Thu, Jan 08 2009
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Published December 03, 2008 06:30 pm - Gardens can calm, heal, bring benefit By Molly Day Puttering in potted plants brings peace of mind, planting a bed of seeds reflects hope and nurturing bare ground into a bed of flowers inspires joy.
Healing gardens in the form of Japanese Zen gardens, Cloister gardens and Sensory gardens, contain plants, open spaces and art selected to calm visitors and benefit the environment. While St. Francis of Assisi is commonly placed in gardens, St. Fiacre is actually the Patron Saint of Gardeners. The Irish born St. Fiacre lived from 600 to 670 and devoted his life to tending a garden of medicinal plants. St. Fiacre’s culinary garden fed the poor and the herb garden cured the sick. A flower and herb garden occupied the expanse of property surrounding the monastery. This may have been the first healing garden on record. Mary’s Gardens are the little gardens at churches, graveyards and homes that have a statue of the Virgin Mary at their center. At the Web site www.mgardens.org, volunteers published historical information about 300 plants and described their horticultural requirements and Christian, spiritual significance. The site lists plants by their type: Annual, perennial, etc. Examples of hardy and half-hardy perennials for our area: • Monk’s Hood; Aconitum napellus, Mary’s Slipper Naming: Slipper-like, deep blue flowers in showy spires, August to October. Grown from seed and root division in moist, rich soil. Plants grow 4 feet tall in full sun; blooms last longer in light shade. • Honeysuckle, Our Lady’s Fingers Naming: Clusters of finger-like buds. Grow from cuttings in moist soil in sun to light shade. Blooms June to July. Caprifolium and Asian variety Lonicera japonica, become invasive. Look for Coral Honeysuckle, Lonicera sempervirens. • Periwinkle, Vinca minor, Virgin Flower Associated with Our Lady through the blueness of its flowers; it is in bloom in some areas at the end of March for the feast of the Annunciation. • Goat’s Rue; Galega officinalis, Wild Holy Hay One of the forage Holy Hay plants reputed by legend to have burst into bloom in the manger when the new-born Christ Child was laid on it by Mary. Bushy plants bearing tall spires of purplish blue or white pea shaped flowers. Grow from seed in full sun in common garden soil. • Meadow Rue; Thalictrum dipterocarpum and T. rochebrunianum, Our Lady’s Rue 
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