Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Prayer Garden



 Grow flowers of gratitude in the soil of prayer.  
~Terri Guillemets

 I love 'before and after' pictures of gardens, so I am taking photographs of the Prayer Garden at our church as we revamp it. The Prayer Garden was created several years ago in remembrance of two beloved church members.  It was built originally as an eagle scout project by the talented son of a church member, and is now due for a face lift. For more information go to the Church's website ... click here and scroll down to 'Prayer Garden.' I recently spent a morning there as part of a work party. It was amazing how much work was accomplished by the group, weeding, composting, and planting. I can't wait until it is finished before posting pictures, so here are some images of the garden so far.

You enter the small, enclosed space through a new arbor that replaces an old rotted one. The focal point at the end of the stone path is a bell that I believe hung in the original bell tower.




The beautiful plant next to the bell is a bleeding heart, one of several that have graced the garden for some years.

Dicentra Bleeding Heart

The garden is shaded by a crabapple tree, looking amazing this springtime ...



Crabapple blossoms

Another tree that has been here for some years is a dogwood, pruned into the shape of a cross.


We envision several new plants for the garden, starting with a hydrangea and a clethra planted in memory of a former pastor and his wife.  It is said that plants sleep the first year, creep the second, and leap the third. These sleeping shrubs are looking strong and healthy for their first year.

Clethra alnifolia Summersweet
Hydrangea quercifolia Oakleaf hydrangea
The hydrangea is located in a shady corner behind the fence that hides the air conditioners.

Three handsome benches were also given a facelift and placed where they can provide rest to the visitor enjoying the serenity of the garden.

One of three benches in the Prayer Garden


The words that come to my mind when considering a prayer garden are 'peace', 'serenity', 'rest', 'solace'. To this end, we decided not to use any bright colors in the plantings. At the moment there are a lot of pinks, but we will also use mauves and whites. We planted blue and white phlox also.


Aquilega Canadensis Columbine
A honeysuckle vine is being trained to grow over the arbor.

Lonicera Honeysuckle
There is a lot to do before the project is finished, and I will post the progress. The rest of the church garden is a lovely foundation planting, and the church members maintain that area also. The irises are in bloom today. Although the church is only a few minutes from my house, they are blooming earlier than mine, as our home is at a slightly higher elevation.






When the new Prayer Garden is finished, it will be rededicated by our Pastor. Most of the credit for the revamp goes to my dear friend, and fellow master gardener, Julie, who is masterminding the project and has done much of the grunt work. Other church members come forward to help as needed. I am blessed to have such a wonderful church family, many of whom share my love of gardening.


Have a blessed week!
Pamela x

Rhododendron
~~ I love reading your comments. I hope you leave one so I’ll know you visited!
I look forward to visiting your blog in return.

17 comments:

  1. Hello, I'm the first time here. I loved your red leaves apple tree and Bleeding hearts!
    visit me in return, happy gardening!

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  2. You've all created not only a lovely tranquil looking spot, but also a very pretty space already.

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  3. What a lovely, peaceful garden.

    FlowerLady

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  4. How lovely to have such a peaceful place for quiet contemplation. It's looking fabulous already. I love dicentras, I have one in my garden which is looking the best it ever has this year, and the honeysuckle will give out such a gorgeous scent.

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  5. The churches' Prayer Garden is lovely. It must be rewarding working on it at this stage. I woman in our neighborhood has one too and I did a post about it back in 2010. She only puts in plants that have some biblical significance. Here is the link to the post about her garden. http://gardenwalkgardentalk.com/2010/07/20/prayer-garden/

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  6. Nadezna, I see you are from St. Petersburg Russia. Welcome! I am honored by your visit. I look forward to visiting your blog in return. The crabapple has beautiful pink/red blossoms at this time of year. The leaves will follow. P. x

    Donna, I, too, know someone who has a garden with plants from the Bible. She is in our MG group and gives talks about it. She gave a presentation at our church a long time ago. We should invite her back. I look forward to reading your posting. P. x

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  7. I love the idea of a Prayer Garden ... though all gardens are prayer gardens in my mind. There is something so spiritual about green growing plants, living through their cycle of seasons.

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  8. Such a wonderful thing. I think the idea of a prayer garden is spot on. I often feel closest to my creator when sitting and admiring His creation in the garden.

    "I come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses".....

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  9. I agree, before and after pictures are so fulfilling to see the work that has happened and the change that occurs. Sometimes after a lot of work it doesn't feel like much is changed but photos tell a different story.

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  10. This is a very beautiful place to sit and meditate or pray. It is serene and very well designed. The perfect spot for prayer and rest.

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  11. The space looks beautiful. I like the delicate color of the columbine and look forward to seeing the garden's progress.

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  12. What a wonderful garden to pray and meditate Pam. It looks like there is a good variety already planted. I love it.

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  13. How lovely to see the before and afters, Pam. And I just love the idea of a 'prayer garden'. There couldn't be a nicer place to pray than in a beautiful location like that!

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  14. A beautiful garden and a beautiful concept!

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  15. I love your blog and your garden is beautiful!

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  16. What a wonderful garden to pray and meditate Pam. It looks like there is a good variety already planted. I love it.
    Thank you for post.

    English gardens

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  17. The prayer garden is already looking very special Pam, I will look forward to the progress.

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