Gardens & Grounds

22nd Annual Mary Garden Planting

Friday, June 9

9:30am

Families and children are welcome!

Meet in the main church down near the Tabernacle to pray a decade of the rosary and renew our entrustment to Mary. Then we will go out to the Mary Garden to learn about a few of Mary’s flowers and do our planting. In case of rain, we will still meet in the Church for prayer, and plant our flowers later.

Each child is asked to bring their rosary, one (or more) packs of flowers, and garden tools/trowel. Extra trowels would be appreciated! See the list below for guidelines on the plants needed.

We will plant flowers that have traditionally been associated with Mary, her virtues, or with basic teachings of the Catholic faith.

“Ave Maria”
The Mary Garden

A blue, gold, purple and white Mary Garden for 2023

Annuals

Salvia farinacea ‘Victoria,’ ‘Cathedral’ or ‘Mystic Spires’ – (salvia-from the Latin, to save or heal; several species have medicinal properties.) This attractive annual has intense blue/purple spikes and aromatic foliage. These plants call to mind Mary's role in the “Victory of our Salvation” over sin and death won by her Son Jesus through His death on the cross.

Lobelia – the light blue and dark blue varieties. These plants remind us of Mary's blue mantle (cape) or gown.

White Sweet Alyssum – These low-growing plants make a sweet-smelling white carpet for Our Lady to walk on. These plants belong to the ‘cruciferae’ family, meaning the tiny flowers are in the shape of a cross. As Mary walked the way of the cross of her Son, Jesus, she united with Him in His sufferings. As we too walk the path of life, these tiny flowers can teach us the value of uniting our own sufferings and crosses with Jesus, for in doing so He produces in us the fragrance of virtue and holiness.

Marigold Cream or White – Marigold, or “Mary's Golds,” was the name originally given to the calendula flower. What we today call marigolds are a different species (Tagetes) that have undergone much hybridization. Cream or white marigolds will complement the blues in our Mary Garden. Marigolds belong to the ‘composite’ family in which the flower is actually made up of many separate but complete florets united in a single head. This arrangement reminds us of the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ, being made up of individual persons as separate and distinct members, all united in Christ’s Body together with His vicar on earth, the Pope.

Golden or Yellow Marigolds

Mary’s Crown – Otherwise known as Bachelor Buttons. These cobalt blue flowers with their little pointed petals resemble a crown.

We're Looking For Gardeners

We are in need of a couple of gardeners to oversee our church gardens and trees on the property. Please call Liz Townley if you can help at 952-891-2366,
[email protected]

Saving our ash trees

Entering our church and cemetery properties we encounter a canopy of stately green ash trees. These trees have been here for many years forming a walkway to the House of God and the resting place for those who have gone on before us. These beautiful trees are being severely threatened by a noxious insect called the emerald ash borer (EAB) which has wiped out hundreds of thousand trees in the United States. It is present in Dakota County and county officials have declared a quarantine on ash trees.

Alerted by the severity of the EAB we contacted arborists who recommended treatment. Previously, the treatment was to cut down the trees and dispose. Pesticide companies became alerted to the enormity of the issue and started formulating pesticides and injection technology.

Pesticide is injected into the tree or the soil. The survival rate is 99% provided treatment is conducted every other year. References from the cities of Burnsville, Shakopee, St. Louis Park and Fort Snelling National Cemetery were very satisfied with this injection process.

Competitive bids were taken and the successful vendor has completed the injection of all 57 trees on church property and 33 trees on the cemetery property at a combined cost of $6935.25. The pesticide used is a safe, organic option.

We now can continue to encounter those 89 beautiful ash trees for many years thanks to the latest technology.