Children's Biblical Garden
“For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills; a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing. . . “ Deuteronomy 8:7-9
The Three Kingly Species
Judges 9:8-13 – “The trees once went forth to anoint a king over them. And they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us!’ But the olive tree said to them, ‘Should I cease giving my oil, with which they honor God and men, and go to sway over trees?’ Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and reign over us!’ But the fig tree said to them, ‘Should I cease my sweetness and my good fruit, and go to sway over trees?’ Then the trees said to the [grape] vine, ‘You come and reign over us!’ But the vine said to them, ‘Should I cease my new wine, which cheers both God and men, and go to sway over trees?’”
Rose of Sharon and Lily of the Valley
“I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys. . .” (Song of Solomon 2:1).
The Rose of Sharon is either the Sharon tulip (tulipa sharonensis) or a blooming Althea shrub (hibiscus syriacus), not a rose. The Lily of the Valley could be the Madonna lily (lillium candidum), the spring-blooming narcissus, the anemone, blue hyacinth, or the crocus.
Some roses that do grow in Israel are the wild dog rose (rosa canina) and the rock rose (cistus creticus or cistus salviifolius). The roses planted here are closely related to all of these species.
Herbs of Israel – Thyme, Lavender, Hyssop, and Sage
We planted thyme, lavender, hyssop (majorana syriaca), and two types of sage, including Russian sage and blue salvia. The blue salvia we planted is a very close relative of the Moriah salvia , which is the emblem of the State of Israel. It closely resembles the branched Menorah. These herbs are grown at Neot Kedumim, the Biblical Landscape Reserve in Israel. You can visit their web site at www.neot-kedumim.org.il/public/ .
The Four Species of Tabernacles
The four species of plants used during the Feast of Tabernacles are the myrtle, the citrus (etrog), palm, and willow. We planted the willow and the palm; the citrus will be kept in its pot so we can bring it inside when the weather turns too cold. Because the southern wax myrtle, which grows here in Texas, grows very quickly and gets quite large, we won’t be planting one here.
Other Species for Our Garden
“Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine has budded, whether the grape blossoms are open, and the pomegranates are in bloom. . .”(Song of Solomon 7:12).
We planted several other plants that have been grown for centuries in Israel, including the pomegranate, cyclamen (Solomon’s crown), and loosestrife.
|
