When you first think of starting a Biblical Garden, allow yourself and your support community a good amount of time to dream. Plan freely, imaginatively. It is much easier to add soil, move plants and trees on paper! Then start simply, allowing yourself to learn as you go.

Consider spaces.
You can grow a Biblical garden in the tiniest to the most spacious areas. Our first children’s garden was 3 feet by 5 feet and everyone had a lot of fun! You will also want to evaluate challenging factors. Where does water may pour off a roof, or snow and ice crash down in the winter? Where are soggy or dry, sunny or shady areas, rich or infertile, loose or clay soils? Where do people tend to walk through an area?

Consider your goals.
What kind of theme or focus do you want in a particular area? Children? Vegetables? Fruits? Water? Vineyard? Desert? Flowers? Scent? Raised beds for accessibility? Focusing on care for the earth? Do you want a memorial garden area? What will attract people to your garden? Moving water with fish and frogs has been by far the greatest draw. Do you want to attract birds with a birdbath and perhaps a feeder. Do you want children or adults to participate in the planting, weeding and care? If so, plan easy access to all plants and spaces for walking, kneeling or wheeling among plants. Do you want places for people to sit or gather? Do you want make space to host special events there like a wedding or reception? Do you want lighting so your space is aglow and secure at night?

Start Selecting plants.
1. Decide if you want actual plants from the Bible to connect people with the story of the Bible, or if you want any kind or religiously named plant like Bible Plant, whose leaves open up in the day and remind people of the Bible. Our listing includes only plants from the Bible or their botanical cousins selected because of growing needs or availability.

2. Find your USDA growing zone and delete from your list plants that will not grow in your zone OR make arrangements to protect and take in plants that can't stand the cold or heat of your area. You will need to make sure you have room enough indoors for all of the plants you will move in or out! You may be able to grow some plants outdoors from one or two zones warmer or cooler than your own if you work to condition them and select locations that are as close as possible to their preferences. Be aware that you may have differing micro climates in most garden areas. For example we are able to grow a Tamarisk tree in a sheltered corner of our churchyard that gets morning sun and is protected from the wind by the building and a 100 ft. tall fir tree.

3. Evaluate the plants’ size and sun needs, placing taller plants behind shorter ones. Plan especially carefully with trees so they have enough room. Consider dwarf varieties unless you have lots of space. Remember that plants will grow and need more room. They may seen a little lonely the first year of two but they will spread out as they get established.

4. Plan on blooming times. Our flowers in the main garden area are a mix of plants that bloom at different times throughout the summer starting with flowering bulbs that virtually disappear concluding with hardy mums that in our gardens bring color on through fall. The chart shows blooming times. This makes sure at least your main garden looks attractive throughout the seasons.

5. If you are planting around the building make space for the downpour of rain and snow off a roof. Some plants can tolerate the water or beating and others cannot. Rain or snow can devastate your plantings!

6. Weigh in soil needs. You can dig out and replace or blend soil if you need something different. It is much easier to have at least modestly good, well drained soil in the beginning. We continue to replace rocky soil in our gardens after many years and it is very difficult.

7. Use graph paper or a computer program to create a layout of your space and make shapes the size of plantings and move them around. Get help from someone with gifts in design to help make your garden shapes attractive. Look through garden design books for ideas too.

8. Plan so your spaces are accessible to workers and somewhat inaccessible to passing animals or rascals. We installed a 2 foot high green coated wire fence around the garden that is just enough to slow down trouble. Before we put up the fence we had a lot of child and animal traffic in the gardens and signs were pulled out and thrown in the road. Now we have no trouble, except the need to exercise care when WE climb over the fence.

9. If you want to do a water garden you need to plan carefully and or get someone with that expertise. Our water garden draws the most people month after month to our gardens, AND it was the most complicated to plan and install. You need to include steps on the sides of your pond so if a child falls in they can climb out easily and not DROWN! A sturdy fence where folks will watch the garden can also be very important. We have a pond about 10 feet in diameter and right in front we have a sturdy two bar fence. One horizontal bar runs about 2 feet above the ground and the next is about 3 feet. We have the wire below the bottom bar. This keeps children from crawling in, but allows them to lean on a fence at their own level without room to climb into the pond. Taller folks lean on the top level.

10. Other key areas:
Recruiting and training a TEAM of workers.
(If you cannot sustain the amount of garden you are creating you will make a disappointing mess. See how many folks you can inspire to join in and give them training. If your help is limited make plans for a garden requiring less care.)
Funding your gardens
Make signs to identify plants and tell their place in the Bible.
Create brochures to teach and construct a box to hold them.
Plan events to involve children and adults with the stories of biblical plants.
You will also find photos of most of these plants,
information about horticultural therapy in Biblical Gardens,
find links to Biblical gardens all around the world,
and read about other gardens in construction!

Prepared by Rev. Marsh Hudson-Knapp, First Congregational Church of Fair Haven UCC, 2 North Park Place, Fair Haven, VT 05743 Tel. or FAX 802-265-8605 or 265-8864 Email: hkfamily@sover.net