Garden Details
Garden Details
Our Mary Garden serves many purposes in our community. The garden is adjacent to the Plaza in front of our sanctuary and includes a statue of our Lady of Guadalupe and a bench for contemplation and rest. It is filled with native plants to honor creation and provide pollen, nectar and seeds for bees, butterflies and birds. It is a place of prayer when our school children stop by to say a “Hail Mary” on their way to mass. It is a place for parishioners to honor Mary on her feast days and during the month of May. Our garden includes stepping stones that form a one decade rosary. It is a blessed place. It is a place where parishioners can learn about native plants and about plants that tradition ties to Mary. For instance, wild Columbine blossoms represent Mary’s shoes as she went on her way to visit her cousin Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist.
Garden Practices
Garden Practices
Liriope, a non-native invasive, was removed to open up a site for our Mary Garden. We first cut the Liriope with a lawn mower and then covered it with cardboard and mulch from May to September. Unfortunatley, this did not kill much of the Liriope so we had to painstakingly dig out each plant and root. We did not want to use herbicide. After this we came up with a planting plan and diagram. It has been a journey of trial and error as we figure out which native plants thrive on our site. The garden gets foot traffic from people using the stepping stones and walking to the bench so we use plants that are ok with being visited. We top dress with compost and typically use pine straw as mulch. We also use organic amendments to acidify the soil.
Wild Columbine, Turtlehead, Christmas Fern, Blue False Indigo, Blue-eyed grass, Tickseed, Giant Hyssop, Butterfly Weed, Lyre-leaf Sage, Asters, Purple Coneflower, Jacob's Ladder, Cardinal Flower, Holly - Inkberry
When we started our garden we had each of our third grade students plant a Jacob's Ladder plant in the garden and we had a blessing ceremony. During the month of May, lower grades in the school have a lesson in the garden about Mary. We also say a decade of the rosary in the garden after mass in May. We have a few spring weeding days and then continue to weed th garden about every two weeks during the summer. We have had trouble getting permanent garden helpers and much of the work is done by 2 or 3 people.
Additional Information
Additional Information
Our garden is in between the plaza made of pavers and the brick church. Over time these materials have impacted the pH of our garden soil and it is more basic than what native plants prefer. We have adjusted our plant selection and also tried to acidify our soil with amendments. The garden has one sprinkler head but it seems to water sporadically. Parishioners who are part of the Care for Creation Team use personal funds to support the garden. This year we did request and receive a small budget from the parish.
We have tried unsuccessfully to enlarge our team of gardeners to spread the love.
Our Mary Garden is much loved. The stepping stones, which were made by St. Mark students, allow you to approach Mary in the garden. Families take pictures of their children with Mary, particularly during the Easter Season and in May. Classes have lessons about Mary and survey which insects are present in the garden. Parishioners offer thanks to garden workers whenever we are out there working.
