Mary Garden for the Annunciation
For the feast of the Annunciation, which is celebrated on March 25th, we have the tradition in our family of sprucing up our garden and planting new flowers named after the other of God (Theotokos, the Virgin Mary). I love this feast day tradition because it helps us lean into the spiritual symbolism in tending to a garden, one that the Theotokos would have been very familiar with - the garden of our hearts - in order to prepare to receive Christ. After all, she is the one who Jesus reminds us in the Gospel who “heard the word of God and kept it” (Luke 11:28). So as we prepare for this feast, let's prepare a place in our homes for our very own Mary Garden, with flowers dedicated to her. In this blogpost you will learn more about the feast of the Annunciation, how to plant your own Mary garden, what seeds to sow, and the connection between this special feast day activity!
If you would like to make your own, like the one I made above, I put together the items purchased in my Amazon storefront:
Check out this YouTube video with Patristic Nectar kids on creating your own Mary Garden:
The beginnings of a Mary Garden, which is explained below:
In Medieval Europe, pious Christians loved to find reminders of their faith in nature, and named many plants after Jesus and the Theotokos (Mary). It became popular to take these plants and create “Mary Gardens”, gardens full of flowers and herbs that were named after the Mother of God. Today, in honor of the day that Mary said yes to God, we planted the start of our own Mary Garden, using seeds of flowers that are named for her. Did you know there are over 1000 flowers named after Mary?
Here is the list of commonly found seeds named after the Theotokos, followed by their Medieval names:
Amaryllis – “Beautiful lady”
Baby’s breath – “Lady’s veil”
Bachelor’s buttons – “Mary’s crown”
Bleeding heart – “Mary’s heart”
Buttercup – “Lady’s locks”
Carnation – “Mary’s love of God”
Chamomile – “Lady’s flower”
Columbine – “Our Lady’s shoes”
Dandelion – “Mary’s bitter sorrow”
Fern – “Lady’s hair”
Forget-me-not – “Eyes of Mary”
Foxglove – “Our Lady’s gloves”
Geranium – “Lady beautiful”
Honeysuckle – “Lady’s stick”
Impatiens – “Our Lady’s earrings”
Iris – “Mary as Queen”
Larkspur – “Mary’s tears”
Lily-of-the-valley – “Our Lady’s tears”
Marigold – “Mary’s gold”
Morning glory – “Our Lady’s mantle”
Ox-Eye daisy – “Mary’s star”
Pansy – “Our Lady’s delight”
Petunia – “Lady’s praise”
Rose – a symbol of Mary herself (she is known as the “Mystical Rose” or “Unfading Rose”)
Rosemary – “Mary’s nosegay”
Sweet pea – “Our Lady’s flower”
Tulip – “Mary’s prayer”
Violet – “Our Lady’s modesty”
Zinnia – “Little Mary”
Tending the garden of our hearts:
Some of my favorite spiritual lessons come from gardening apologies. In motherhood, one of the most powerful parables for me is the parable of the Sower that Jesus gives us in Matthew 13. The passage is rather short so I will share it with you here:
“Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Matthew 13:1-9).
This is one of those special parables that Jesus actually tells us the meaning to. The disciples (once again) don’t understand what he is meaning, so Jesus tells them:
“Therefore hear the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”
As a mother, this one really strikes me. As a mother, it is my job to help prepare the hearts of my children with good soil, so that when they hear the word, they will understand it and bear good fruit. This is of course the same for my own heart, but I feel especially responsible for the precious people God has given me to care for. So as we are preparing this garden bed for our Mary Garden, I am storing all these treasures in my heart, and asking the Theotokos to be my guide as a mother. “Help me nurture these precious hearts to be soft and receptive to the Lord.” Just like the Theotokos was - she heard the word of God and kept it (Luke 11:28).
For our garden, these are the ones we chose to plant:
Mary’s Gold (Marigold): In bloom during the Dormition, these flowers remind us of her crown.
Mantle of the Theotokos (Convolvus): Blue flowers that remind us of Our Lady’s protecting veil.
Our Lady’s Little Glass (Poppy): Long ago, a man’s wagon got stuck in the mud, and he couldn’t get it out. The Theotokos came to him and offered to help him in exchange for a drink. The poor man had no cup for her, but upon hearing this, the Theotokos plucked a flower from the side of the road and used it for her glass instead! This flower came to be known as Our Lady’s Little Glass.
The Virgin’s Star (Daisy): Representing the stars of virginity found on Mary’s veil.
FREE Printable:
I printed off this printable to allow the kids at Church to take it home and read more about it. You can print a copy of it through Canva for free:
Roses Bloomed on her Feast:
Throughout history, Mary has been associated with many different flowers- as her Christian virtues are like a sweet fragrance of beauty. But the rose in particular stands out as it is the most beautiful of all, just as our most holy lady is. My girls noticed that our rose bush was blooming today- so fitting for such a special feast! All of creation rejoices!
On this day, the Annunciation, we celebrate the beginning of our salvation and the revelation of the mystery before all ages. For the Son of God becomes the son of the Virgin, and Gabriel proclaims the grace. We also cry out with him, "Hail, O full of grace, the Lord is with you."
Be attentive and see if you can notice roses or other special Mary flowers blooming today!
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Meet the Author:
My name is Khouria Destinie and I'm excited you are here! “Khouria” is the title given to a Priest wife in the Antiochian Orthodox tradition. I use my little space here on the web to share resources I find that may be useful to others interested in bringing the life of the Church into their homes! Living out the Ancient Faith in a modern world takes intention. I will happily walk along side you, sharing what I am learning and finding, so together we can raise up the next generation of Christians who love God with all their hearts and minds!
A little more about me - I am an Orthodox Christian, married to my high-school sweetheart who is an Orthodox Priest. Together we have 4 children whom we homeschool. We both grew up as Evangelicals and discovered the Orthodox Church in college. After a few years, we joined the Orthodox Church and our lives have never been the same. Thank you for reading and for being here!
