Tips for Creating Memory Gardens

After cremations in Buckeye, AZ, some people choose to set up an area in their yards as a memory garden to their loved ones. This is a great idea because it gives the family a private and permanent place to go and reminisce and it can be filled with things that were special or unique to the person who died.

The simplest tip for create a memory garden is to set off an area of the yard and plant flowers, bushes, and perhaps a couple of trees. Surround the garden with chairs or benches so that family and friends can sit while visiting the garden. Select plants and flowers that were favorites of your loved one or that have their favorite colors in them. Arrange them in a way where the colors pop out when the flowers or plants are in season.

Rosemary is a popular choice for memory gardens because it’s traditionally the herb of remembrance. It is perennial, so it will come back with blue flowers in the spring every year. Forget-me-not flowers are a nice complement to rosemary. Roses are also traditionally planted in memory gardens. There are several special varieties that are named specifically to be memorial flowers.

If you’re planting a type of tree that is not already in your yard or in neighboring yards, plant two of them. Most trees require a mate for cross pollination (peach trees, for example, do not) so that they can grow and thrive. You can plant trees using specially-made urns that combine some of your loved one’s cremains with soil and the tree’s seed, which will burst into new life over time.

Another tip for creating memory gardens is to add personal touches that remind you of your loved one. Perhaps it’s an old fishing hat, or a favorite coffee mug. These can be used as planters for smaller flowers.

Add a bird feeder to your memory garden to attract nature to it. Seeing the natural world thrive in a space dedicated to your loved one can generate hope and happiness. Butterflies can also be attracted to memory gardens by planting certain types of flowers. Butterflies are especially fond of Coneflowers (echinacea), Daylilies, Butterfly bushes (Buddleia), Goldenrod, Hollyhock, Lavender, and Lilacs, to name a few.

Adding the sound of running water to your memory garden can be relaxing and calming. You can find many types of solar-powered water fountains that you can install in your memory garden. Windchimes are also a nice addition to memory gardens as they sound gently each time a breeze passes through.

Personalize a bench or a chair in the memory garden with your loved one’s name. You can etch this in yourself or you can get memorial plaques that can be affixed to furniture.

Make your loved one the centerpiece of your memory garden by scattering some of their cremains in the center of the garden or storing their cremains in urns that are especially designed for outdoor use. If your loved one was a bird watcher, consider a bird bath as a centerpiece, or, if your loved one had a favorite kind of flower, consider placing a decorative planter full of that type of flowers in the center of the garden.

For more information ways to remember your loved one after cremations in Buckeye, AZ, our compassionate and experienced team at Simply Cremation & Funeral Arrangements is here to help. You can come to our funeral home at 16952 W. Bell Rd., #303, Surprise, AZ, 85374, or you can contact us today at (623) 975-9393.