Passion Week / Holy Week Garden Ideas

Passion Week or Holy Week is the celebration and remembrance of Christ’s week leading up to his resurrection which is the final day we call Easter.

A great visual lesson would be a Holy Week Garden or Passion Week Garden planted with living material you could use for all generations to recall the Gospel account. As you read through the Scriptures this week with family and friends find plant material to represent items for each day or even sculptures to fill an area in your yard or house that will give you a living visual.

When planning your living visual garden keep in mind the typical weather for your USDA zone during this time of year. What plant material would be in bloom or evergreen? Is it perennial, biennial or annual? How much space will you need for at least 7 plants? What will the plants height and spread be at maturity? Does the plant need full sun, partial sun, shade or a little of both? Remember this will be a living visual Holy Week Garden so have tons of fun creating it with friends and family.

I’ve listed some items below to represent each day of Passion/Holy Week and it’s major points. You can use the list as a spring board to come up with your own celebration items and expound on the list. The garden material doesn’t have to be potted you could start with seed and watch the garden grow.

Happy Planting Passion/Holy Week Garden!

1. Palm Sunday / Triumphal Entry – Palm tree, don’t forget that you can grow a Palm tree indoors also or Palm houseplant, Triumph Tulips, Tegelberg’s Triumph Aloe or Triumph Aster
1. Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:28-44, and John 12:12-19.
2. Fig Tree and Temple – Fig Tree, Fig Houseplant (the list is endless) or Tempelbaum (Plumeria – Frangipani)
1. Matthew 21:12–22, Mark 11:15–19, Luke 19:45-48, and John 2:13-17.
3. Mount of Olives (Olivet Discourse) – Fruiting Olive Trees (Zone 7-10), Fruiting Olive Bush (Zone 5-11), Russian Olive (maybe considered an invasive species so please check with your local County Extension office for area information. You may also use the USDA Invasive Species search by State ), Miniature Tuscan Olive Tree for Indoors
1. Matthew 21:23–24:51, Mark 11:20–13:37, Luke 20:1–21:36, and John 12:20–38.
4. Rest – Maybe here we ad a bench or chairs to our garden so we can rest, meditate and enjoy its beauty. Think of plants used to invoke rest or relaxation like Lavender, Licorice (both annual and perennial), Passion Flower or Rosemary.
1. The Scriptures are silent regarding Wednesday but scholarly speculation is that Jesus and the Disciples took a day of rest in preparation of celebrating Passover.
5. Passover/Last Supper – Bitter Herbs (Horseradish, Beets and Endive (Seder)), Hyssop, Lambs Ear, Passover Flower (Pasque Flower, Wind Flower, Crocus, etc.)
1. Matthew 26:17–75, Mark 14:12-72, Luke 22:7-62, and John 13:1-38.
6. Good Friday (Trial, Crucifixion, Death, Burial) – Jerusalem Cross , St. Andrews Cross, Bleeding Heart, Dogwood, Blood Flower. In addition to your Passion Garden plant selection you might want to add a cross made of material that will withstand the outdoor elements, dress up your indoor Holy Week Garden with a more elegant cross or use the Iron Cross Begonia .
1. Matthew 27:1-62, Mark 15:1-47, Luke 22:63-23:56, and John 18:28-19:37.
7. Saturday, in the Tomb – In either garden I would add a stone with an inscription or a stone of significant size to the area. Then I would surround the stone with Rose of Sharon or Rock Rose.
1. Matthew 27:62-66, Mark 16:1, Luke 23:56, and John 19:40.
8. Resurrection Sunday, He is Alive! – A variety of moss added in, maybe even grow moss on the rock to mimic the Resurrection Plant.
   The Resurrection plant (AKA The Rose of Jericho), a type of Juniper, is so named because of its ability to be completely dried (dead) and then live again once water is applied. Easter Lily, Daffodil, Hyacinth, Tulip or any other flower that reminds us of The Resurrection. Of course mostly bulbs are great for this because they die and then bloom again. If you are creating an indoor garden you can force these bulbs and grow them inside year after year. Hyacinth, Crocus, Daffodils can be forced without using a pot and dirt; it adds more beauty using a non colored vessel with water and maybe some decorative stones. As you’ll find there are varying opinions on keeping or discarding the bulbs once they have been forced but it doesn’t hurt to recycle. I’ve been growing the same bulbs indoors for about 5 years.
1. Matthew 28:1-13, Mark 16:1-14, Luke 24:1-49, and John 20:1-23.

To shred or not to shred? That is the question.

According to the American Society of Industrial Security the answer is, “Yes”; shred the paper. It’s estimated that an annual savings of $60 billion dollars can be realized across Industrial America by just shredding the document to prevent thieves from stealing their secrets. The American family household represents only 1/3 of the $300 million dollar U.S. market.

Like many households we also own a shredder and between 8 people you can imagine the amount of shredded, cross-cut paper our household accumulates. Unfortunately most recyclers don’t accept shredded paper, why? Because it’s bad for the paper making mills and in the end just ends up as trash. So what is one to do with all this shredded paper? Bag it up and put it in the dumpsters? I think not; here are 10 eco-friendly, green ideas for recycling your shredded paper.

1. Got rabbits? Use the shredded paper for bedding for your rabbits it’ll definitely save on the budget and you’re guaranteed an extra level of security because no thief is going to reassemble your rabbit used shredded paper. If you have other small mammals, reptiles, etc. that use bedding you can substitute it with the shredded paper you have on hand.
2. If you have adult chickens you can use the shredded paper for the floor and nesting boxes of their coop. Some worry about the paper being too slippery or smooth and causing what’s known as Spraddle Leg. It is mainly a concern with young chicks who are just learning to get their feet under them and aren’t heavy enough to stay on top of the paper. With shredded paper there is usually enough surface deviation for them to get a good grip and you are going to clean the cage or box frequent enough that it won’t become a matted surface; right?
3. Shipping, storing and packaging materials creates a huge landfill issue around the world. Most of the material used commercially or sold to the average household contains polystyrene or Styrofoam and of course we can’t forget the bubble wrap. The concern with all these materials is they are petroleum based and are ending up in our landfills. Why not use your shredded paper to insulate the next package you’re shipping or when packing away the winter clothes, Christmas decorations and even moving; just place shredded paper in between the items to protect them.
4. How about the cat litter box? You can use the shredded paper in your cat litter box and control the odor. Add the shredded paper to the litter box and then pour in some sodium bicarbonate, more commonly known as baking, soda or you can purchase odor control powder from your local pet supply. Now you’ve cut the budget, recycled the paper and kept the kitty happy.
5. Composting in the garden but, don’t overdo it or the decomposing paper will quickly deplete the nitrogen during the decomposition process. If you have a lot of shredded paper you want to add in a small area just add a high nitrogen material such as grass clippings to offset adding the shredded paper.
6. Mulching with shredded paper is great. Besides constructing a barrier between frigid temperatures mulching with shredded paper will help preserve the amount of watering that is needed and act as a weed impediment for your plants. You can use the shredded paper to mulch around trees, in flower beds and shrubs. Using a layering method of shredded paper about 4″ – 6″ and other organic materials will greatly increase the slow release of nutrients back into the soil as the material breaks down. 
7. Mix a little shredded paper with your potting soil when you’re repotting. It will help retain the water, make the potting soil go a little further and recycling at the same time. 
8. If you happen to have a worm bed they’ll love you for several reasons if you throw them some shredded paper. It will absorb any extra moisture in the colder months and hey, it’s like giving your worms dessert. 
9. Donate it! Yeah, your local animal shelter or pet store would love to have more bedding. You’ll be helping the community, saving on their budget and giving the animals a couple of warmer nights. It’s like crawling into your bed with clean sheets for the first time. 
10. It’s for the birds. That’s right; add some shredded paper to the birdhouses hanging around your yard.

Tags: compost, compost shredded paper, mulch shredded paper, mulching, recycle, reuse, shredded paper

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