A tradition dating back to the Middle Ages, the parish priest's garden is making a strong comeback with perennials that are easy to grow, whether they are ornamental, aromatic or medicinal. Here are a few ideas to create your own!
What is a parish garden?
Divided into distinct parts, each dedicated to a particular function, the parish priest's garden was of considerable importance in the Middle Ages in abbeys, convents and monasteries. It was used for food, but also for health care or to grow flowers to decorate the place of worship. Nowadays, it is still appreciated for its utilitarian but also ornamental value.
Perennials for a priest's garden
Plants for a priest's garden must be hardy and vigorous. Perennial plants are a great way to structure the decor, which in such a garden, gives the place to nature.
Pollinating insects find shelter and food on umbellifers such as wild carrot, angelica or fennel. They enjoy the nectar of medicinal plants such as thyme, lavender, chamomile, eupatorium, rosemary, arnica, sage, but also borage or various varieties of mint with sometimes very surprising scents.
In the vegetable section, wild chervil, cardoon, artichoke, crambe, sorrel, daubenton cabbage, lovage, rhubarb or rocambole onion are all possibilities that complement the seasonal annual crops.
On the side of the simple plants with evocative names, the St. John's wort called "Herbe de la St Jean" which treats depression or the foxglove called "Glove of our Lady" to be handled with care to reduce heart problems.
In the section devoted to ornamentation, the Eye of God (Lychnis coronaria), the Madonna Lily, very much used in the past to decorate altars, or the Heart of Mary with its elegant pastel-colored inflorescences, share the spotlight with plants that are simple but very flowery. Agastache with its bluish spikes, alchemilla, ideal for borders, but also the various varieties of anthemis which come in many colors, harmoniously rub shoulders with astrances, cornflowers and numerous species of campanulas. Carnations diffuse their incomparable perfume, while monards display their superb and colorful blooms.
Other indispensable elements of the parish priest's garden are the peonies with their unequalled beauty, the numerous varieties of phlox, and the veronicas bushes, which are very appreciated by the bees.
The hollyhock, the black vertre and the white mullein always make their effect thanks to their verticality and their splendid flowering.
In shaded borders, let's not forget the numerous species of pulmonaria, medicinal plants whose foliage comes in a variety of colors allowing the gardener to collect a maximum of cultivars and periwinkle which will quickly cover the ground with their bluish mauve or white starry flowers.
