St. Joseph's Day | March 19

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Gardening + History

CREATING A brilliant red spring garden

                                             

 "The just man shall blossom like the lily"

St. Joseph's Lily 

The lily is associated with St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, through an ancient legend that he was so chosen from among other men by the blossoming of his staff like a lily. St. Joseph's Day is March 19. In religious art the lily is used as an emblem of St. Joseph, and similarly in religious flower symbolism the names "St. Joseph's Staff" and "St. Joseph's Lily" have been applied to a number of flowers.

Joseph, The carpenter of Nazareth, is also venerated as the patron of all workmen, with feastday on May 1st, and thus as the patron of all who work for the building of God's Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.

                                                

1705 H. equestris Lin. fil., by Maria Sibylla Merian

1795 H. puniceum Illustration by William Curtis, S.. Curtis's Botanical Magazine `

In 1753 Linnaeus created the name Amaryllis belladonna, the type species of the genus Amaryllis. At that time both South African and South American plants were placed in the same genus, only much more recently being separated into two different genera.

Futher Reading

• Hippeastrum : The Gardener's Amaryllis, Portland : Timber Press, 2004, Read, Veronica, NEW WAVE HIPPIES AN EXTRACT FROM HIPPEASTRUM, THE GARDENER'S AMARYLLIS. https://www.amazon.com/Hippeastrum-Gardeners-Amaryllis-Horticultural-2004-03-01/dp/B01FIXTWAM

All material © 2007-2024 by Jeanette Hyden for Grassroots Horticulture

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