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MaryM
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| Posted: Feb 27 2012 at 3:39am | IP Logged
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Yes, PLANTING, not planning (not a typo - though I am prone to doing that in posts...  )
The potager thread and seed thread in Our Lady's Loom, Laundry and Larder have been popular. It's obvious a lot of us are thinking gardening and planning for the spring.
I have a subject I'd like to cover that relates but fits the liturgical year. I would like to be better about planning in advance some things to plant that will fit in with our liturgical year celebrations. We've discussed Mary Gardens here before and planting for that, but this is different (though many plants will overlap and it could include Mary garden planting).
So do you plant annuals (or have you planted perennials) with the ides of them fitting into the liturgical year in some way - being able to pick or harvest at a particular time of year for the feast day or season?
For example, I've started making sure each year to plant some marigolds in hopes of having them still be blooming on Nov. 2 for All Souls Day. They are the Dia de los Muertos flower and as such I like to take them to the cemetery on that day when we visit. Marigolds are very hardy and so if we don't have a really hard freeze they can still be present here by that time. Anyway that is what I used to see in our neighbors yard. Now the past two years when I've grown them we had several heavy freezes and snows in October. First year I didn't save them, but this past year I made sure to remember to cover them each night when we were getting a freeze or snow and did have some still on Nov. 2.
So my big problem is I don't ever get much planting done in time and then it's too late so I say "next year." So I'm thinking about it early. Want to get some things started and my plans in order. Help me.
Some ideas:
~Planting basil so it's ready for St. Anthony's feast day. I have done this before inside. Want to get a large crop going outdoors.
~I've done herbs indoors for the Marian month recipes which I posted on Catholic Cuisine which we do use at various MArian feast days as well. This year I want to have a really nice herb garden outdoors and then have the herbs blessed on the Feast of the Assumption.
~Planting feverfew from some seeds I got last year from my mom's house before she sold it, which she had taken from her mom's house before that. I found out then from my mom that my Basque grandmother called them San Juan de lorea (flowers of St. John), which is I assume because they bloom around his June feast. I can't find confirmation of this, but because it is a "family" lore I would love to tie this in with the feast of St. John the Baptist.
I have some other ideas which are escaping me right now. I'll post as I remember. So what other plantings would you do to tie into feast days through the summer and fall?
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Mary M. in Denver
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JennGM
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Oh, I have so many thoughts on this, and most are escaping me.
Michaelmas daisies or purple asters I have planted for the Feast of the Archangels on September 29.
I am dying to have a Lenten Rose for the season, but haven't.
And the basil is also appropriate for Triumph of the Holy Cross, September 14.
Leeks or daffodils need to be ready for March 1st, St. David's Day. But some sources also call the Daffodil the "Lent Lily".
I'm thinking of Lent and Easter right now, but it's really neat to see the ties in with the seasons and plants. Old Almanacs sometimes mention plants connected with a feast day, and that takes me on all sorts of rabbit trails.
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Mackfam
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Linking Jenn's spinoff thread discussing seeds for Lent and Easter.
MaryM wrote:
| So what other plantings would you do to tie into feast days through the summer and fall? |
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:: We have Marigolds started right now. 
:: I hope to get some Lavender in. It's another favorite of mine especially since it's representative of the hidden life of the Holy Family.
:: Did you know that strawberries are symbolic of the fruitfulness of Our Lady? It's symbolic history is very interesting to me! ** It's color being red, it is symbolic of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, making it a perfect fruit for sharing on Pentecost.
** The little white flower blossom is representative of "Christ's Incarnation in the Spirit-filled fruitfulness of the Virgin Mary whose cooperation helps to restore the lost garden." You'd have to have a VERY early variety, but if you did, a small group of white strawberry flower blossoms would be lovely on the table for the Feast of the Annunciation, the moment of Our Lord's Incarnation at Mary's YES! Any feast that had anything to do with Our Lord's Incarnation would be a good choice for the little white strawberry blossom.
** In paintings, Mary's dresses are often decorated with strawberries, so they'd be perfect to enjoy on any Marian feast day. :: And I'd really love to get some Michaelmas daisies for September. Does anyone know of a source for these?
:: Red roses represent the sorrows of Mary. I need to prune mine and give them some care so we will have them for the Seven Sorrows of Mary, but I've often thought it would be neat to have a different flower to represent each of Our Lady's seven sorrows. I haven't worked on that yet though I have a partial list.
:: How about Lamb's Ear for Good Shepherd Sunday or Easter?
:: Clematis is a vine I'm starting this spring. I hope to press some of the flowers and mod podge them to save for the Feast of the Holy Family and also for remembering the Flight into Egypt (Feb 17). A German legend says that Clematis sheltered the Holy Family on the flight.
:: Italian aster for Our Lady's birthday in September. I haven't found a good source yet though.
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MaryM
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Mackfam wrote:
| ** In paintings, Mary's dresses are often decorated with strawberries, so they'd be perfect to enjoy on any Marian feast day.:: And I'd really love to get some Michaelmas daisies for September. Does anyone know of a source for these? |
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Yes!!! That is one I was definitely thinking of but forgot when I was listing them. Every Archangels Feast Day I'm kicking myself because I cant find any purple Michaelmas daisies. Got to plant these this year - a whole bunch, too!! Thanks for the reminder Jen.
Anyone have a good source for Michaelmas purple daisies?
Another one I would like to do is plant a bleeding heart.
We had one at one of the houses I lived in growing up. It is such a unique flower to start with and I would love to have it blooming for the Feast of the Sacred Heart.
JennGM wrote:
| I'm thinking of Lent and Easter right now, but it's really neat to see the ties in with the seasons and plants. Old Almanacs sometimes mention plants connected with a feast day, and that takes me on all sorts of rabbit trails. |
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If you run across any of those psot them, please.
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St. Ann
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The Lenten Rose is beautiful!
I just looked it up here and read that it is very poisonous. At least the hybrid White Lady is very poisonous. So many of the pretty plants are  . How do you keep poisonous plants in the garden? I mean, I no longer have toddlers and no pets, but friends with littles come to visit. Do you think this is really an issue? Have you ever heard of children getting ill from a garden flower?
Asters are plentiful in our region, but I really have trouble distinguishing between the different sorts.
This thread is encouraging me to delve more into my Mary Garden, which is, until now, only in my dreams.  I spend time looking at the spot, where my Mary Garden will be, and am continually planning... We don't yet have a Mary Statue for outside. It is so difficult to find just the right one. So, I am definitely beginning only with the plants and just imagining Our Lady standing among them. 
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MaryM
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Columbine - The dove-shaped petals of this flower could be used for decoration on the Feast of the Pentecost. But won't be blooming here if there is an early Easter & therefore earlier Pentecost. I have one plant currently - need to plant more so I wouldn't feel bad about actually cutting some flowers.
Hollyhock Althea rosea or St. Joseph's Staff - I love hollyhock, such a sweet old-fachioned flower. Unfortunately both his major feast days are too early in year for the hollyhocks to be blooming. We do have hollyhock but as later summer bloomers could never use them for St. Joseph days.
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Christine
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MaryM wrote:
Anyone have a good source for Michaelmas purple daisies?
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Last year, Michaelmas purple daisies were sold at our local Fred Meyer garden center. They can also be purchased from Bluestone Perennials.
MaryM wrote:
Another one I would like to do is plant a bleeding heart.
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We've had a bleeding heart in our garden since we moved into our house and we really like it. Some of my children have been unrelenting in plucking "Mary's' heart" or as they sometimes say, "Mary's tears". This flower has really caught my children's attention over the years. Last year, we divided our bleeding heart and also planted two more that we received in the mail in full shade in the backyard. We will see if they flower. Our other one is basically in a partial shade to full sun location (this goes against the standard recommendation, but it does beautifully). Bleeding heart tubers are available from Bluestone Perennials and Spring Hill Nursery. They can usually be found at local garden centers too.
Like Lenten Roses, Bleeding Hearts are poisonous. We have both types of flowers in our garden and my children know not to eat them. That said, I might be digging up our Lenten Roses and giving them to a friend because I don't know whether or not our golden retriever puppy will know not to chew them. She's chewed our rhododendrons with no ill effect.
I am very impressed with our Butterfly Blue Scabiosa, also known as "Our Lady's Pincushion". It didn't look all that wonderful when it arrived last spring, but it has filled in nicely and produced flowers since we planted it in May. It is the only plant that has flowered all year in our garden and it doesn't look like it is going to stop anytime soon. It is another flower that my children really like. Scabiosas are also sold in pink and can usually be found at local garden centers in the spring.
Happy gardening! 
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Sharyn
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What about starting a notebook? Then you can see what you should be planting when, note what for and why, plus any growing notes.
Any Aussies reading this... I have been trying to find something on symbolism of Australian natives with no success, has anyone come across anything like that? With plants like the Southern Cross Plant surely someone must have written something.
Thanks for this topic Mary, I'm going to go off and start my own notebook. I realized as I was looking at some blogs recently that we have nothing outside as a place of prayer, and I'd like to start a Mary garden.
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JennGM
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| Posted: March 13 2012 at 4:14pm | IP Logged
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JennGM wrote:
| I am dying to have a Lenten Rose for the season, but haven't. |
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I was on retreat this weekend and was delighted to see blooming Lenten Roses:
This was the first time I've seen them in real life (at least knowing what they were).
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Jennifer G. Miller
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JennGM
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I noticed in Brother William's Year: A Monk at Westminster Abbey by Jan Pancheri many different plants and foods tied to the liturgical year/seasons.
Lenten Leeks -- Lenten Leek Soup. I know in Wales, March 1, would be a day for Leeks.
Planting parsley seeds on Good Friday.
Easter heralded by the Pasque Rose (primrose).
May Day (May 1) decorates the cloister with May blossom and lily of the valley.
All other sorts of tidbits, like collecting acorns and making acorn bread -- giving the rest to the pigs!
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MaryM
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| Posted: March 13 2012 at 7:11pm | IP Logged
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Oh, that is cool. Need to get a copy.
JennGM wrote:
Planting parsley seeds on Good Friday.
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Please explain the symbolism - I hadn't heard that connection. Thanks
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Mary M. in Denver
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JennGM
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MaryM wrote:
JennGM wrote:
Planting parsley seeds on Good Friday.
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Please explain the symbolism - I hadn't heard that connection. Thanks |
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It was the first I've heard of it. Apparently there are several seed plantings or potato plantings tied to Good Friday. Some customs say don't plant or plow the earth, or it will bleed red; others say planting on this day will make a blessed crop.
The parsley in particular I found this information a few places, but this is from Catholic Traditions in the Garden by Ann Ball:
Ann Ball wrote:
| Parsley was known as one of the sacred funeral plants to the ancient Greeks and Romans. It was placed on graves and served at funeral banquets. Later, the plant was consecrated to St. Peter in his role as heavenly gatekeeper. Good Friday was considered a day of mourning for European Christians and little household activity was conducted. It was, however, the day to plant parsley after returning from church. The slow germination of this plant, according to legend, was due to the necessity for the seed to descend to hell at least three times before it sprouted. Others said it had to go to the Devil and back nine times, and since the Devil liked it as well as everyone else, he kept a little each time, and that is why it appeared so spottily when it did finally come up. |
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So, if planted on Good Friday, this would thwart the devil and bring in a very good crop.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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MaryM
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Jenn, thanks. That is really interesting and exactly the type of plant symbolism and stories I am interested in for this trhead. So now I'm adding it to my list to plant this year - gotta go put that on my Good Friday calendar.
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Mary M. in Denver
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St. Ann
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JennGM wrote:
MaryM wrote:
JennGM wrote:
Planting parsley seeds on Good Friday.
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Please explain the symbolism - I hadn't heard that connection. Thanks |
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It was the first I've heard of it. Apparently there are several seed plantings or potato plantings tied to Good Friday. Some customs say don't plant or plow the earth, or it will bleed red; others say planting on this day will make a blessed crop.
The parsley in particular I found this information a few places, but this is from Catholic Traditions in the Garden by Ann Ball:
Ann Ball wrote:
| Parsley was known as one of the sacred funeral plants to the ancient Greeks and Romans. It was placed on graves and served at funeral banquets. Later, the plant was consecrated to St. Peter in his role as heavenly gatekeeper. Good Friday was considered a day of mourning for European Christians and little household activity was conducted. It was, however, the day to plant parsley after returning from church. The slow germination of this plant, according to legend, was due to the necessity for the seed to descend to hell at least three times before it sprouted. Others said it had to go to the Devil and back nine times, and since the Devil liked it as well as everyone else, he kept a little each time, and that is why it appeared so spottily when it did finally come up. |
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So, if planted on Good Friday, this would thwart the devil and bring in a very good crop. |
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Besides the book by Ann Ball, are there any other good sources to recommend? Does anyone know Mary's Flowers by Vincenzina Krymow?
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Stephanie
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JennGM
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St. Ann wrote:
| Besides the book by Ann Ball, are there any other good sources to recommend? Does anyone know Mary's Flowers by Vincenzina Krymow? |
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I do have that book, and it's lovely! I recommend it for Mary Gardens.
I have not found a book that just treats plants around the liturgical year and the customs and traditions around them. I have found various books that contain some information, but most are secular in nature. I'll be back to list a few I can recommend.
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SuzanneG
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Oh, this is such a fun thread! So neat to see the symbolism in all the plants and flowers! Putting it in my FAVORITES.
And, I've seen that Mary's Flowers book somewhere...can't remember where....on someone's bookshelf...picked it up and perused it and remember thinking...."Fascinating! Must request from the library!" So, what I remember of it, it looked good.
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MaryM
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Does anyone do the decorative shamrock plants? I'm tempted to get one this year, but I'm not very good with house plants, so don't know if I can sustain it from year to year. 
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Mary M. in Denver
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Christine
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Fish Eaters has a few liturgical year gardening ideas on their Mary Gardens page. The ideas are listed towards the bottom of the page.
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Christine
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MaryM
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Reviving thread for spring planting...
...and a little sleuthing...
OK - I'm on a search for nard. Pope Francis has a flower (which I thought looks like grapes  ) on his coat of arms. The Vatican description mentions it as spikenard symbolizing St. Joseph. And it seems most sources are picking it up as "spikenard" though some are just saying nard. True spikenard is a biblical flower - the perfume used to wash Jesus' feet in the gospel stories. Spikenard is also mentioned in Song of Songs as nard. It was a part of an 11 mixture set of oils and spices used to incense the Temple. What is referred to as spikenard comes up as this plant in latin Nardostachys jatamansi or Nardostachys grandiflora and is in the Valerian family. Wiki has picked up the spikenard Pope Francis connection and lists it with this flower as symbolizing St. Joseph in hispanic iconography from the press release.
But despite all the Biblical symbolism of nard/spikenard I am not finding any connections of "spikenard" to St. Joseph, except in all the two day old articles related to this coat of arms and Pope Francis. I am now seeing references to nard as a common heraldic symbol of St. Joseph - hmmmm, really - before two days ago it seems floral heraldic symbols of St. Joseph would be commonly listed as the lily (or fleur-de-lis which is also a stylized lily depiction). Can anyone find any picture of Joseph with spikenard?
Then there is an American plant also called Spikenard or nard with the latin name Aralia racemosa and is a member of the ginsing family. It has grape-like clusters as fruit that do look like the image on the coat of arms.
But this plant has no association with St. Joseph that I can find.
To me, it appears that Pope Francis's "nard" is most likely what Latin American's would call nardo - or, nardos, or varas de San José.
If you try to translate nardo in a simple term translator it is coming up with spikenard. But is you search nardo as Mexican/Latin American flower name you find it is the common name of the above flower.
The Latin name is Polianthes tuberosa. It is a tuberose (Agave family). Being part of the order Liliales (which includes the true lily family) makes sense for the symbolism of St. Joseph even though nardo is not a true lily. Since this coat of arms is pretty much taken exactly from his one as Archbishop of Buenos Aires the Latin American "nardo" which is associated with San Jose (St. Joseph) makes so much more sense.
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I think in Italy they don't know "New world" nardo and translate it as spikenard. Hmmmmm....
The budding part of the "nardo" does look grape-clusterish.
I think nardo is a beautiful little flower in the pictures. Every source indicates it is extremely aromatic. I want to try to add it to my liturgical year garden theme here though not sure how it will grow here. I know it is definitely not winter hardy in the zone so will have to be dug up, but am going to give it a try. I found them available here:
Brent and Becky's Bulbs
Mary's Garden Patch
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MaryM wrote:
The budding part of the "nardo" does look grape-clusterish.
I think nardo is a beautiful little flower in the pictures. Every source indicates it is extremely aromatic. I want to try to add it to my liturgical year garden theme here though not sure how it will grow here. I know it is definitely not winter hardy in the zone so will have to be dug up, but am going to give it a try. I found them available here:
Brent and Becky's Bulbs
Mary's Garden Patch
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The Tuberose is a favourite of mine. It's smell is beautiful. My experience with it is from Indonesia where it is used for weddings.
I have always meant to buy some to plant in our garden, but have never got around to it. I would definitely give this plant a try, it really is lovely.
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4Real Forums : Domestic Church
Topic: Planting for the Liturgical Year
