Bible gardens would be better described as orchards today. King Solomon's gardens were likely much more varied and extensive than today's gardens. One of his most valuable trees was the walnut. It is a handsome tree with smooth gray bark and fresh green leaves. It has a welcome shade in a hot climate, and is very fragrant too. The tree was a favorite in Palestine where it grew well in cooler conditions. In Syria the first long catkins, which are its flowers, appear later in March. The fruit comes in August as nuts grouped together in clusters of three or four. A heavy green rind encasing the nut is steeped in boiling water to make a good rich brown dye.
In Jesus' time, walnut trees grew on the Galilee shore line. His coat, which was without seam, was a rich brown, and the dye is said to have been made from the leaves of nuts of the walnut tree. It was known to the Greeks as the Persian tree; they held their feasts under the shadow of its branches. In heathen mythology it was dedicated to the God Jove.
Song of Songs 6:11 (KJV) I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley, and to see whether the vine flourished, and the pomegranates budded.
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