A Garden for Mary

Margaret Rash invites you to get creative with a Mary Garden that honors Mary and works for your family. 

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I am not a gardener. I have sisters who love to garden, my husband really enjoys working out in the yard. I can think of a lot of other things I'd rather be doing, but, beyond that, I just don't seem to have much of a green thumb. I've tried keeping potted plants, indoors and out, and I don't seem to have the skills or patience.   

I do love fresh cut flowers and I'm not bad at floral arrangements! However, it seems recently my allergies are starting to react to certain flowers that I used to love in my younger years.  

Despite all of this, I'm very excited to start putting together my little garden for Mary this year, and you can be too, whether you're a gardening pro or not! 

 

What Exactly Is a Mary Garden? 

Mary Gardens have been around since the medieval times and are a way for people to show their love and devotion to Mary. These gardens can be peaceful places of prayer, as well as a reminder of Mary's care for us and our devotion to her. The act of putting together the garden (choosing the specific flowers and placements) can be a meditation itself.  

The Mary Garden is an act of faith. (John Stokes) 

 

 

 

What Do I Need to Get Started?  

You should start by choosing some image of Mary: a statue or picture to be the centerpiece of your garden. After that, choose what flowers and plants you'd like to incorporate and how you'd like to place them.  

When choosing plants and flowers, a quick internet search will bring up several websites that have lists of different flowers and their traditional meanings in relation to Mary and Mary Gardens.  

 

[Editor’s note: our writer Margaret Rose Realy, Obl. OSB has published A Garden Catechism, which offers information on many plants and flowers and their symbolic meanings.] 

So, if you're someone who …  

Loves to Garden! 

Great! Once you have your statue or other image of Mary and have chosen your plants, all you need to do is find the perfect spot in your yard!  

But if you … 

Really Prefer Container Gardens 

Also great! Find a suitable size container for the flowers you'd like to include and the size statue you have and start planting! The wonderful thing about container gardens is that they can be outdoors or indoors; you can even use hanging containers.  

But if you just don't have a green thumb and don't want to worry about keeping plants alive … 

What About a Flower Arrangement in a Vase? 

This can also absolutely be how you implement your Mary Garden. Choose your flowers that are meaningful to you, take care as you prayerfully arrange them for Mary and place them near a statue or picture of her. A nice bonus of doing it this way is you can change your flower choices with the seasons as well.  

But if you just can't handle plants in your home because of allergies, pets that will eat them, children who will knock them over, or for any other reason … 

Why Not Consider a Faux Flower Arrangement? 

This is what I'm doing this year. I'm choosing a Mary statue to place in a prominent spot on my kitchen countertop, and arranging four pretty glass jars around it. My plan is to label the jars “Joyful,” “Luminous,” “Sorrowful,” and “Glorious,” and then choose flowers that remind me, by their symbolism, of each of the 20 Mysteries of the Rosary and arrange them accordingly.  

In this way, I can also use them as a teaching tool to teach my children the Mysteries of the Rosary. 

I hope you feel encouraged to show your devotion to Mary with a Mary Garden that works for you this spring! 

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Copyright 2025 Margaret Rash
Images: Canva