30. Marsh marigolds

Marsh marigolds with reflections of alder trees

Bright clumps of yellow flowers are growing around the lochán. They are marsh marigolds, one of our beautiful native flowers - showy and richly coloured, with waxy yellow petals and bright green leaves. Their natural habitat is at the edge of a lake or stream, where the water meets the land.

More like a large buttercup than a marigold, the name apparently derives from 'Mary gold', as these are one of the many May flowers associated with Mary. People traditionally gathered flowers for a May altar in the home, or tied them with ribbons to a May bush. In Christian times these were dedicated to Mary, but, like many of the Brigit traditions, one suspects they are much older ancestral rituals associated with welcoming summer.

Today a pilgrimage group visited the Gardens and we hung intentions on our own May bush, the hawthorn tree in the Bealtaine garden. I tied a 'Mary gold' with a cowslip, a cuckoo flower and a bluebell to the tree. It was simple but lovely act, our own small ritual to celebrate Bealtaine and welcome the fertility of summer.

The 'May bush'