Memorial Garden
St. Bede’s is a spiritual oasis in the wooded community of Westport, Oklahoma. The building itself is modest, but the view from the pews is stunning. A window wall behind the altar frames a view of the east gardens, anchored by the central memorial garden. The eight different beds of the gardens also provide food and shelter wildlife.
During worship you can look out the window where shrubs, trees, and flowering plants are joined by butterflies, hummingbirds, squirrels, and deer above the buried ashes of our loved ones, reminding us that we are dust, and to dust we shall return. The views change throughout the year, continually being renewed by God’s hand. It is a peaceful haven, where God’s people can witness the beauty of God’s creation.
A harsh winter in 2021 forced us replace most of the landscaping plants. Instead of replanting with the same species that had failed to survive, we opted to support pollinators: butterflies, moths, hummingbirds, and other species that depend on pollen and nectar sources. The new plants are not strictly native species, but most of them are native perennials, trees, and shrubs, which require less care once they become established. They also provide host plants for caterpillars, as well as nectar sources for adult butterflies and moths.
Courtyard Garden
The courtyard links the sanctuary and parish hall. A small garden fills the central space. A bench just around the corner offers a welcoming place to rest, pray, and think.
The dappled shade protects ground covers and woodland wildflowers in a living tapestry of leaf textures and shades of green. The resident cardinal greets arrivals, singing joyfully from the top of the native yaupon holly tree.
The yaupon holly once dominated the courtyard, creating a gloomy, dark space where even the vinca struggled to survive. We now treat it like a very large bonsai, shaping and thinning the tree’s irrationally exuberant yearly growth.
The tiny fragrant flowers hum and flutter on spring mornings with hundreds of tiny native bees and dozens of butterflies. With the limbs cut back regularly, we can now see the steel cross framed by the crooked holly branches.
Pollinator Planting
In 2025, St. Bede’s joined with the Oklahoma Native Plant Society and dozens of other locations around the state, celebrating America’s 250th birthday by planting one pound of a curated mix of native Oklahoma wildflowers. All 77 counties will have at least one of these pollinator plantings blooming in the summer of 2026.
Most wildflowers disperse their seeds in the fall. Many require a season of cold before the seed can break dormancy. So this winter we will watch and wait, and dream of what might emerge next spring and summer.
Gardening is an act of faith, trusting and hoping that a miracle will burst from an unlikely beginning. Even the hard clay soil of Pawnee County can host wonders, with God’s help.