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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. Communications and requests for further information may be addressed to:
After the passing of John S. Stokes, Jr., his estate has arranged for the maintenance of the existing site through mid-Summer 2009, including handling emails sent to the above address, and for the subsequent migration of the original Mary's Gardens website to The Mary Page, the internet vehicle for public outreach associated with The Marian Library/International Marian Research Institute in Dayton, Ohio. We will keep you posted on the progress of this move, which is already in progress. Thank you for your interest in this field and for your patronage in the past. We hope that you will continue to enjoy this site at its new home. |
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OVERVIEW
RESEARCHChurch Nature Symbols of Mary
The Medieval Flowers of Our Lady
Introductory Slide Lecture
Introductory Annuals Mary Garden Pamphlet--Virtual Garden photo
List of One-hundred Popular Flowers for Mary Gardens
Mary Garden display at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center
U.S National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception Mary's Garden
Book Review: Mary's Flowers, Gardens, Legends and Meditations by Vincenzina Krymow
Book Review The Liturgy of Flowers In a Mary Garden by Andrea Oliva Florendo
Book Review--The Flowers of Exeter by Michael W. Tisdall
Miniature Flower Photos
Flower Cards
Medieval Mary Garden Prints
Medieval Mary Gardens
The Richness of Medieval Plant Symbolism Today
Mary Gardens for Today
Bonnie Roberson, Mary Gardener of Love
Representative Mary Gardens--Descriptions and Photos
Historical Perspective
Bible Gardens Revisited
GARDENINGResearch and Documentation
Mary Flowers in France, Germany, Ireland, Latin America, the U.K., Spain
GARDEN PRAYER and MEDITATIONStarting Your Mary Garden
Mail Order Sources for Seeds and Plants
Patio Container Mary Gardens
Home Mary Gardens
Parish Mary Garden Care
Establishing and Maintaining a Parish Mary Garden
Niche Mary Gardens For Religious Communities
Indoor Dish Mary Gardens
Indoor Windowsill Mary Gardens for Schools
Computer-Aided Garden Design
POETRY and SONGSThe Blessing of Mary Gardens as Holy Places
Mary Garden Prayer
Prayer For Grafters and Planters [From the sixteenth century English Translation of a gardening book by one of the St. Vincent Abbey, France]
Twelve Flower Meditations for Introductory Annuals Mary Garden
Flower Meditations on the Five Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary
Flower Theology
Flower Theology II
The Passion Flower
The Garden Way of the Cross
The Garden Way of the Rosary
Providential Images and Symbols of Our Lady
Wayside Flowers and Shrines of Our Lady
Flower and Human Symbols of the Trinity
Parish Mary Gardens of Devotion and Prayerful Work
Parish Rosary Gardens--in depth study
Garden Consecration to Jesus Through Mary
Garden Devotion To Mary--Union With Mary Through Her Flowers
Flower Mysticism for Divine Union and God's Kingdom
Parish and Shrine Mary Gardens
Flowers of Mary's Appearances
Flower Symbols of Mary on Earth and in Heaven
Flower Symbols of Mary's Sorrows
Seasonal Flower Reflections--Candlemas
Virtual Mary Gardens
Pope Reveals Mary's Place In His Life
HOME and SCHOOLS EDUCATIONPoem--Gardens Give Mary Glory
Poem--The Marygold
Song--I Am The Rose Of Sharon
INSPIRATION AND OUTREACHMary in the Garden
Home Mary Garden
Garden Catechism--Garden Teaching of Religious Basics
School Mary Gardens Through The Year, 1994
Review Teachers' Guide to Mary Gardens by Lisa Creamer
Saint Theresa's Parish School Mary Garden Start-Up
Home School Mary Garden Projects
Background Reference/Index for Teachers
Assisting Children in Moving From Garden to World
ARCHIVALMary Garden Literature Distribution
Mary Garden Missionary
Reparation Through Flowers
You Can Help
BACKGROUNDTestimonials
Mary's Gardens Press Files Listing 1946-1994 (Pre-Internet)
Fifty-seven Years of Developmental Articles
Archive of Website Monthly "New" announcements
Mary Garden Chat and Photos
Developmental Correspondence
Slide Lecture #1 (1962)
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 country-sides of England and beautifully maintained today.
The initial means for spreading the Mary Garden idea, starting in 1951, was to make available, through volunteer lay initiative, "Our Lady's Garden" kits, with informative leaflet, packets of seeds for Flowers of Our Lady, together with lists of additional seeds, bulbs and plants obtainable through us--for the planting and tending of Mary Gardens as a prayerful, religious work of stewardship for God's flower riches and artistry with devotion, praise, thanksgiving, meditation and commitment. Proposed first for home gardens, Mary Gardens soon became established also at schools, parishes, burial plots, institutions and shrines.
By 1965, our research, had documented over eight-hundred flowers named for Christ, Our Lady and the Saints, as listed in Mariana I, and Tropicals Flowers, Trees and Shrubs for Mary Gardens, a sufficient variety of which were available from commercial sources, so that we discontinued offering seeds, bulbs and plants, and devoted our time (Mary's Gardens was always a spare time, a-vocational, work) to research, writing and consultation by mail.
Early gardens of note in the first years of our work included the roof Mary Garden of the Ambos Mundos Hotel in Havana, and Mary Gardens at the high schools of the Diocese of Cotabata, and also the Manila Observatory, in the Philippines.
Some of the better known Mary Gardens today are those at Our Lady's national shrines at Knock, Ireland, and Akita, Japan; at the Artane Oratory of the Resurrection in Dublin; and in the cloister planting of Lincoln Cathedral in England. Of special note in the United States, in addition to the mother garden at Woods Hole, are the Mary Gardens at Saint Mary's Parish, Annapolis, Maryland, adjacent to historic Carroll House, and Saint Catherine of Siena Parish in Portage, Michigan.
The work of Mary's Gardens is carried forward today by an informal association of committed persons in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts. Maryland, Ohio and Dublin, Ireland. This Internet website opened on September 8, 1995 to make our literature and photographs available in electronic form, and is now spreading our work world-wide.
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For the time being, communications and requests for further information may be addressed to: marysgardens@mgardens.org
All texts and graphics of this web page and site are copyrighted to Mary's Gardens, 1995. All rights reserved. Permission granted to reproduce for promotion of the greater glory of God through knowledge, honor, praise and veneration of, and through devotion and recourse to, the Blessed Virgin Mary.