Native Mary Gardens

The Marian Library at the University of Dayton received the collected papers of John Stokes, who popularized Mary gardens in the United States, in 2007. Through May 10 the library is hosting a public exhibit of the Stokes Collection, commissioned artwork and an indoor garden of plants named for Mary. John Stokes lived and worked on the east coast, and his gardens featured plants popular in that part of the country and mostly utilized plants from the nursery trade. In April, the MEEC staff was invited to share some information with faculty, staff and students about native plants with Marian associations, which have the added benefit of supporting native pollinators including birds, butterflies and bees. We developed a couple of beginner gardens designs, and you can download the plans below. All of these plants are available at our native plant sale on June 24.