• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Home Garden Joy
  • Home
  • How to Garden
    • Seed Starting
    • Plant Profiles
    • Tools & Equipment
    • Raised Bed Gardening
  • Vegetables
  • Fruit
  • Herbs
  • About
    • Books & Classes
      • Herbalism Classes
      • Books for Christian Herbalists
      • Privacy Policy

Planting a Symbolic Garden – Remembering People by Their Plants

July 25, 2018 by Jeanne

Have you ever planted a symbolic garden?

I’ve added flowers that represents special people to my garden. Chrysanthemums for my dad, of course. Orange tulips and Siberian iris for my friend Denise who passed away four years ago. Pansies to remind me of Mr. Hoffman, my next door neighbor when I was growing up. He is one of the people who taught me to garden – I was a little child tagging along side him as he tended his vegetables and flowers.

Flowers have long been used to represent emotions, feelings, and people. Consider the Victorian “language of flowers” which ascribed an emotional attribute to just about every flower in the garden. A bouquet wasn’t just a bouquet in Victorian times but a meaningful message written in petals and tied with a pretty ribbon.

We still see that today with roses given on Valentine’s Day as a sign of love. Perhaps more than any other flower, the rose has retained its unique symbolism as a sign of love, especially the red rose.

symbolic garden
A great example of a symbolic garden at my church, St Theresa of Farmville. The rose is a symbol if St Therese of Lisieux for whom our church is named. You can see roses all around here here.

Symbolic Garden

My friend, gardener, and fellow spiritual seeker Margaret Rose Realy has written an excellent article on planting a Beatitudes Garden. The Beatitudes are Jesus’ teachings about how we are to live from his famous Sermon on the Mountain in the book of Matthew.  Margaret has chosen plants with care, each one symbolic of the particular line of the Beatitudes.

I really love the idea of planting a symbolic garden like this near the meditation bench in my flower garden. Check out Margaret’s article: Flowers Symbolic of the Beatitudes for Catholic Gardens. 

And…because I’ve read and enjoyed her book…a little plug for her book which will also help you enjoy your garden from a spiritual perspective!

Filed Under: Home Garden Tips

Previous Post: « Why Get a Soil Test Done in the Fall?
Next Post: The New Gardener’s Essential Guide to Soil »

Primary Sidebar

Let’s Connect!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram

As Seen in Porch

 As Seen in Porch

We were featured in Porch.com and answered reader's questions about indoor plants.

Explore All Gardening Articles

Latest Articles

  • Volunteer Plants – Nature’s Unexpected Gifts
  • Free eBook on Herbal Safety
  • Watermelon in the Home Garden

Herbalism Classes & Supplies

Goods Shop by Herbal Academy – botanically inspired products

Disclosure

Home Garden Joy participates in two affiliate programs: Amazon and The Herbal Academy. Home Garden Joy earns a commission from qualifying purchases as an Amazon Associate. As an Herbal Academy Associate, HGJ also earns a commission when you sign up for classes or purchase herbs or supplies from The Herbal Academy. Herbal information and recipes on this site are provided for educational purposes only.

Footer

a closeup of watermelon

Watermelon in the Home Garden

Growing watermelon in the home garden is not for the faint of heart. I have plenty of room, and it still threatened to take over the garden. You will either need to leave a lot of room for the sprawling vines or look for varieties specifically marked for containers. Growing it on a trellis is…

Read More

a zucchini growing in a raised bed

Growing Zucchini in Raised Beds

Growing zucchini in raised beds ensures that this prolific vegetable has the best conditions to thrive. You can grow zucchini in pots or containers, but I prefer growing it in raised beds. This is a great vegetable to grow if you have a “black thumb” and kill plastic plants, because it’s hard to grow a…

Read More

a close up of onions

How to Grow Onions in Your Backyard

Wondering how to grow onions? I’ve grown onions here at Seven Oaks Farm in several ways: from “sets” or starter plants and from store-bought onions that sprouted in the bag! Onions don’t require much space, and you can grow a lot for the money you spend on starter plants. Let’s take a look at how…

Read More

butternut squash growing in a raised garden bed

How to Grow Butternut Squash Organically

Learning how to grow butternut squash organically ensures you know how to grow this tasty, nutritious vegetable in your home garden. I’ll share with you some basic information on growing butternut squash, followed by some organic gardening tips that have been helpful for me here at Seven Oaks Farm in dealing with the various pests…

Read More

  • Privacy Policy
  • About
  • Awards

Copyright © 2025 Home Garden Joy on the Foodie Pro Theme