Faith in the Home: Mary Gardens

Marriage and Family Life Coordinator, Dr Antonia Braithwaite, highlights the benefits of creating a ‘Mary Garden’ as a way for families to create a devotional outdoor space dedicated to the Virgin Mary.  

It is a centuries-old Catholic tradition to honour Mary in a special way during the month of May. One beautiful way for families to do this is by creating a Mary Garden in their back garden as a tribute to Our Lady.

A Mary Garden is a devotional outdoor space dedicated to the Virgin Mary, typically featuring a statue of her as the focal point, surrounded by flowers and plants. The tradition of Mary Gardens dates back to medieval Europe when monasteries and churches cultivated gardens filled with flowers associated with Mary.

Many flowers are named after Our Lady, such as:

• Marigolds (meaning Mary’s Gold – the first recorded reference to a flower named for Mary appears in a 14th-century English manuscript).
• Rosemary, Lady Tulip, Madonna Lily, Lily of the Valley (also known as Our Lady’s Tears).

Other flowers symbolise her virtues and aspects of her life, for example:

• Lilies – purity
• Roses – queenly dignity
• Lavender and thyme – protection and devotion
• Violet – modesty
• Strawberry – Fruitful Virgin (as it bears both flowers and fruit at the same time)

There are many more! While it can be lovely to choose flowers associated with Mary, any flowers will create a beautiful and prayerful space.

Outdoor statues of Mary can be purchased from Catholic gift shops, or online from retailers such as Amazon, eBay, and Etsy.

A Mary Garden is not only a tribute to Our Lady but also a place of prayer and reflection for the family. Young children often delight in picking flowers for Mary, helping to cultivate a devotion to her in their hearts. In May, families can also celebrate a small “May Crowning” in their garden – another tradition dating back to the Middle Ages – by placing a homemade wreath of flowers on their statue of Mary.

And don’t forget to welcome the ladybirds! These tiny creatures were named after Our Lady following a medieval legend: when European farmers prayed for Mary’s intercession to save their crops from aphid infestations, flocks of ladybirds arrived, devouring the aphids and saving the harvest.

If you have a Mary Garden and would be happy to share a photo for our collection on the Diocese of East Anglia website, please send it to Dr Antonia Braithwaite, Marriage and Family Life Coordinator, at mflcoordinator@rcdea.org.uk. 

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