A memorial Biblical Garden is a special garden. It is a garden with plants native to the Holy Land, plants with interesting Biblical legends, and plants mentioned in the Bible. A memorial Biblical garden is planted in memory of loved ones.
In May of 1996, the Memorial Biblical Garden was created at The First Presbyterian Church of Baldwin. Before planting the Biblical Garden, a small group of volunteers from the church helped to prepare the soil.
The study of Biblical plants can be very confusing. During Biblical times, Botany and Botanical nomenclature was not known as it is today. Many of the plants native to the Holy Land were referred to by using other names, which in many cases happen to be the common name of certain plants in the United States. An example is Tulip Montana, or Scarlet Mountain Tulip. This Tulip flowers in semi-desert areas of the Holy Land, during early spring. In Song of Solomon, the Biblical verse is, “I am a Rose of Sharon, a Lily-of-the-Valley’s.”
In the United States the Rose-of-Sharon is the common name for a small tree and Lily-of-the-Valley is a common name for a fragrant spring blooming bulbous plant. Sharon is actually a town in the Holy Land. It all depends how the verse is interpreted. To the writers of the Bible, the botanical aspects of Biblical plants were not the most important matters. They were interested in the moral, ethical, theological and historical importance and significance.
Following is a list of plants included in the Biblical Garden.
Narcissus tazetta ‘Cragford’ Isaiah 35:9
Ornithogalum umbellatum; Star-of-Bethlehem 2 Kings 6:25
Tulip Montana – substitute: Tulip greigii Song 2
Hyacinthus orientalis
Cornus florida
Papaver rhoeas – substitute: Oriental Poppy Matthew 27:32,33,34
Iris palestina – substitute: I. pseudacorus Hosea 14:5; Ecclesiasticus 39:14
Rosa Phoenicia – substitute: R. damascena Song of Solomon 4:13-14, 2:19
Ruta graveolens – Rue Luke 11:42
Ilex aquifolium –
Cucumber sativus Numbers 11:5 Isaiah 1:8
Hedera helix – Eng. Ivy 2 Maccabees 6:7
The Memorial Biblical garden can be used as an educational tool in teaching people of all ages about Biblical times. It’s just another way to learn of the history of the world.