mahomet. ....
Church Plant Symbolism of the Blessed Virgin Mary In the prevailing culture of Greece and Rome at the time of Christ, and of the beginning Church, flowers and all nature were seen as inhabited by polytheistic false gods and goddesses: Jupiter, Venus, Diana, Pan, Daphne, Adonis, etc. As one writer put it, All the gods had their temples in nature, except the one true God. These deities were venerated and petitioned through offerings presented before their images at public and also household altars, as found, for example, in the homes excavated at Pompeii. The Roman Martyrs, including two patron saints of gardeners, Saint Dorothy, who sent flowers to earth from the heavenly paradise, and St. Phocas, who dug his own grave with his gardening spade on the eve of his execution in hope of the resurrection, were put to death for their refusal to pay homage to the pagan gods. ....
Tigridia - Christ s (bloodied) Knee, from his falls 5. Crucifixion Poppy - Christ s Blood Drops Passion Flower - multiple symbolism of Christ s Passion (See also The Garden Way of the Cross) The Passion Flower is of special interest because there exist historical records of its discovery growing in Mexico by European missionaries, and of its introduction into Europe, as set forth in the website article The Passion Flower - accessible through a link under GARDEN PRAYER & MEDITATION on the website home page. The Church prohibits reference to or symbolism of Mary s Cross , the Cross being uniquely Christ s. However, in the research there are the tiny cross-shaped flowers of Sweet Alyssum, named Mary s Little Cross , as symbol of the interior Cross of Christ borne in her heart and soul. ....
– John S. Stokes Jr. As we come to know the growth and blooming of the Flowers of Our Lady in our Mary Gardens, we acquire a heightened alertness to their presence also in the neighborhoods and waysides through which we travel. Thus discovered, they evoke our reflections and prayers in a spontaneous and ever-changing way as we move about, as distinct from the familiar reflections in our gardens. As Judith Smith observes in The Mary Calendar, Every field path and hedgerow (becomes) an illuminated Book of Hours. This is a return to the spirituality of medieval times, when symbolical flowers were characteristically encountered in and gathered from the countrysides rather than gardens. In this period, when people traveled mostly afoot, flower prayers were focused, not by garden statues or grottos of Our Lady, but by wayside shines or field crosses encountered as they moved about. ....
Background on Mary s Gardens Mary’s Gardens was founded in 1951 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to research the hundreds of flowers named in medieval times as symbols of the life, mysteries and privileges of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus as recorded by botanists, folklorists and lexicographers; and to assist in the planting of “Mary Gardens” of “Flowers of Our Lady” today. After the passing of John S. Stokes, Jr., his estate arranged for the migration of the original Mary’s Gardens website to the Marian Library/International Marian Research Institute in Dayton, Ohio. Background The inspiration for this work was the first public Mary Garden in the United States, at the Angelus Tower of St. Joseph’s Church, Woods Hole, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, established in 1932, comprised of some fifty Flowers of Our Lady of the medieval countryside of England, and beautifully maintained today. ....