Warsaw's Biblical Gardens Are Some Of Nations Finest

July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.

By TERESA SMITH, Times-Union Staff Writer-

While specialty gardens thrive across the country, biblical gardens are few and far between.

Designed to both inspire and educate visitors about fauna and flora used and enjoyed 2,000 years ago, some of the best examples are in Europe and the Middle East.

On this continent an electronic search on the Internet reveals links to Web sites for biblical gardens in California, Vermont and Pennsylvania.

One specific Web site keeps popping up like a well-adapted weed - the Warsaw Biblical Gardens in Central Park.

One of the finest and largest biblical gardens in the country, the local garden is east of Center Lake Pavilion. A high stone fence tones down the traffic noise of Ind. 15 to the east.

Filled with more than 150 plant species, not including various sub-species, the garden is situated on just under one acre.

The trees, shrubs and floral plantings represent the great diversity of climates found in Israel. While some of the plants are either replanted each year or wintered over elsewhere, many are common to this area of the United States, too.

The garden has six microclimates representing the main environments mentioned in the Bible - a meadow, a brook, an orchard, a forest, a small desert and a crops area.

The meadow is the open area of the garden filled with flowers of the season. Currently groups of narcissus and tulip blooms border the meadow.

The stone-lined brook is a prominent feature of the garden, dry now until it is cleaned out in the next week or two.

The gardens are dotted with sitting areas - one under two spreading oaks and one under a canopy of grapevines. There are several benches and seat-sized boulders along the cement paths.

The gardens are open to the public April 15 through Oct. 15, with guided tours available from May 15 through Sept. 15.

Under the administration of the Warsaw Community Development Corp., the idea for the gardens came from Sara Lee Levin, beginning in 1986.

The site of a former scrap iron and steel process, the land has since blossomed.

The Warsaw Biblical Gardens provides a botanical resource center for the study of plants mentioned in the Bible. A handy booklet even gives chapter and verse references, medicinal uses and Bach's Flower Remedy. In addition to the common name the "biblical name" and scientific name are provided along with other known uses for the plants.

Educational classes and tours are available through the WCDC and can be scheduled after May 15 by calling the WCDC office at 267-6419. [[In-content Ad]]

While specialty gardens thrive across the country, biblical gardens are few and far between.

Designed to both inspire and educate visitors about fauna and flora used and enjoyed 2,000 years ago, some of the best examples are in Europe and the Middle East.

On this continent an electronic search on the Internet reveals links to Web sites for biblical gardens in California, Vermont and Pennsylvania.

One specific Web site keeps popping up like a well-adapted weed - the Warsaw Biblical Gardens in Central Park.

One of the finest and largest biblical gardens in the country, the local garden is east of Center Lake Pavilion. A high stone fence tones down the traffic noise of Ind. 15 to the east.

Filled with more than 150 plant species, not including various sub-species, the garden is situated on just under one acre.

The trees, shrubs and floral plantings represent the great diversity of climates found in Israel. While some of the plants are either replanted each year or wintered over elsewhere, many are common to this area of the United States, too.

The garden has six microclimates representing the main environments mentioned in the Bible - a meadow, a brook, an orchard, a forest, a small desert and a crops area.

The meadow is the open area of the garden filled with flowers of the season. Currently groups of narcissus and tulip blooms border the meadow.

The stone-lined brook is a prominent feature of the garden, dry now until it is cleaned out in the next week or two.

The gardens are dotted with sitting areas - one under two spreading oaks and one under a canopy of grapevines. There are several benches and seat-sized boulders along the cement paths.

The gardens are open to the public April 15 through Oct. 15, with guided tours available from May 15 through Sept. 15.

Under the administration of the Warsaw Community Development Corp., the idea for the gardens came from Sara Lee Levin, beginning in 1986.

The site of a former scrap iron and steel process, the land has since blossomed.

The Warsaw Biblical Gardens provides a botanical resource center for the study of plants mentioned in the Bible. A handy booklet even gives chapter and verse references, medicinal uses and Bach's Flower Remedy. In addition to the common name the "biblical name" and scientific name are provided along with other known uses for the plants.

Educational classes and tours are available through the WCDC and can be scheduled after May 15 by calling the WCDC office at 267-6419. [[In-content Ad]]

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