It is in our nature to commemorate the passing of our loved ones, and we do it in many different ways.  Not only do we want to share our love, respect, and reverence for those that we have lost, we want to remember them, and to be reminded of their past presence and impact that they have had on our lives.  One way to do that is to memorialize them through landscaping and landscaping concepts.  It is a lot easier than you may think.

Memorializing a passed loved one can be as simple as planting a tree in their name at a local church or county park, to adding a bench by a lake in your community.  You can even have a small stone engraved and set on a public wall, or take the same stone and cast it into the river at a place that you both loved.  You can even create a garden at your home, that will not only add to your existing landscape, but can also create a warm and comforting space for you, family and loved ones to reflect and remember your lost loved one.

A memorial garden is not intended to be a sanctuary for the dead, but instead, a living, vibrant remembrance for the living to reflect upon the life and love and presence of those that have passed.  With that in mind, I suggest that the design of the garden should be driven towards the desires of the living, with a few touches of the personality of the deceased.  It should be a place of comfort, that fills the senses of sight, sound, and smell, at least, and It should be a place of life, that commemorates the lives of those that are now gone.

The garden layout and design does not have to be grand or of large scale, it can simply be a courtyard, or a small patch of land, or even in pots on a balcony.  It needs to incorporate flowers and plants that you love, that remind you or inspire you to reflect on your loved ones, both here and gone.  Considered adding flowers that attract butterflies, or have scent, or unique foliage that glisten by either sunlight or moonlight, or whistle in the wind.  Add whimsy to your memorial garden with statues, glass globes, chimes, decorative pots, bird baths, benches,  and more.  Tailor your memorial landscape design to your unique tastes, and for those that you are memorializing.   A memorial garden is unique to only you, and it should reflect that.

As always, Let's get gardening, Folks!

Donell