Becky Lynn Daylily: A Picture of God's Restorative Process

This is a true story, a story of hope and a story of how our loving God restores what the devil has taken. It is a story about my two adult daughters that have been estranged from me for far too long. It is a story about love.

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NOTE from October 22, 2014: See Becky Lynn Daylily: A Sequel for a follow-up article.
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Daylily 'Becky Lynn'

This daylily is named 'Becky Lynn'; the flower was named several years before my second daughter was born. Her married name is Becky Lynn Hanusa. As caretaker of the Gethsemane Prayer Garden, I planted seven Becky Lynn's in the hope and promise of God's restoration process. Sometimes all you can do is hope and pray, and that is the case with me.

My first daughter's name is Laurel; I named her after the soft-pink Mountain Laurel, the state flower of Pennsylvania. On many occasions I told young Laurel how that plant is the prettiest flower in the whole wide world. Of course there are many gorgeous flowers in the world and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But that is how she was to me when she was born, the prettiest little girl in the whole wide world. For some reason, I have not been able to locate a Mountain Laurel to plant in that garden – possibly there continues to be a spiritual blockage that is yet unresolved. [See update from 09-26-2013: Mountain Laurel: Planting with care].

Mountain Laurel Kalmia latifolia from www.statesymbolsusa.org

Laurel's married name is Laurel Babcock and I have not seen her in years. The devil stole what was rightfully ours and I played into his hand.

My hope and my confidence is that what the locusts have eaten, the Lord will restore. I certainly forgive my daughters for their part in choosing to be distant. Many things were said and done over the years; it is extremely difficult for young tender ears to understand it all. Even as adults, it can be most challenging to reconcile the messages of love that parents can portray with messages of anger and bitterness. Divorce is such a hard thing on everyone, but God did not want it that way.

Will today be the day that the process begins turning around? I hope so. If not, life still goes on.

I have also pondered how I will react when we first meet again. Will I cry? I don't know, although I can easily do so at emotional settings. I am so very confident about God's restorative process that I may not cry. It might even be today.

Sea Holly: You Will Recognize Them By Their Fruit

The Sea Holly (Eryngium planum) is an amazingly showy thistle-like plant – adorned with steel-blue stems and petals from June to September, this 30" tall plant can quickly become a main conversation piece in most any garden. It is truly stunning to look at; in a different sense, it is also stunning to touch.

Jesus compared the thistle to a false prophet in his Sermon on the Mount. I find that the Sea Holly with its thistle-like appearance is an excellent example of this metaphor:

¹⁵ "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
¹⁶ You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
¹⁷ So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.
¹⁸ A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.
¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
²⁰ Thus you will recognize them by their fruits." (Matthew 7:15-20 ESV)

This brilliant blue color is rarely found in the landscape; that is why I purchased them for the Gethsemane Prayer Garden. They are just like false prophets, for deception is one of their the main characteristics.

Look closely at the fruit!

This fruit must be very carefully touched. All over the plant are very sharp needles that have only one purpose: to hurt. Even the deer stay away all year long, for this "tree" bears bad fruit.

Adjacent to the Sea Holly in the prayer garden is a beech tree which can be seen with its soft fur-covered nuts. These are good fruit for they come from a good tree. I believe Jesus would have called the Sea Holly "a bad tree" because it bears bad fruit.

Please allow me to ask a question: "According to the above Bible text, how do you recognize a false prophet?" I must admit that the answer to that question, based on these verses from Matthew, broadened my understanding of what a false prophet is. Inwardly they are like ravenous wolves; outwardly they produce bad fruit.

But also understand the implications: if a child is not showing evidence of being good fruit, that does not mean that either the child or the parent is going to be thrown in the fire. The factor of time also plays a part as does the power of prayer and the power of appropriate parenting. The value of the fruit may turn out good as it moves towards maturity.

Removing the Showy Primrose Plantings

While I very much enjoy the showy primrose (Oenothera speciosa), I have removed most of them from the Gethsemane Prayer Garden. I wrote in my 2009 book A Garden of Love,

The showy primrose, with their mass effect of soft pink, are aptly named “showy.” In late spring, the flowers become a carpet of delicate pink with a subtle yellow touch in the center. Slowly, the flowers fade with the heat of the summer, only to reveal brilliant dots of blood-red leaves, as if an artist stroke each individual leaf. By the peak of autumn, the flowers that are left are soft accents to each leaf's variegated red and green effect.

Yet despite my enthusiasm for the rich colors and gorgeous effect of this plant, this spring I repeatedly sprayed Round Up on the three main beds where the showy primrose was located. Only a small portion near the entrance to the garden remains untouched. "Why?" you ask. Because of its invasive nature and its co-habitation with short weeds that are very difficult to remove.

Sitting under this exhilarating collection of buds and flowers was a mass of chickweed, ground ivy, and various other weeds that were very difficult to remove. Before the showy primrose opened or after the color reached its peak, the abundance of these weeds was readily apparent. I decided that they must go as I prepared the garden for a wedding last summer; I spent several hours hand-pulling the yellow-flowered black clover and still did not remove it all.

It took four applications of Round Up over a two-month period to remove the showy primrose. Now the three beds are planted with other flowers: sedum 'Autumn Joy' in one, daylilies in another, and a white-flowering viburnum with Japanese maple in a third.

Warning: do not attempt to simply dig the bed to remove these invasive flowers. You will find that it will be just a waste of time because the root system is so thick. You should be much more satisfied if you use chemicals instead.

Catmint Is Great for the Garden Border

We find that the catmint delivers a high impact color in the Gethsemane Prayer Garden for a low cost.

We purchased five of these lavender blue plants in 2004, placing them in a highly visible location near the center of the garden. These five developed four children over the next two years; the children were moved to fill in some holes between taller evergreens. In the spring of 2009, it was time to move them again.

The catmint is vibrant in color while blooming from late May through early July, but slowly the flowers fade away. Even when we cut them back in mid-summer to strive for a second bloom, the plants did not warrant their prominent center-of-the-garden location. So in 2009 we transplanted them to the border location where they now thrill our visitors – by dividing them with the sharp push of a shovel, our five initial plants had become twenty-two.

The purple tones of the common catmint are great for providing contrast to neighboring plants. Their colors can pop when combined with a bright pink such as found in petunias. We intersperse them between dark green Austrian pines which are planted near the driveway at the front of the garden. Eventually the Austrian pines will grow into a full screen protection so people cannot see into that portion of the garden. For now, the catmint provides the visual distraction so that people see the bright purples without focusing on the garden interior.

Our catmints are large, typically growing five to eight feet across; they appear to enjoy the heavily mulched hillside of the berm. The second blossoming in August through October is somewhat smaller, possibly four to six feet wide. Between the two flowering seasons, we aggressively cut them back to eighteen inches.

The result is nearly five months of prolific blossoms. I am sure that the bees, if they could talk, would be actively thanking us. Hopefully our church visitors feel invited as well – a fully flowered prayer garden is on the other side of that berm.

Design Garden Prayer Rooms With Inviting Paths

A prayer garden should create an atmosphere where peaceful serenity can be found while at the same time stimulating communication with our Heavenly Father. One way we attempt to accomplish that in the Gethsemane Prayer Garden is by creating prayer rooms with inviting garden paths.

Click on any photo to see them all in full-screen.


As with a room in a home, we place a curvaceous path in the middle of the prayer room that invites the eye and softens the heart. The benches, flowers, and shrubs become like the home's furniture and decoration. The end of the path should bend quickly, providing a sense of mystery and intrigue.



Each path's vista then defines a prayer room with a sense of privacy and seclusion from the next room. The design should include landscaped hallways that lead to the next room.



Tall shrubs can create boundaries between the rooms and act like doors that gently open into the next.



The prayer rooms may be large or small. Each room should have one or possibly several benches for lingering, and all benches should be positioned for privacy.



Large rocks can serve as impromptu sitting locations.



A shrub placed adjacent to the path can add curiosity by breaking up the larger prayer rooms.



The Joyous Celebration Prayer Room has a stone pad for a table and chairs. Smaller groups can use these larger prayer rooms.

This bird bath is inscribed with a poem, yet man-made statuary is minimized in this garden.



Mixtures of colors and textures should encourage one to linger in a prayer room. The dark-blue columbine flowers add continuity between rooms.



Small hills (berms) with tight plantings may be necessary. We use shrubs and trees to prevent people in the parking lot from seeing into any room. This view into a room is available from the back side of the garden.



The plantings, whether in a prayer room or along a path hallway, can also take on symbolic meanings which also invite people to the garden. The Wooden Cross Prayer Room, for example, portrays the story from Exodus 33,34 where Moses watched the Lord pass by him. We encourage those that have a smart phone to go to agardenoflove.com to read or hopefully someday soon listen to these Scriptural interpretations.



There are eight prayer rooms in the Gethsemane Prayer Garden.

Proverbs 3:13-17 (NASB):
¹³ How blessed is the man who finds wisdom and the man who gains understanding.
¹⁴ For her profit is better than the profit of silver and her gain better than fine gold.
¹⁵ She is more precious than jewels; and nothing you desire compares with her.
¹⁶ Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.
¹⁷ Her ways are pleasant ways and all her paths are peace.

The Mayapple is Like a Hidden Treasure (Proverbs 2:1-5)

Proverbs 2:1-5 (NASB):
¹ My son, if you will receive my words and treasure my commandments within you,
² Make your ear attentive to wisdom, incline your heart to understanding;
³ For if you cry for discernment, lift your voice for understanding;
⁴ If you seek her as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures;
⁵ Then you will discern the fear of the LORD and discover the knowledge of God.

The search for wisdom is like the search for hidden treasure. It is like the sudden discovery of the treasures of the Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum), a plant of the forest that looks somewhat like an umbrella. Many will pass this beauty by, and some will find the secret it beholds.

In our Gethsemane Prayer Garden, we have a section of Mayapple that grows under the tall canopy of some black willow trees. Other flowers such as astilbe, vinca minor, hosta, and bush clover are also planted in this area. It is a refreshing and relaxing spot, somewhat secluded from the rest of the garden. This location was selected to preserve the May apples that have been growing there many years before this prayer garden was ever conceived.

Sitting above this peaceful area is a wooden bench where one's mind can wander away from the fast activity of life. The Scripture above states, "Make your ear attentive", and "incline your heart", and "cry for discernment", and "lift your voice", and "seek … and search", then you will "discern … and discover".

Most people do not know the flower is there although some will hear about it from someone else. We do not normally find it because we are not looking for it. Yet an attitude of diligently seeking allows us to uncover hidden treasures such as the Mayapple. It is an attitude that says, "Lord, I want all you have for me."


I believe that the wisdom described in Proverbs 2:1-5 is supernatural wisdom. To me, it is not what is generated from the intelligence of our minds, but rather it is what is given by our Lord. It is a gift from our most generous and loving God.

Many people have heard about the gifts of the Holy Spirit; some reject it with steadfast authority, some seek it but do not discern anything unusual or different, and some receive it as the hidden treasure that God intended.

I am convinced that finding and then opening this gift is because of the attitude we have in approaching the Holy Spirit. Yes there is certainly the aspect that it is hidden, but there is also the aspect of sudden discovery that is far more beautiful, wonderful, and powerful than one would have expected.

Proverbs 2:6-11 (NASB):
⁶ For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
⁷ He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
⁸ Guarding the paths of justice, and He preserves the way of His godly ones.
⁹ Then you will discern righteousness and justice and equity and every good course.
¹⁰ For wisdom will enter your heart and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
¹¹ Discretion will guard you, understanding will watch over you.

Cushion Spurge Sings Praise to Yahweh (Psalm 113)

When I initially look at the cushion spurge (Euphorbia polychroma), the brilliant yellow clusters remind me of the sun in its fullness. Even though this photo was taken in the early morning, the abundance of golden hues fill the spectrum. Contrasted to the browns and greens that provide a backdrop to any landscape, these bright groupings draw attention to themselves.

Beyond the initial look, a closer look at the clusters reveal a more fascinating aspect of this flower: many are in groups of five. Not all have five, but many.

For those that look into the meaning of numbers in the Scriptures, five is the number of grace. That is why Psalm 113 was selected for this flower. Yahweh raises the poor and lifts the needy; He gives help to the childless woman. Positions are changed, not because we deserve it, but because He is Yahweh!

Psalm 113:1-9 (HCSB):

¹ Hallelujah! Give praise, servants of Yahweh; praise the name of Yahweh.
² Let the name of Yahweh be praised both now and forever.
³ From the rising of the sun to its setting, let the name of Yahweh be praised.
⁴ Yahweh is exalted above all the nations, His glory above the heavens.
⁵ Who is like Yahweh our God — the One enthroned on high,
⁶ who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth?
⁷ He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the garbage pile
⁸ in order to seat them with nobles — with the nobles of His people.
⁹ He gives the childless woman a household, making her the joyful mother of children.
Hallelujah!

This Psalm points to our need – without Yahweh, we are all needy. Yahweh is the grace giver, not because we are entitled to it, but because of who He is.

Primrose Symbolizes Humility (James 4:6,7)

As the Scriptures say, 'God opposes the proud but favors the humble.' So humble yourselves before God (James 4:6,7 NLT)

As the snow begins to recede in the Gethsemane Prayer Garden each spring, the first flower to show itself is the primrose. Their splashes of color sends a joyous message which continues from late March through June. Consistently people stop me to speak in some way about the brilliant colors yet their very short 6-inch height. To me, it reminds me of the favor that the Lord grants to those that exhibit humility.

We have a small but vibrant area dedicated to our Pacific Giant Primroses. The names of our individual cultivars were never recorded – it is the bold red, violet, yellow, pink, blue, and white pigmentation with brilliant yellow centers that brought us to the decision to purchase each one.

Primrose (Primula X polyantha) generally prefer a shady location. We grow ours in the full sun until July when a large cluster of Russian sage adds considerable shade to the primrose bed. At that point, most visitors never see the primrose as it is hidden by the much larger Russian sage. That is the way of humility, is it not?

Every four or five years we have to replenish our inventory of primroses. Possibly some get pulled by the naive volunteer that is zealous to weed. Recently we discovered that spider mites may be attacking the primrose, possibly causing the weaker ones to die off. We will spray – I do not believe that humility means we allow ourselves to be eaten alive.

Bleeding Heart Flower Suggests A Heart of Compassion (1 Peter 3:8)

"All of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with one another. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude."
(1 Peter 3:8)


Spring means many things to many people: a time of new beginnings as green growth emerges from last year's exhausted splendor; a time to enjoy short or sometimes long walks as the days are warmer and usually not too hot; a time to listen to birds with their many melodies of happiness, some that sing for a mate and some that sing because they just want to; for the flowers that emerge early, a time to bathe in their wholeness that are unhampered by outdoor insects that chew away at the leaves or petals; and for the gardener, a time to accomplish a tremendous amount of cleanup and preparation work while the soil is still moist and most perennials are small.

In April and May, I typically spend more hours in the perennial garden than all other months combined. Our Gethsemane Prayer Garden is a half-acre of flower beds, an acre of lawn, and another half-acre of undeveloped brush land that is yet to be cleared. After the winter debris was removed, nearly forty yards of mulch were applied to eight of the flower beds. I try to do this early, before the new plant growth gets in the way of mulch application – that is, before the bleeding heart open.

I use the old-fashioned bleeding heart (Dicentra spectabilis) as my measure to see if I can get it all done in time – this year I did and I am thankful for the help that was provided. The bleeding heart is a delicate pink and white flower that prefers to grow in the shade. The heart-shaped pendulums remind us of compassion and love.

Delaney Farms: Thank You for Your Effort

The Gethsemane Prayer Garden received a significant gift yesterday: our neighbors to the south removed a large pile of debris that was on their property. These neighbors are Dave and JoAnn Delaney, owners of Delaney Farms on Onondaga Hill. By going to this effort, the landscape around the garden was suddenly boosted in aesthetic beauty.

When Faith Chapel selected the site for the Gethsemane Prayer Garden in 2003, it had been a farmer's field with lots of plant debris along the south and west sides. Many people did not know that there was a stream along the west side because so much vegetation had grown there. Much of that area was filled with buckthorns, a highly invasive shrub or small tree that is a true challenge to remove. The farmer had also pushed many small and large rocks from the field into this area so that the land could be tilled. Large willow branches had fallen haphazardly throughout, wild grape vines followed their own path up the large trees, and wild roses rooted themselves throughout. It has taken ten years for our teams to methodically clean up this area, but now the beauty of the stream can be more readily enjoyed.

Fifteen years ago, our neighbors the Delaney's dealt with the debris problem in the same way as we do: create piles of willow and other scrub material at the far end of their property. When we chose the prayer garden site, we saw this seemingly endless pile of junk. While it was our choice to put the garden there, no matter how you looked at it, it simply did not fit with the beauty of a garden.


Photo from Google Earth, image date 6/3/2011

Earlier this spring, Dave Delaney graciously decided to correct this eyesore. By using a chain saw, chipper, and backhoe, he attacked this problem head-on – he started by cutting down many of the trees that had become overgrown near his home. Over three days, he used a chipper to shred these bush and tree branches, creating many large piles of fresh mulch.

Dave had a different plan for the area of the prayer garden, realizing that a more dramatic effort was needed. Some of the willow that had been placed there were two and three feet in diameter, and there was much other undergrowth that was easier to approach with a backhoe. Dave's solution was to dig a trench to bury it; his trench was 100' long by 8' wide by 6' deep. When he dug the trench yesterday, I thought he would never be able to get all this plant stuff in there, but he did. The ground is roughly 12" higher than it previously was – when leveled out, it will look like the rest of his lawn.

Last fall we placed a large wooden cross in this portion of the garden. Now when we now look south, majestic stands of deep-green spruce trees catch the eye; it is a serene picture that is far more suiting to a landscaped garden.

Over the coming years, these old tree trunks and other plant stuff will decompose. The water that is currently in the branches will slowly disappear and cause their lawn area to settle. Each spring he may need to drive his backhoe over the area causing the trench to collapse as it decays.

As I said to Dave, "You are doing the right thing as a neighbor, and we thank you for it."

In Review: 2012 and What's Next in the Gethsemane Prayer Garden?

In 2012 we completed one of the largest expansions of the garden area. By clearing a large thicket of overgrown brush near the stream last spring, we are now officially calling this a two-acre garden. That area was planted with cosmos which unfortunately did not fair very well with the dry weather and lack of watering.

Then last fall, another 150 feet of walkway was added on the southern side of the garden along with a large wooden cross and two wooden grape trellis structures as an illustration of the pruning process in John 15:2.

My regular prayer to God has been, "What's next?"

For some time, I have been seeing a vision of a large wooden gazebo. This began when I saw a 12'x20' gazebo at the Treadway Inn in Owego NY:

The cost of this gazebo is well beyond what Faith Chapel can afford, even if we use our own construction crews. But I know that if God wants it built, He will provide a way.

In my prayers I have also asked God about the lack of water and electricity in the garden. So far there has not been an answer:

• WATER: There is water available at the church but the difficulty is in getting the hoses across the parking lot to the targeted areas. Lugging the hoses into the garden and then coiling them up at the end of the day is challenging – not a task to be left for the faint-hearted. As a result, dry areas are not adequately watered and the plants suffer each year.
• ELECTRICITY: We had four weddings in this garden in 2012 and I expect many more in future years. Weddings really could use electricity to amplify their voices and sing whatever songs the new couple selects. Possibly we could have outdoor lighting or we could place spotlights on the wooden cross. And to build that gazebo, it would sure help if we had electricity.

I'm not exactly sure why God replied as He has, but He continues to remind me of a song by Hillsong with the title, "Jesus, Lover of My Soul".

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End Note: The overall theme for this series of articles is flowers and plants, showing how they point to love. Sometimes I write 'how to' do something, other times the emphasis is a status update, or the article will be about how a plant or flower touched my heart. All of these writings are based on plants from the Gethsemane Prayer Garden in Syracuse, NY. Please consider some of the other blog articles: Index of Articles About the Gethsemane Prayer Garden.
Tom Clarke, Caretaker of the Gethsemane Prayer Garden

Grape Trellis Based on John 15:2

NOTE: An update to this article from August 31, 2013 may be found at John 15:2 - Pruning Produced Better Grapes.


Today we finished the construction of a grape trellis in the Gethsemane Prayer Garden. Using John 15:2 as a basis, the two trellis structures are intended to illustrate the power of pruning. The trellis on the right will be pruned each January or February, while the one on the left will not. It is our expectation that the one on the right will "bear more fruit."

The verses in John 15 symbolically compare the grape vine with our abiding presence with the Lord and the commandment to love one another. Jesus begins by describing Himself and His relationship to His Father:

"I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser." (John 15:1 NKJV)

Then He includes those who abide with Him:

"Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit." (John 15:2 NKJV)

When the pruning is performed in mid-winter, the grapes have already been harvested but the new growth has not yet started. As a gardener, I can easily understand these two types of pruning. If a branch has not produced fruit, get rid of that branch because it will be less productive and may not bear any fruit at all. For the branch that has produced, excess branches are cleanly removed so that more energy will be directed to new flowers – when insects fertilize those flowers, they become more and potentially larger grapes.

Our hope with this dual trellis system is to see the abrupt difference between the two types of treatment. We should see more fruit on the first, and we should see more leaves on the second. The branches on the first should be more organized because they have been instructed (via the pruners) how to grow; the branches on the second should be much more wild in appearance.

Many interpretations have been put forth regarding what John 15:2 means. When Jesus stated, "I am the vine; you are the branches" (John 15:5 NKJV), I believe he was stating that each plant represents a Jesus/person combination. The plant near the right post is one person that abides in Christ, and the plant near the left post represents a second person in Christ. The branches on each plant get pruned based on the fruit that they do or do not produce.

The timing of the pruning also seems pertinent to understanding John 15:2; it is after the growing season has ended but not at the end of the plant's life. Springtime will soon arrive and the hope is that it will produce more fruit next year. Each person in Christ goes through seasons; the Father removes from each plant that which is unproductive, and He cleans those other branches in preparation for the next season:

"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me." (John 15:4 NKJV)

Note the similarity of John 15:2b with John 15:5b for there is synergy between them:

"He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." (John 15:5b NKJV)

For example, in Joshua 7, the leader Joshua was pruned at Ai when his forces lost the battle – he lost prestige with his people. Rather than run or be discouraged, Joshua chose to abide – he fell on his face and sought the Lord. After Achan was exposed, Joshua became more fruitful in the next chapters because he was pruned and he abided.

Gardeners also have the responsibility of promoting the plant's health throughout the year. We will train the plants so that their branches remain attached to the trellis system. If a branch is too wild, it will be cut off and discarded:

"If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned." (John 15:6 NKJV)

The Jesus/person plant is not discarded, only that portion that is not bearing fruit. Just as dross is removed from silver or gold, the branch is put through the refiner's fire.

The grape's branches are secured to the vine by arms that are called cordons. In this way, the green growth abides to the vine and allows it to bear much fruit:

"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you. By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples." (John 15:7,8 NKJV)

The grape vine analogy concludes with the command for those who abide in Christ to love one another:

"You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He may give to you. This I command you, that you love one another." (John 15:16,17 NKJV)

This answers the question, "Based on these verses, what is the fruit?" It is love. The fruit is not good things that we do as some suggest – concentrating on performing good works can be done without any evidence of love. And the fruit is not the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) as others suggest, although love is an aspect of each of those nine fruits.

Rather, I suggest that those things that we do (good works) are intended to exhibit love. The text says the fruit should remain – the groceries that were left for the needy person will be consumed, but the love that went with the groceries should remain. The pruning removes those things that may inhibit a better revelation of love, and the abiding promotes the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22) to help us manifest love.

Installing a Large Wooden Cross

Yesterday we placed a large wooden cross in the Gethsemane Prayer Garden! In all for 2012, we developed four additional areas this year. The addition of the cross is certainly the most significant.

We started in the spring by clearing a major thicket of buckthorns, wild grapes, and other plant debris. Most of the plant material was dragged to the far edge of Faith Chapel's 79-acre property, and some was buried under 40 yards of sand. We planted that with cosmos seeds which sporadically bloomed for four months during the hot and dry summer.

This fall, we developed a sitting area for a group of three or four, a planting of concord grape vines based on John 15:1-11, and yesterday placed an eleven foot wooden cross in a third area.

While I am the developer and caretaker of this prayer garden, I could not do it without the help and encouragement of others. In addition to my wife that added her prayers and applause, yesterday there were four of us that placed the cross in the hole.

Jim Boyd is a tremendously skilled operator of backhoes; he knew just how to pick up that cross which which weighs 300 pounds and get it in the hole. Earlier in the day, he carefully picked up a 400-500 pound rock using straps hung from the bucket. Praise God for the skill that He placed in Jim.

Sam Lupo was the man behind the construction of the cross. Taking two pieces of 6"x6" pressure treated wood, he meticulously cut out, chiseled and sanded the 15' piece and the 6.5' cross-arm. He then glued the two boards with Gorilla glue, bolted and counter-sunk two bolts that hold the boards in place, and then applied epoxy to the bolt ends. Finally he used a draw knife to take the sharp edges off the wood, giving it a more "rugged cross" look.

Bill Hastings is the exuberant worker. Highly skilled in many areas of construction, Bill energetically placed a 12"x4' Sonotube casing into the 50" hole that I had dug and surrounded it with runner crush stone. After the cross was inserted into the Sonotube, Bill mixed four 80-pound bags of Quikrete concrete mix, placed it next to the wooden post, and then capped it off at ground level with a little pitch which will drain water away from the wood.

We used a Sonotube form rather than just pouring concrete in the hole to help reduce the possibility of frost heaving. The hole had a very irregular shape due to the many limestone rocks that are so prevalent on our church property. Although the hole is well below the frost line, our concern was that the frozen water would create an uplift in our clay soil if we just used concrete. Maybe that is over design, but we felt that it was better than a tilted cross.

Our Lord gets all the glory for how well this worked out.

It is our hope and prayer that many will come to the cross during more pleasant weather, to receive whatever touch the Holy Spirit sends. Remember, Jesus Christ is the lover of your soul.

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End Note: The overall theme for this series of articles is flowers and plants, showing how they point to love. Sometimes I write 'how to' do something, other times the emphasis is a status update, or the article will be about how a plant or flower touched my heart. All of these writings are based on plants from the Gethsemane Prayer Garden in Syracuse, NY. Please consider some of the other blog articles: Index of Articles About the Gethsemane Prayer Garden.

Enjoying Gaura

After a very hot and dry summer, the Gethsemane Prayer Garden has recovered beautifully. The Russian sage are still in blossom, the roses are abounding, there are patches of pink showy primrose which normally bloom in June, the white cone flowers and the even some of the daisies are peaking out their heads, there is a large patch of Japanese anenome in full bloom, and these are adjacent to abundant clusters of yellow coreopsis. There are brilliant red burning bushes next to the church and the ones in the garden have started to turn. And then there are the chrysanthemum, false ageratum and Autumn Joy sedum.

The most stunning of today's flowers are the gaura. Also known as 'Wand Flower', the gaura can be either white or various tones of pink. Close inspection of each gaura flower reveals four petals with a beard-like cluster of stamen and pistil. The flower heads sit on top of a long stalk that sways in the breeze. When one flower dies, the stalk produces another flower just above it in a seemingly endless pattern of beauty upon beauty. True love never dies.

As you first go in the garden, you will see a large patch of the white gaura, and these are the tallest. Elsewhere in the garden there is a mix of the white ones with a soft pink that somehow reminds me of striped candy canes. At the entrance to the garden are two plants, each 30" tall and equally wide. These two enticing gaura, shown above, are a deeper tone of pink.

In our area of Central New York (zone 4), some people have confessed that they have not been successful with gaura. They suggest that it is originally from Texas and may not be well suited for our environment. I think there are two keys to our success: the ones that survive are planted on a slope whereas the ones we have lost were planted on flat ground; and the ones that survive are either grown in sand or had sand mixed into our heavy clay soil. They seem to tolerate some amount of late afternoon shade but really prefer full sun.

If this autumn is like other fall seasons, the gaura should remain in blossom into November sometime. Please pay us a visit and bring your camera. Yes, it is a garden devoted to prayer, but sometimes we see things through the lens of a camera that encourages to dig deeper into that conversation with the Lord.

Many blessings,
Tom

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End Note: The overall theme for this series of articles is flowers and plants, showing how they point to love. Sometimes I write 'how to' do something, other times the emphasis is a status update, or the article will be about how a plant or flower touched my heart. All of these writings are based on plants from the Gethsemane Prayer Garden in Syracuse, NY. Please consider some of the other blog articles: Index of Articles About the Gethsemane Prayer Garden.
Tom Clarke, Caretaker of the Gethsemane Prayer Garden