Seasons > Easter > Easter Decorations for the Church > How to make an Easter Garden to Decorations for the Church
Make an Easter Garden to keep the focus of Easter on the celebration of the resurrection. Jesus’ work of salvation began on the cross, but it did not end there. He was buried and rose again on the third day--leaving an empty tomb. It is this miracle that has changed history. It is this miracle that makes us want to celebrate Easter. It is this miracle that makes us want to shout the good news from the rooftops. If you decorate a Christmas tree for Christmas, why not make an Easter garden for Easter?
The biggest challenge for making an Easter garden is to find a water proof container that is big as well as shallow, and cheap. Be creative, and don’t let the intended use of a container keep you from thinking of using it for an Easter garden. An old cake pan or cookie sheet that you are thinking of throwing away anyway, can be a container. Or a large water bowl for dogs might be perfect. The dollar store had a chips and salsa container, so although not ideal, it is useable, and certainly cheap! I decided to use a plastic tray from Walmart, and used bark to block the dirt from falling out of the holes on the sides. If you really want to go big, you could use a child’s wading pool--perfect for a large church foyer!
Potting soil is quite inexpensive, and if you re-use it for your Easter garden year after year, the cost is negligible. If you happen to have a yard, you can get the dirt for free. Just bake it in a low oven for a couple of hours to kill any creepy crawlies (but not in the plastic tray, for obvious reasons!.)
Fill the tray with soil. Make sure the dirt is moist so it will it’s hold shape. Put a plastic cup or flower pot in the middle to form the grave. You could also use a can or jar instead.
Dig holes for the plants and fill with small potted flowers and pants that look like trees or bushes. This rosemary looks like a tiny tree.
Add some small potted flowers.
Put dirt over the cup to form the grave. Make sure the soil is moist or it will slide right off the cup. If the soil crushes the cup, use a stronger container, or use a thiner layer of soil.
The dirt needs to be deep enough to hold the crosses upright. Be sure to cut the sticks longer than typical crosses because these are pushed into the dirt--if you make them in the typical proportions, they will look funny with the bottom half hidden in the dirt. Tie or glue the cross pieces on before you stick them in the dirt. Add a rock to the grave entrance, and the garden is finished....unless...
If you prefer the soil to be covered in green. Cover the dirt with moss, or, if you start early enough, sprinkle the soil with grass seed. Another option is to buy sheet moss at a craft store. Sheet moss is dried, so don’t water it if you use it! The advantage is that it can be used for many years. Remove the crosses before putting the moss on, and replace them once the moss is in place.
You can add more details that will deepen the meaning as well as make the display larger, which is particularly important for larger spaces, such as a church. This drift wood represents death that was not able to keep Jesus in the grave. He broke the bonds of death and rose again.
Grouping more related objects on the wall can make the whole display even bigger. Shown here are 3 filagree metal crosses and a framed painting of Jesus coming out of the grave. The picture came from a calendar that had paintings depicting Jesus during his life and ministry. Buying a dozen pictures in this way, and framing them yourself can cost a lot less than buying one framed print.
Seasons > Easter > Easter Decorations for the Church > How to make an Easter Garden to Decorations for the Church