A Mary garden is a collection of plants and flowers that have specific “Mary names” or religious names in addition to their botanical and common names. They may also include a statue of Mary, sometimes holding the infant Jesus, as a focal point for meditation.
The Marian Library holds and continues to grow collections related to Mary gardens — including the acclaimed John Stokes and Mary’s Gardens Collection.
John Stokes, founder of the Mary's Gardens movement, donated his archives, manuscripts, artwork, personal library and website to the Marian Library. The transfer was complete in May 2013. Browse digitized highlights from the collection.
Author of Mary’s Flowers: Gardens, Legends and Meditations, Vincenzina Krymow was passionate about Mary gardens. The Marian Library has archived Krymow’s research on Mary gardens and flowers named for Mary, as well as her research on other Marian topics.
Flowers are powerful symbols in Marian art, connecting stories and virtues of Mary with the natural world. Among many examples in the Marian Library Art and Artifacts Collection, these two series explore those connections based on research conducted with the John Stokes and Mary’s Gardens Collection.
Artist Holly Schapker was commissioned to create several paintings for University Libraries’ Mary’s Gardens exhibit in 2017. The series titled “Mary’s Flowers in Contemporary Art,” combines scenic portraits of the Blessed Virgin Mary with specific Marian flowers. View the archived website to see Schapker's paintings and her statement for each piece.
Brother A. Joseph Barrish, S.M. created and-painted woodcut-style flower images to illustrate the book Mary’s Flowers: Gardens, Legends, and Meditations. Just for fun, download and play this printable matching game created to highlight Barrish’s illustrations.