Article Originally published in the Fall 1999 issue of Hobby Greenhouse, the magazine of the Hobby Greenhouse Association . Copyright 1999, reprinted with permission. The Babbtown Church Garden by Rick Jarvis St. John's Lutheran Church at Babbtown is a small country church, but it has a church garden that is rich in Christian symbolism and tradition. The garden in front of the parish house contains a collection of plants that are mentioned in the Bible, as well as plants that have a historical relationship with the church or with Christian tradition and lore. There are only a limited number of plants mentioned in the Bible that can be positively identified botanically from their biblical names and descriptions, and of these there are even fewer that are suitable for cultivation in climates different from that of the Holy Land.
Wormwood is one of the bitter herbs of the Bible.
According to legend, wormwood grew up in the trail left by the serpent's tail as it slithered out of the Garden of Eden. Even then it was used to rid the body of worms. Brushes made of the rue plant were used to sprinkle holy water before a Roman Catholic high mass. During the Middle Ages, rue was considered a reliable defense against witches and their spells. It was also used to ward off the plague.