Mary Garden

Honoring a family’s devotion to a religious icon

I always take time with new clients to learn about their lives and interests, so I can create a custom design that speaks to them. I met these clients through a church connection and when I visited their garden, I noticed they had placed a statue of the Virgin Mary prominently in the space. I had recently read about “Mary gardens” and asked if they might be interested in such a garden, which includes mostly white and pale blue flowering plants. Each flower has a meaning associated with an aspect of Mary’s life. They were excited about the idea, so I researched the subject and created the design for a garden where they can enjoy the beautiful flowers and take time to reflect.

The garden design was part of a much larger outdoor renovation, including removal of an old, leaky pond, painting the house, and replacing a chain link fence with a beautiful new decorative fence. We also faced an additional challenge with a dense mass of Maple tree roots along the surface of the garden, making it nearly impossible to dig in the space. The owners opted to construct an 8” tall stone wall around the garden and fill in the space with rich garden soil. The transformation will be even more dramatic next year when the owners install a new larger marble statue of Mary in the side garden and a decorative urn as the focal point of the front garden.