What are bible gardens

A.� In their strictest sense they are gardens planted with plants and species mentioned in the bible.

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However, there are no hard and fast rules. You could base it on plants from the Holy Land, plants with biblical names or connotations make up just a corner of a garden designed around a biblical theme or simply offer a convivial place for meditation or prayer.

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Olive tree

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However, there are even now some grey areas, with plants be translated differently into different languages, and during the past two hundred years or so botanists have regularly travelled to the Holy Lands to see what grows there and what plants are likely to have been referred to. For instance, there are mentions of the rose, but there are no roses native to the middle east so the conjecture is it could either be the Rock rose (cistus) or Oleander.

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A.� No. For instance, your unlikely to see a Myrrh trees in many Northern European gardens as it is a native of equatorial Africa. It depends on how strict you want to be, but if you were prepared to include plants with saints names or biblical references there is a vast array of things you could plant.

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For instance, for colour their is Nigella (our Lady in Shade), Hollyhock (St Joseph's Staff) Salvias (the Latin name deriving from salvation), Petunia (Our Lady's Praises) and Periwinkle (Virgin's flower).

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Shrubs could include Lavender, Rosemary and Cistus and trees like apple (although it is almost certain that the apple referred to in the Garden of Eden was in fact an apricot), bay, cypress and cedar of Lebanon.

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A.� As said above there are no hard and fast rules, no blueprint. Bible gardens are often deeply personal, so it is up to you.

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Features in bible gardens have included paths in the shape of a serpent coiling round and apple tree, ponds with rushes to symbolise Moses in the Bullrushes and short paths in the shape of a crucifix.

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If peace and prayer are important try and introduce plenty of seats or benches in secluded but sunny spots which are pleasant to sit in and obviously statuary such as a figure of the Virgin Mary are often employed.

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