America’s Bible Gardens

This hallmark garden was a work of devotion by Rabbi Walter Jacob and his wife Irene nearly 40 years ago. Enter the gates of this holy space and leave the city streets behind for a sheltered experience of the Holy Land. An abundance of Biblical plants grow here, including the elusive cedar of Lebanon. Acacia tree, papyrus, pomegranate, tamarisk, chamomile, and dandelion are just some of the Biblical botanicals, arranged around a central water feature “River Jordan” and ameandering, garden path all around.

This urban rooftop garden pictures the Garden of Eden with a central willow “Tree of Life” and elegant “River of Life” water feature. Garden beds along the perimeter are filled with lilies, wormwood, grasses, boxwood, Lenten roses, and a corner mounding fig tree. It is a great spot to enjoy lunch, located next to the Manna Café.

Symmetrical stonework defines this intimate foursquare garden hugging the southeast side of the massive cathedral in New York’s Morningside Heights neighborhood. Four central carved-stone planters host seasonal displays such as infant palm trees or lilies. Boxwood borders define the beds, surrounded by Biblical trees, interplanted with roses. Spy more cedar of Lebanon, figs, and grapevines.

Be sure to watch the story of this faith-filled land, as the founders were directly inspired by God through Genesis 2 to establish the garden. It is more than a place to stroll—it’s a sacred space where the land and the Word converge. Patterned in the arrangement of the tribes of Israel, garden beds delight with perennials and Texas natives interplanted with the Seven Species fruits—grapevines, figs, pomegranates, olives, and date palms. Special statuary and water features tucked in about the grounds point to vignettes from God’s Word, giving visitors plenty to discover as they relish His Presence.

This conservatory is more than a botanical showcase—it’s a journey through the landscapes of Scripture, designed to stir both wonder and worship. If you’re ever near Cincinnati, it’s a fantastic outing for anyone who loves gardening and God’s Word. Four successive, state-of-the-art greenhouses shelter a long list of Biblical botanicals, beginning with a great date palm welcome, like the oasis awaiting the Israelites from their deliverance from Egypt. Find the more unusual fruit trees: sycomore fig, carob, citron, and a fun cohort, spicey cinnamon. A solemn desert-themed finale awaits with acacia and crown of thorns, Euphorbia milii symbolizing Christ’s suffering.

A must-see for anyone on a Bible gardens pilgrimage, this zone 9 garden mirrors the climate of the Levant (the heat and sunshine, anyway, though not the rainless summer!) making it ideal for cultivating Biblical plants. In addition to many of commonly found botanicals, this garden grows Aleppo pine, Christ’s thorn, myrtle, apricot, and olive. The heart of the Sacred Garden reveals a stone water fountain and willow tree to represent the River of Life and Tree of Life.

The Scripture Garden is a subtle, living tapestry of Biblical botany, focused mainly in the fruiting trees and vines of the Seven Species, with flowering lilies, nigella, and rue filling stone-edged garden beds. Entrance to this special sanctuary is welcomed through a Byzantine-styled arched arbor, flanked with clay pots to symbolize water into wine. Also enjoy the prophetic sculpted pavestones by artist William Joseph, uniting Israel and Christ.

This garden was designed to display the gripping statuary of artist Gib Singleton, depicting Christ’s harrowing way along the Via Dolorosa, installed in 2015. The Museum has been refreshing the garden beds in Biblical plants over the last few years, including species such as papyrus, wormwood, pomegranate, and fig, interplanted with “Bible concept” plants such as lamb’s ear for the Lamb of God and star-formed flowers for the star of Bethlehem that guided the Magi to baby Jesus. See the blooming star hibiscus here and wait for it—the star aster display in fall is especially wonderful!

Botanical Gardens at the Huntington Library are Bible gardens literally—a Gutenberg Bible is displayed in the Library Exhibition Hall, surrounded by Biblical plants in the Botanical Gardens to discover in every direction. You will need to be on the lookout, since signs and Scriptures are not posted, but start in the Herb Garden to see hyssop, bay laurel, balm of Gilead, and olive trees. Grapevine arbors and pomegranate groves mesmerize along the way to the Shakespeare Garden and Rose Garden, and date palms soar among family company in the Palm Garden. The entry is designed in the Persian Garden style like Queen Esther might have experienced, with sweet dwarf myrtle displacing typical boxwood hedges to define beds and borders. Take advantage of all this Holy Land climate can grow and check off many Biblical botanicals at The Huntington.

I love to recommend this public garden for its fantastic specimen of sycomore fig, Ficus sycomorus. Be sure to go up Tallac Knoll Road, past the oak and ficus collections to spy the great tree at the circle drive and see for yourself what Zaccheus was up to, climbing this fruit-speckled trunk to get a better view of Jesus. The Biblical Garden was established in 1959; although signage and maps no longer reflect this designation, you can find carob trees, and all the Seven Species fruits, plus exceptional bay laurel topiary down the way in the Herb Garden. This was my first garden to encounter caper plants, and I think they have cedar of Lebanon and acacia to hunt for.

While Mission Garden in Tucson isn’t explicitly a Biblical garden, it does feature several plants that are deeply rooted in Scripture, especially those introduced during the Spanish colonial period and cultivated by missionaries like Father Kino. The Seven Species are especially prominent—wheat, barley, pomegranate fig, grapevines, and date palms, and you can actually see where and what varieties are planted on their interactive map! Look for carob, acacia, and apricots as well.

The National Herb Garden, sponsored by the Herb Society of America, showcases a central knot garden design, flanked by vine-covered arbors, formed with brick-paved walkways, and container pots galore. Find bay laurel topiaries, pomegranate trees, olive trees, all sorts of potted mint, and I even spied a frankincense sapling! Pots and cold tender plants are sheltered offsite for the winter, yet winter visits should display cool season herbs.

Bishop’s Garden is a perfect place to take in the botanical language of the Bible in a saintly setting. Biblical plants mingle with annuals and perennial natives, growing alongside architectural artifacts and Christian statuary with medieval overtones, all encircled in weighty stone walls, turrets, and nooks. Boxwood, wormwood, fennel, iris, and more accompany landscape shrubs and roses, and a gorgeous ‘blue atlas’ cedar stands in reminiscent of the cedar of Lebanon. Attentive care is given to this holy space, a great experience of Scripture meeting soil.

Bring your love for Biblical plants and Scripture and find a tranquil sanctuary where nature and faith gently intertwine. While the garden isn’t a formal “Bible garden,” olive trees and desert plantings help to offer a spiritually rich experience that echoes God’s goodness and redemption throughout its design. In a Stations of the Cross format, sculptural reliefs depict the sufferings of Jesus and lead to the eternal refreshment of salvation at a beautiful, splashing fountain.

The Stations of the Cross are exquisite at this centuries old Catholic mission, a colorful collection of mosaics on stout adobe bases around the perimeter of the garden area on the westside of the grounds. Olive trees were planted to form a grove, which will be quite a Gethsemane-inspired experience as the years go by and the trunks become thickset and craggy. Pomegranates are planted at each station, their orangey-red blooms and fruit complimenting the mosaic tile hues. Other garden areas include a front plaza and fountain, a central courtyard, and adjacent open park space including a rose garden. Lots of garden goodness to take in at this sacred site.

Do you enjoy connecting your garden work to God’s Word? My Father is the Gardener is a devotional book for you!

Visit the Plant Guide for information on the Bible plants you are curious about growing

Read more about Biblical plants in public garden settings with Gardens to Visit in the Devotions Blog