May is the month of Mary and it is the month of Mother’s Day! What a beautiful time to honor our heavenly mother as we enjoy spring weather and plant a Mary Garden in her honor! Mary, like the moon reflects the sun, points us to her Son. Let us point others to her with beauty and sweetness.
What is a Mary Garden?
A Mary Garden is a featured area decorated specifically to honor Our Lady with flowers, fruit, and other beautiful elements. A garden is typically quiet with only the sounds of nature, and filled with sweet smells and pure colors. A Mary Garden is a place to pray, meditate, and draw closer to Our Lord with the help of Our Lady.
Gardens have a well documented history in the Catholic Church, being especially well known in monasteries and convents. Gardens act as a retreat, away from the business of the world, and set us among nature and creation. There are many plants names after the Blessed Virgin, and we read in Sacred Scripture how Mary pondered things in her heart and prayed.
A Mary Garden serves as a mini retreat, where adults and children can relax with their Heavenly Mother, pondering the fruit of her womb, her sweet fragrant fiat, and the Life and Love of Our Lord.
Do I Need a Large Space for a Mary Garden?
Nope! You can have a Mary Garden with containers and pots, on a balcony, in a large window, or it can take up half your property complete with a grotto and working water feature! The design, size, and elements are up to you. What we do need to have a Mary Garden is not space, but a desire to honor Our Lady with what you are creating, and a desire to lead others to her Son!
Can Children Help Create a Mary Garden?
Yes and it is encouraged that they be involved in the whole process! Creating a special space for prayer is a great motivator for them to actually use that space to pray. How wonderful for Our Lord that our children will use their time and talent to consider where to place the Mary Statue, what should be around her, which flowers to use, and then care for this garden they have made.
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How Do I Create a Mary Garden?
- Choose a location! This should be a place where you will feel comfortable praying and having the children pray too!
- Choose a statue that can endure the weather and fits securely where you will be placing it.
- Pick the flowers and plants that will surround Our Lady and arrange them accordingly.
- Add any other elements like a grotto or fountain if desired and space permits.
- Plant and pray!
Some flower ideas to use in your Mary Garden are:
- Roses; Mystical Rose
- Lilies: Lily of the Valley
- Marigold: “Mary’s Gold”
You can find some great flower options which are very creative and are sure to please the eye!
Prayers and Devotions for a Mary Garden
Having your Mary Garden blessed would be amazing! If you cannot have a priest, the Father of the home might also offer a blessing for his family. With a new place to pray this could be a great opportunity to introduce a new Marian Devotion to your family as well.
Some of our favorites are:
- The Rosary
- The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin
- The Angelus
- Sing Marian Antiphons
- Sing Seasonal Marian Hymns
- The Fatima Prayers
- The Seven Sorrows of Mary
- Devotional Prayers to the image of Our Lady you have
- Marian Consecration
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Looking for more ideas to celebrate Our Blessed mother in your Domestic Church? Spring is perfect to study Our Lady and the Good Beetles! There are so many ways we can honor Our Lady and grow closer to God in His Church! Honoring Mary in our homeschool is a gift, and here are some other ways to do just that!
Ave Maris Stella, Ora Pro Nobis
In Christ,
Jenny
