Mary Garden - Annuals

The following are annual flowers that can be used to start your Mary Garden. My favorites include snapdragons, sweet alyssum, and forget-me-nots. Grandma Green Acres likes to start seeds early and always has plenty to share. She's given me impatians, marigolds, zinnias, snapdragons, sweet alyssum, as well as many others. I use the annuals to fill in between perennials and give an all-summer-long splash of color.


Common Name, Religious Name, Plant Height
Cornflower, Mary's Crown, Medium Mid-Bed
Larkspur, Mary's Tears, Tall Rear
Morning Glory, Our Lady's Mantle, Tall Rear
Petunia, Our Lady's Praises, Low Border
Poppy, Christ's Blood, Medium Mid-Bed
Snapdragon, Infant Jesus' Shoes, Medium Mid-Bed
Zinnia, The Virgin, Medium Mid-Bed
Sweet Scabious, Mary's Pincushion, Medium Mid-Bed
Sweet Alyssum, Flower of the Cross, Low Border
Forget-me-not, Eyes of Mary, Low Border
Impatiens, Mother Love, Low Border
Marigold, Mary's Gold, Medium Mid-Bed

Many of these annuals work well in containers, so you don't need to dig a new spot in your yard to have a Mary Garden. Use an outdoor container that you already own or find a pretty container at a garage sale to save money. If you want a more immediate garden, buy a couple plants from the greenhouse. Plant the seeds or plants in your container and add an outdoor statue of Mary to create a Mary "container" Garden. If you don't have a statue, you can also use a laminated photo of Mary that is attached to a stake in the center of the container.

Pictured Above: Forget-Me-Not