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Intro Mary Garden
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Wild "Mary-Flowers" from the Irish Counties
Sean MacNamara, C.F.C. The Knock Mary Garden, 1987
Ireland is divided into 40 vice-counties for botanical
purposes.
In keeping with the concept of the Knock Mary Garden as the
National Irish Mary Garden, its revised 1986 plant list envisages
transplanting two or more Flowers of Our Lady varieties from each
of these 40 vice-counties to the Garden.
To this end, the following is a listing of the counties/vice
counties with 2 or more Flowers of Our Lady prominently growing in
each - listed by their present-day common names, followed by
their old Mary-names.
County/Vice "Mary Plants"
County
1/2. Kerry London Pride or St. Patrick's Cabbage -
Lady's Needlework;
Hemp Agrimony - Mary's Bush;
Cuckoo Flower - Lady's Smock;
Heather - Lady's Adversary.
3/4/5. Cork Marsh Mallow - Lady's Cheeses;
Meadowsweet - Lady of the Meadow;
Brooklime - Biolar Mhuire;
Field Scabious - Lady's Pincushion;
Wood Spurge - Virgin Mary's Nipple.
6. Waterford Mountain Cudweed - Lady's Flower;
Fennel - Lady's Fennel;
Creeping Cinquefoil - Cuig Mhear Mhuire.
7/10. Tipperary Kidney Vetch - Lady's Fingers - Lady's Bedstraw -
Mary's Bed-straw;
Crab Apple - New Eve;
Autumn Lady's Tresses - Lady's Tresses.
8. Limerick Columbine - Lady's Shoes;
Water Avens - Lady's Bells;
Primrose - Lady's Frills.
9. Clare Harebell - Lady's Thimble;
Mountain Avens - Lady's Rose;
Golden Saxifrage - Lady's Cushion.
11. Kilkenny Teasel - Lady's Brushes;
Meadow Buttercup - Lady's Locks;
Wood Goldilocks - Gruaig Mhuire.
12. Wexford Field Scabious - Lady's Pincushion;
Thrift - Lady's Pincushion;
Cow Parsley - Lady's Lace.
13. Carlow White Horehound - Mary's Nettle;
Common Toadflax - Mary's Flax;
Wormwood - Mary's Tree.
14. Laois Deadly Nightshade - Beautiful Lady;
Honeysuckle - Lady's Fingers;
Silver Birch - Lady's Birch.
15/16/17 Galway Fuchsia - Lady's Eardrop;
Birdsfoot Trefoil - Lady's Boots;
Ivy-leaved Toadflax - Tears of Mary;
Wall-Rue - Lady's Hair;
Sea Lavender - Lady's Flower.
18. 0ffaly Marsh Marigold - Marygold;
Yellow Pimpernel - Seamer Mhuire;
Common Polypody - Mary's Milk Drops.
19. Kildare Cuckoo Pint Lady-Lords;
Common Mallow - Lady's Cheeses;
Lesser Knapweed - Lady's Bells.
20. Wicklow Alpine Lady's Mantle - Lady's Mantle;
Meadow Saxifrage - Lady's Feather Beds;
Rose-Bay - Mary's Bedstraw.
21. Dublin Lady Fern - Raithneach Mhuire;
Chamomile - Maiden Weed;
Cornflower - Mary's Crown.
22. Meath Wild Angelica - Cuinneog Mhuire;
Catmint - Mary's Nettle;
Meadow Vetchling - Lady's Fingers.
23. Westmeath Red Valerian - Lady's Needlwork;
Grass of Parnassus - Lady's Flower;
Hawthorn - Mary's Mayflower.
24. Longford Good Friday Grass - Lady's Hair;
Blackthorn - Lady's Plum;
Corn Mint - Lady's Plant.
25. Roscommon Wallflower - Mary's Flower; Dog Rose -
Mary's Thorn;
Early Purple Orchid - Lady's Tears.
26/27. Mayo Fly Orchid - Lady's Tears;
White Water Lily - Lady-of-the-Lake
Forget-me-Not - Mary's Eyes;
Elegant St. John's Wort - Allus Mhuire.
28. Sligo Black Byrony - Lady's Signet;
Sheep's Sorrel - Mary's Sorrows;
Wood Sorrel - Lady's Meat.
29. Leitrim Ox-eye Daisy - Mary's Star;
Bladder Campion - White Mary;
Cowslip - Lady's Keys.
30. Cavan Feverfew - Mary's Flower;
Meadow Rue - Lady Rue;
Guelder Rose - Lady's Pincushion.
31. Louth Sleeping Beauty - Lady Sorrel;
Red Clover - Lady's Posies - Daisy - Mary's Rose.
32. Monaghan Field Bindweed - Lady's Smock;
Broom - Lady's Slipper;
Self-heal - Lady's Tresses.
33. Fermanagh Wall Pennywort - Lady's Navel;
Wood Anemone - Lady's Petticoat;
Snowberry - Mary's Tears.
34/35. Donegal Common Sundew - Mary's Tears;
Lovage - Lady's Duster;
Roseroot - Lady's Root;
Dwarf Elder - Mary's Elder.
36. Tyrone Holy Grass - Mary's Grass;
Greater Stitchwort - Lady's Buttons;
Golden Rod - Lady's Plant.
37. Armagh
Male Fern - Mary's Bedstraw;
Rest Harrow - Lady's Whin;
Yellow Clover - Lady's Hops.
38. Down Corn Poppy - Lady-in-the-Corn;
Furze - Aiteann Mhuire;
Common Mullein - Mary's Candle.
39. Antrim Moschatel - Lady's Mantle;
Meadow Craneshill - Mary's Flower;
Haresfoot Clover - Mary's Bedstraw.
40. Derry Oak - Lady's Oak;
Willow Herb - Mary' Bedstraw;
Blue-eyed Grass - Blue eyed Mary.
List and photo reprinted with permission from The Knock Mary
Garden by Brother Sean MacNamara, C.S.C.