Since the idea of a Biblical garden has always fascinated me, I was naturally delighted to discover a garden designed around the familiar plants of the Bible on the grounds adjoining the Church of the Wayfarer in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California.
The low-even church, which is an architectural jewel in itself, makes an impressive setting for the garden, which has two entrances: one from a porch which is an outside approach to the church parlors, and another from the street, a rather formal one of paved brick with low retaining walls.
Built into one of the walls is a stone seat above which is a stone cross and the words “Rest and be thankful.”
Planned by Mr. Butler Sturtevant, who has used brick and sand walks with charming informality, this garden contains numerous plants referred to in the Bible.
Numerous Bible Plants
Cypress and Shittim Trees
Cypress trees mark the southern boundary of the garden, and there are tall shittim trees with their willow-like foliage, smooth bark, and great clusters of yellow blossoms.
It seems that students of the Bible all agree that the shittim tree is one of the acacias. The Ark of the Covenant and the Tabernacle furniture were made from this wood.
One may turn to the 25th chapter of Exodus for the complete directions for their construction as God gave Moses himself.
Most of us, as children, when we heard the story of the Prodigal Son’s eating the husks, probably wondered just what they were, so I was glad to see how mistaken my childish idea had been.
Ceratonia Siliqua
The husks were the beans of the carob tree, Ceratonia siliqua, which looks much like the holly; the leaves are smooth, but the edges rippled a bit.
The new leaves are light green in color, but the older ones are very dark. The curved pods, filled with beans, are flattened and from 10″ to 6″ inches long.
This tree is valuable for its shade and the edible pod, which to this day is used for feeding cattle and pigs.
Cedrus Libani
A 20-foot cedar of Lebanon, Cedrus libani, fills one corner of the garden with its graceful outline.
Standing before it, I was glad indeed that I was not present to see the destruction caused when Solomon gave orders for wood of these picturesque trees to be used in the construction of his temple.
Tamarisk Tree
Here, too, is the tamarisk which in Bible days was very common in the dry sections of Palestine.
Many of us know this as a shrub, but in our hot, dry states, as in the Holy Land, it grows to be a large tree.
Tamarix pentandra and T. tetrandra are the two grown in this garden. The oil tree or oleaster, Eleagnus angustifolia, is often called the wild olive or Russian olive.
The bark is smooth and gray, and the simple leaf, about 2″ inches long and three-fourths of an inch wide, is green on its upper surface and very gray on the underside.
The wood is fine-grained and possibly was also used in the building of Solomon’s temple.
Punica Granatum
An outstanding tree here, as in any garden. It is often planted in seaside gardens because of its tolerance of wind and dry conditions.
A flourishing pomegranate, Punica granatum, has its place in this quaint garden. The smooth, high sheen of the foliage makes a superb backdrop for the crumpled petals of the orange-red blossoms.
Even the fruit is colorful and shapely; little wonder that it is spoken of many times in the Bible — both as a fruit and as a design for ornamentation.
Ficus Carica
Beside it grows the fig, Ficus carica. Sometimes a shrub, a tree, this Bible plant was as frequently mentioned by the ancients as the pomegranate, and its fruit and leaf designs as commonly seen.
Myrtus communis
Near the fig is the myrtle, Myrtus communis, a shrub perhaps 6’ feet tall with pointed, shiny leaves and white, cherry-like blossoms borne singly at the axils of the leaves.
Along The Railing Of The Porch
Vitis Vinifera
Trailing along the railing of the porch is a grapevine, Vitis vinifera, which is said to be the one producing the best grapes for wine.
While I did not see any fruit, the vine made a perfect background for the citron, Citrus medial, a small tree with irregular, thorny branches and lemon-like foliage and fruit.
Buxus Sempervirens
A hardy evergreen in the Lebanon Mountains where it grows 20’ feet or more in height is the box tree, Buxus sempervirens, better known to us as a trim hedge plant or specimen shrub.
Its neat, glossy leaves are typical of the foliage, so characteristic of many of the Palestine plants which flourish in this garden.
Commiphora Myrrha
Myrrh, Commiphora myrrha, is present also. This is a very graceful and beautiful tree with fern-like foliage, but it is the gum of the bark that has so many uses and is valuable commercially.
These trees did not grow in Palestine but in the South and were brought there. Myrrh was an ingredient of the holy oil.
Bible Herbs Represented
Ruta Graveolens
Among the herbs represented is rue, Ruta graveolens, about 3’ feet tall, with its yellow blossoms and gray-green foliage showing a great heap of airy beauty. This plant was subject to a levy by the Pharisees.
Cuminunt Cyminum
Another herb, mentioned in Isaiah as being threshed with a rod to not bruise the seeds, is the cumin, Cuminunt cyminum, a member of the parsley family.
While dill is not mentioned in the Bible, it is thought that the word anise should have been translated as dill, so a clump of dill is growing at the turn in the path.
It is all 4’ feet high with yellow blossoms on bamboo-like stalks and feathery foliage.
Mentha Sylvestris
Several mints are found in Palestine, but Mentha sylvestris is the only one for which I found an identification label. We all know the wild horse mint as a roadside flower.
Flowers That Grow In The Wilds
In the rear of the garden, the winding paths are of sand edged with bricks, and along the borders and under the trees are the lower-growing plants.
There are great clusters of rock rose, species of cistus, with their single, rose-like blossoms of white, rose, or red with a dark spot at the base of the petals.
I was surprised to find marigolds, yet they belong to the flowers that grow wild in Palestine.
In fact, many wildflowers are growing there that were not mentioned in the Bible by name but referred to as flowers of the field.
Variety of Wildflowers
Those best known to us are the rose and the lily (which is believed to be Anemone coronaria). However, the red Turk’s-cap lily adds color to the daisies, lupins, larkspurs, violets, nigella, hyacinths, and crocuses.
Palestine is rich in its variety of wildflowers, and it is possible that many more were represented in this garden.
Some, of course, would have been resting when I visited the garden in August, and there are many unidentified ones.
Cyperus Papyrus
Because of impressions gained as a child from pictures of Moses as he lay hidden in the rushes, I was greatly surprised to find that the bulrush then common in Egypt was Cyperus papyrus, a tall reed.
In its form, this plant resembles the umbrella plant Cyperus alternifolius, but is much finer, almost hair-like, and taller.
The top growth is so dense that it is no wonder it was used as a hiding place for the babe.
The reed pulp was used for making paper in those early times, and the stems and leaves for weaving baskets were of considerable economic value.
Arundo Donax
The giant reed, Arundo donax, is a tall plant that grows along the shores of the waterways of Palestine.
It is a green and white striped grass, six feet tall giving the color effect of gray with a creamy edge. Unusually sturdy, the stalks are mentioned in the Bible for use as measuring rods.
Building this garden was indeed a great project made possible by the generosity of Airs. George Beardsley, I am sure she felt well repaid for her efforts.
44659 by Ferne S. Kellenberger