Resurrection Gardens

Once in a while you do a project that exceeds your expectations. This is one of those. You can make it as complicated as you wish, but here's how we did ours...

Supplies/Tools used:

Flower Pot saucer (plastic or terracotta, although I wouldn't use the really flimsy clear plastic ones)

Smaller Terracotta or peat pot for the tomb

black spray paint

potting soil/dirt

smaller rocks/gravel for the "path"

grass seed

spanish moss (craft store)

larger flat round rock to cover entrance to tomb

sticks to make into a cross

candles

peg person/people (found ours at Hobby Lobby in the wood craft section)

fake flowers/leaves

fresh flowers for Easter morning

water spray bottle

bucket of water

glue gun or twine

scissors

1. Gather supplies

2. Spray paint the smaller terracotta pot (tomb) black. It doesn't have to be perfect, but the first one we made I didn't do this and the bright orange stuck out like a sore thumb.

3. Place pot in saucer, towards the back. My bigger ones I placed a little off-center so the "hill" could extend easier around the left side.

4. Gently pack soil around pot and over the top, shaping it to look like a hill. You only want about 2/3 of the pot to extend "above ground", but leave space for the rock path.

5. Place some rocks to mark the place of the rock path. I used larger rocks for this first layer. (I used smaller almost gravel-like rocks for the top layer, but that is later...)

6. Spritz dirt with water and sprinkle grass seed on the dirt. Use a fork to kind of scratch around and "work it in". It does not need to be covered, but my (farmer) husband seems to think grass seed will sprout better if it is at least partially "stuck" in the dirt. Pat it gently to secure. (Photo was before I "worked it in".)

 7. Now you can finish forming the rock path--I did this after placing the grass seed because I didn't want the seed that landed on the rocks to show. Picky, I know. I also used smaller gravel-like rocks because I just thought it looked better. The rocks extended into the tomb.

8. Place the spanish moss in water (not necessary but I think it makes it much more workable) and then take a wad and spread it out into a thin layer on the table. (obviously we were using a plastic table in the garage, so the wet moss didn't hurt it) Place this piece on the dirt/seed--don't worry if it doesn't cover the whole area, just add more thinned out pieces of moss until it is. You don't want this to be a solid mat because the seed is supposed to sprout thru it. Use scissors to trim stray pieces off that extend over the side of the saucer, or in places you don't want it.

9. Add smaller decorative rocks and the large round rock. (above)

10. Hot glue two sticks to make a cross and stick into the dirt somewhere. (or use twine to tie together, criss cross style) If you use a terracotta saucer, those tend to be more shallow, so you may not end up with enough dirt to make a large cross stand up. My solution would be to either use a smaller cross, or hot glue it to a "base" so it will stand up. You could use a rock or make an X out of sticks that could be buried under the dirt. Maybe?

11. The above photos are of one of the smaller ones we did that we gave away. Our large personal one I added candles around the front, and a peg person to represent Jesus. The kids added a little greenery, although I told them not to make it too pretty just yet. (that is coming!) We also decided not to add the cross until Friday...and they think they're going to tie Jesus to it, but we'll see...

How we are USING our Resurrection Garden

1. Candles: We started on Palm Sunday and lit one candle. We have added one candle every day since then, but there will be no candles burning after sunset on Thursday, and all day Friday and Saturday to represent the darkness the disciples must have felt as they watched their Master be arrested, tried, crucified, and buried. On Easter morning they will all be lit (and maybe several others around the garden.)

2. Discussion and Peg Person/People: Every day (Palm Sunday thru Easter) we talk about what Jesus might have been doing on that day--the Triumphal Entry (Sunday), teaching, preaching, praying, the Last Supper, etc. Tonight Jesus will be arrested (Thursday night). Tomorrow he will be crucified. In the afternoon he will be "prepared" (wrapped in white cloth), and buried. The stone will seal the tomb. On Easter morning the tomb will be open, just the cloth left behind, and Jesus alive again. As we talk about these things, we move peg-person-Jesus around for them to help visualize what was going on at that time. (However, I found Jesus had "disappeared" this morning--apparently someone thought he needed to sleep in the lilac tree or something...)

We have smaller peg-people that we might incorporate into the "scene" as it gets more intense tonight.

3. Flowers: 

We have fake flowers and I'm hoping to purchase some fresh ones today to completely deck out our garden on Easter morning.  The more dramatic the better!

My kids have really enjoyed this, and I've been amazed at how it has helped us really visualize what was going on at that time, day by day. I'm pretty sure this is going to be an annual project!