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Life is tough. Nuns are tougher.

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

The Mary Month of May





Okay! It's Hyperdulia month! We are already behind the eight ball! Our Mary garden is in shambles.

I started the Mary garden years ago, but Sister St. Aloysius has a special love of sitting out there to contemplate. She has rather taken it over, which is fine with me. You'd think she would have clued me into what an overgrown mess it's become. I mentioned this to her but she just said that she was enjoying watching everything grow so vigorously. I made a mental note to give thanks once again that her proclivities preclude her from being in front of a classroom.

I guess I should have learned my lesson about our relative tolerance for messes during the stove debacle.

I started the Mary garden with a "Mary" rose. You wouldn't believe the fragrance. I wasn't planning on going berserk out in our little patch of green, but then I stumbled across "Our Lady of Guadalupe". When you purchase an "Our Lady of Guadalupe" rose, part of the proceeds go to some charity. I don't know which one. I was too excited just finding it. It smells heavenly, too...but not as heavenly as the "Mary" rose.

Then one day while I was looking for rose food, I found the "Nun". It's a pure white rose. Not much fragrance. (At least it doesn't have a bad smell!) Eventually I added "The Garden of Eden" (Mary is the "new Eve") which is a climber and we found a discarded trellis in an alley to wind it around. I'm still kicking myself that I didn't grab the "Rose of St. Ann" (Mary's mom) when I had the chance. Now I can't find it anywhere.

I begrudgingly added the "Audrey Hepburn". She left the convent, you know, at the end of "A Nun's Story". Hope I didn't spoil the ending for you if you've never seen it. I'll tell you what, the ending spoils the whole movie, anyhow. Just watch it until she leaves the convent and then shut it off. You'll feel much better than if you watched the whole thing. I'm generally not so judgmental about girls who leave the convent, but Audrey didn't do us any favors in that film. At least Mary Tyler Moore kept us guessing if she was going to choose Jesus or Elvis. Viva Los Convent.

Sigh. I should face up to the fact that she probably chose Elvis. No nun could wear that much eye make-up and choose Jesus. How can that woman see out of those eyes? Her world must be a blur of black.

Where was I? Oh, yes, our Mary garden.

At one point, I unwittingly planted a morning glory in the ground near the back door. I had no idea the properties of this plant. This morning glory now covers the entire house and part of the neighbor's houses and trees, even though I tore it out of the ground years ago. Not only does it grow about a foot a day...and I'm not exaggerating...it also roots itself into the ground wherever it touches down.

It's like the devil. It's everywhere and you can't get rid of it. You can only keep hacking at it and ripping it out.

It's all over the entire garden and all the roses, which means our penance will be meticulously pulling it out of the roses while the roses, ever ungrateful, try to stab us to death.

We're looking forward to the rest of the this joyous month.

We'll have to run a Mary sale in the shop! Use the proceeds to purchase a Mary statue for the garden. Right now we only have a little statue of St. Rita. I really like her. She had to spend her life all alone in her room at the convent after she got her stigmata thorn wound. It smelled so terrible no one could stand to be around her. Ironic, since she had to work so hard to get them to let her into the convent in the first place. When she died her room smelled of roses. I thought she would enjoy being out among the the roses and their thorns.

15 comments:

Kelly said...

Even if Audry Hepburn disappointed, you can console yourself that Delores Hart, who starred opposite Elvis Presley in "Loving You" really did become a nun.

Anonymous said...

This is so exciting. I've been wanting to start a Mary garden, and now I know just what roses to look for. I used to have a nice statue of Mary, but the Amish workers who were adding a room on to our house knocked her head off. They said it was an accident.

Anonymous said...

I was going to mention Delores Hart but Kelly beat me to it.

I just started our Mary Garden. So far all we have is a statue and dirt. I have yet to plant any flowers. I'll remember to NOT put in any Morning Glories.

I think though I must be related to Sister Aloysius. I too abhor cleaning my stove and only do it under the direst of circumstances.

Anonymous said...

Here are some spots that may help you locate the St Anne Rose (a bourbon rose).

http://www.greenmantlenursery.com/roses/index.htm

http://www.sherandoroses.com/#bourbon

wwjdfkb said...

I am amazed at the amount of Marian roses. I was going to get a rose bush anyway for my porch ( i live in a 2nd floor apartment) and now i will wait until i find a suitably named rose bush.

Paula Bellman said...

I will be starting my Marian garden in the fall (it's too late here in Louisiana to start anything but weeds). I wanted to do all white lilys, but the nurseries charge an arm & a leg for special colors. So I'll go with the mixed colors and hope for the best.

Anonymous said...

Thank you thank you thank you....I have just found your blog and I am enjoying it immensely - thank you, Sister!

Christine said...

Morning Glories are annuals and climbers. Are you sure that is what you put in? There are other vines that are prolific, like the trumpet vine, and are quite difficult to get out once they take hold. Good luck pruning and replanting. My brown thumb precludes much from growing in my yard. I even managed to kill a plastic plant.

Christine

Andy Looney said...

Morning Glory is an annual. Right now last year's vines are as dead as doornails and will remain so for all eternity. They are, however, covered with seeds and those which find their way into the ground will grow into new vines.
That perennial covering your house is not a morning glory and it's not LIKE the devil.....it IS the devil.

Anonymous said...

You might also have gotten some bindweed: closely related to morning glory but perrenial with fragile roots up to 20 feet long. Since they break so easily, getting the whole thing up is nigh impossible, especially if it gets into other plants roots. The only positive thing you can say is: it doesn't have thorns. I have heard you can paint the leaves with weed killer, but after 5 years of struggling with this thing I chose the Final Solution. I moved 30 miles away.

Anonymous said...

If The Nun's Story disappoints you I suggest you never see Two Mules For Sister Sarah.

Anonymous said...

I can't plant anything. We have a drought here and no-one is allowed to water anything outside. The grass is brown and crunchy and even the morning glory, if we had some, would shrivel up and die. Or maybe it wouldn't, the weeds at the bottom of the garden are 6 feet tall and thriving.......

Sweet Olive Press | Helen said...

I've just discovered this blog and read exactly one post, and already I love it :) I'm going to go read some more...

Mavourneen said...

I was looking for a perenial Morning Glory and was very happy to read this page. I love it. i have to hurry off and call my brother to tell him not to bother bringing over his perenial Morning Glory that he promised me. Can't wait to send him the eaddress

Anonymous said...

It has been suggested in earlier comments that what Sr. calls "morning glories" are actually trumpet vines, but this "Bindweed" sounds like a much more likely suspect.