Legend of the Dogwood Tree
In Jesus time, the dogwood grew
To a stately size and a lovely hue.
‘Twas strong and firm it’s branches interwoven
For the cross of Christ its timbers were chosen.
Seeing the distress at this use of their wood
Christ made a promise that still holds good:
“Never again shall the dogwood grow
Large enough to be used so….
Slender and twister, it shall be
With blossoms like the cross for all to see.
As blood stains the petals marked in reddish brown
The blossom’s center wears a thorny crown.
All who see it will remember me
Crucified on a cross from the dogwood tree.
Cherished and protected this tree shall be
A reminder to all of my agony.”
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The story behind The Old Legend of the Dogwood is full of intrigue…
Two thousand years ago, few trees in the Middle East were not big enough to construct anything. However, one tree was valued above the others for its thick trunk and fine, strong wood. When the Romans came to rule over Jerusalem, their government used this same timber to build the crosses for executing criminals.
A group of workers were assigned to gather wood for the crosses. Before long, every Roman official knew the best wood came from these gatherers of execution wood, so those workers became popular.
One day, the wood gatherers received a special request. An officer of the Roman court came and said, “The King of Jews is to be put to death. Deliver an extra-large cross made from your finest wood.” So, a fresh tree was cut from the forest of the trees with thick trunks and fine, strong wood. An extra-tall (and extra-heavy) cross was quickly made and delivered.
Three days after the death of Jesus of Nazareth, the chief wood gatherer got alarming news. “All of our finest trees are withering!” the messenger whispered. The wood gatherer hurried to the forest and saw that it was true.
Several years later, the chief wood gatherer heard that,every spring, many people visited the old forest that had once made his job so easy. Despite his advancing years, he set out to discover why. He saw the remains of forest, now like a salty bottoms, with only a few trees still standing tall, baked, lifeless and rotting.
But what was this? As he drew closer, his feeble eyes could make out the people walking among thousands of beautiful, flowering bushes.Seeing one of his own workers there, the old man said, “No one could ever makea cross out of this twisted wood. Our finest tree has gone to the dogs!”
He noticed the beautiful white flowers, each blossom looking as if it had been burned from the touch of a miniature cross.
So…an old and beautiful legend has it that, at the time of the crucifixion, the dogwood was comparable in size to the oak tree and other monarchs of the forest. Because of its firmness and strength it was selected as the timber for the cross, but to be put to such a cruel use greatly distressed the tree.
Sensing this, the crucified Jesus in his gentle pity for the sorrow and suffering of all said to it: “Because of your sorrow and pity for my sufferings, never again will the dogwood tree grow large enough to be used as a gibbet. Henceforth it will be slender, bent and twisted and its blossoms will be in the form of a cross — two long and two short petals. In the center of the outer edge of each petal there will be nail prints — brown with rust and stained with red— and in the center of the flower will be a crown of thorns, so all who see this… will remember.
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So until tomorrow….Hallelujah…the Lord is risen! The angels rejoiced and so should we. What a gift…the gift of life…eternal!
“Today is my FAVORITE day!” Winnie the Pooh
Germination
IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY Please note seeds are live products which depend on many important related grower skill such as proper planting time, seed depth, type of soil, watering, proper use of fertilizers, weed control, fungicides, insecticides, disease free soil, and reasonable weather conditions during the growing period.
Germination is affected by such factors as temperature, moisture content, light intensity and contamination of planting media. Although we do everything possible to get seeds to you in the best possible condition, these factors are totally outside of our control and and once you receive the seeds it's up to you.
Consequently, we can take no responsibility for the suitability of your local conditions of any variety offered, the indicative cultivation advice provided or ultimately the varieties performance.
As such you should seek local advice to carefully ensure your local conditions and the time of season are appropriate to the variety purchased.
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