Flora Biblia

After he returned home, a member of the congregation passed away, and trees and shrubs were installed on the church grounds in his memory. But some of them didn't survive. When thinking about replacements, Hudson-Knapp and the widow, Cele Phillips, decided to start a garden of Bible plants.

Like Gardner, Hudson-Knapp began hunting through books to find out about plants that are mentioned in Scriptures. Two especially useful references were "Plants of the Bible" by Harold and Alma Moldenke and another book of the same name by Michael Zohary. The latter is out of print, he notes. "Many books on biblical plants come and go out of print very quickly, which makes it hard for people trying to do their own research."

That was one reason he decided to set up a website last year that features his church's biblical gardens, lists of resources, and what he's learned about the subject in 17 years. See box at right.

A biblical garden needn't be big, Hudson-Knapp stresses. Over the years, he and his volunteer helpers have planted two general biblical gardens, a children's Bible garden, and a water garden in the 12- to 20-foot border around the church. They've managed to pack more than 100 plants into this relatively small space by choosing carefully.

"The biblical plant in its original form may have been too big to fit in, so we looked for dwarf versions," he says. They also grow many cold-sensitive plants in pots and move them indoors in winter.

His wife, Cindy, the gardens' designer, has tried to select plants so that there's always something in bloom during the growing season, particularly in front of the church.

You wouldn't think that many plants native to the Middle East would grow well in Vermont and other cold climates, but "actually, there's a tremendous diversity of climates in what was Israel at various times," Hudson-Knapp says. And sometimes, even plants that clearly are meant for a warmer zone may thrive, if placed in a protected area.

Near a large pine tree on the church's grounds, "there's a sheltered area that gets the morning sun, and we're able to grow tamarisk (Tamarix pentendra), which is an edge-of-the-desert plant. It may have been the source for the manna in the wilderness [Ex. 16:15]. The bugs get at it, poke holes in the flesh of the bush, and the sap runs out and crystallizes and makes little gummy balls like Sugar Frosted Flakes.

"That bush, which has grown into a tree," he adds, "is supposed to grow in a semi-desert area, and here we are in Vermont, and it [survived]."

One of the most gratifying aspects of his Bible plants project has been the way people have responded to it. Children turn out with rakes and trowels to plant in spring. The small water garden has become a popular community gathering place from morning until evening. And people from far and wide have gotten in touch as a result of the website.

"About six months ago, we had an e-mail from a lady in central Africa," he reports. "She and her husband had bought 10 acres of land and had been dreaming that somehow op11s1.xmlr another they could plant biblical plants as a way of sharing with people in their area the faith that was so important to them."

(c) Copyright 2001. The Christian Science Monitor

Page: 1 | 2 | 3