If you’ve lost someone who’s near and dear to your heart you can create a garden in their memory so you can think of them whenever you’re passing by. You might even sit in the garden and reflect on all the wonderful memories you have of that person. We lost two people from our lives last summer, so this spring I decided to create a memory garden to help us remember all the wonderful times we had together. Here’s how to create a memory garden of your own.
Supplies:
- a sunny spot in your yard
- assorted plants and flowers
- memorial items from the person you want to remember
- topsoil
- mulch
- a bird bath or garden bench (optional)
- potted plants (optional)
- solar light or candle (optional)
Instructions:
Step 1: Gather the items you want to include in your memory garden. Often people will give you garden plaques, angels, wind chimes, and other items to remember your loved ones. Gather these items together to include them in your memory garden.
Step 2: Decide on the location and size of your garden. Do you want it in a sunny or shady location? How large do you want the garden to be?
Step 3: Head to your local greenhouse to find plants and flowers for your memory garden. You can think about the plants the person loved or their favorite colors when making your choices. You can also include a mix of annuals and perennials for your garden. You can even include a tree or shrubs if you want to. As an alternative to purchasing plants, you could invite friends to bring a start from their favorite perennials to include in the garden.
Step 4: Prepare the ground where you want to create the memory garden by removing the grass or weeds and loosening the soil with a shovel or tiller. Work in some extra top soil or compost to help enrich the soil in the area you want to use.
Step 5: Lay out the items and plants you want to incorporate in the garden.
Step 6: Dig in and plant the flowers or plants you want to include in your garden.
Step 7: Add a layer of mulch around the flowers and other items you’re including in the garden to finish it off and to help prevent weeds from growing.
Step 8: You could also add a garden bench, bird bath, or even a solar light or candle to your garden to help create a peaceful space to remember your loved ones.
Step 9: You can add in additional memorabilia and plants over time to your memory garden.
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