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ideas for memorial gifts

Marigolds and Greek Heritage

April 24, 2018 urngarden.com

One of our key employees has been dealing with a family crises this past year. Her older brother has been gravely ill and this  has required her to make numerous trips back and forth to St. Louis where he lives. It’s a  large, tight knight, Greek Orthodox clan. Her parents are elderly and her brother, knowing that the end was near, wanted his baby sister by his side. She spoils him.

Earlier this year, he told his sister that he wanted to take a trip to Mexico and stay at his favorite resort. He wanted her to go with him. He was cleared for travel by his doctor, but really, travel was probably not the best idea, and it put a strain on his travel companions. He wound up spending 3 days in the hospital while he was there.

Knowing full well his diagnosis, her brother had made his wishes known and originally wanted to donate his body to science. But in the end, he deferred to his mother’s desire, as she had made it clear that she wanted a traditional burial. It’s only been in the last 12 years or so that Greek Orthodox have allowed cremation.  Gail Ruben wrote a comprehensive article on Greek Orthodox funeral traditions that includes do’s and don’ts, gift ideas, and the reader comments are informative and helpful.

Although, this particular family chose burial, for a Greek family that might be shopping for an urn for the first time, I would probably suggest the Elegant White cremation urn.

Elegant White Cremation Urn for Ashes

The shape is a classic design. Crisp white represents the landscape and includes a color from the flag. This urn engraves nicely, and we might even be able to laser an orthodox cross on it with names and dates. The nice thing about this style is the metal work. Details like hand tooled etching that often features ancient design elements like laurel and floral leaves.

The point of this story is to say that I wanted to give her a memorial gift in remembrance of her brother. She loves blooming plants and brings in cuttings from her gardens that brighten the warehouse.  She doesn’t really have room on her desk for an arrangement, but I know she would shuffle to make room. Her yard is full of bushes and blooms and she has spent the last few months digging holes and moving plantings around to create space.   So, she really doesn’t need another one.

I believe in the healing powers of flowers. Especially, this time of year. Around here, everything is still drab. We see little signs of life, greening and buds starting to form, so it won’t be long, and the hummingbirds will arrive in about a week.

Usually, when trying to decide what to pick flowers for an arrangement or gift, I start with the person’s birth flower. For him, October is the marigold. Seriously? It’s not my favorite, but that’s not what it’s about, and the more I thought about it, it seems like marigolds would be a good choice.

It’s an annual and that will suit her just fine. I discovered that the marigold has a Mediterranean heritage. The strong punch of color orange and yellow is happy (and was his favorite color), and even though it doesn’t smell terrific, there are lots of benefits to this flower. They are hardy and could be placed on the patio or by the pool to help repel pesky insects and deer. I’m not sure if I’m going to do a wreath or potted, but I just remembered that there is a large container at the entrance to the warehouse that she keeps stocked with seasonal plantings. It’s just dirt now and might be a welcome site when she returns to work.

Filed Under: Confessions, memorial garden Tagged With: ideas for memorial gifts, marigold birth flower

Urn Garden’s Top 3 Picks for Living Memorials (Trees)

July 19, 2017 urngarden.com

Dogwoods for living memorial

When a death occurs friends often are left wondering what they can do for the grieving family. We’ve written about gift ideas before, but a living memorial could be the gift that keeps giving and creates a beautiful lasting legacy. Specifically, we are talking about an ornamental tree or flowering bush. Naturally, this wouldn’t be appropriate for an apartment or condo dweller, but for a family or friend that has room on their property or wanted to make a donation to a park, this gift could be the answer.

My grandmother’s tradition of scared plantings in the garden and her gifts of perennials and flowering trees is the inspiration behind our business. Right before Grandmother died, she gifted a dogwood tree to the spouse of longtime family friends. It was bittersweet and symbolic, as the person who had passed did not have any brothers, sisters or children of her own and was basically the end of the branch on that family’s genealogy tree.

Before we start, we should note that if you want to personalize your living memorial with a plaque or marker, some families choose to create a tree dedication marker that can be placed at the base of the tree.

tree dedication marker stone

The stones are weather proof and can contain names and dates or other brief message that will mark the sacred spot.

dogwood flowers

1. Flowering Dogwood

This is the Dogwood that most people are most familiar with. The nice thing about these trees are that they don’t take up a lot of room and are early spring bloomers. Definitely a sight for sore eyes after a long bleak winter. White or pink flowers and even grafted varieties that create half pink half white. The dogwood symbolizes life and gives us hope after a dark and cold season. Here in zone 7 the dogwoods start to pop in April, signaling the arrival of the hummingbirds shortly after. We’ve noticed that later in the fall, the squirrels love to feed on the seed pods that are left on the tree.

Japanese Kousa Dogwood

2. Japanese Dogwood (Kousa)

Another species of dogwood and personally, my favorite. The Kousa blooms later in the spring, usually mid May and the blossoms are spectacular. Star shaped white flowers load the branches and will last for weeks, lasting longer than the standard Dogwood. This tree combines the best of delicate beauty but is tough and durable. Nice and shady in the summer and then the leaves will turn red in the fall.

weeping cherry tree memorial

3. Weeping Cherry

Stunningly beautiful, the cascading blossoms of pink or white in early spring are a welcome site and are often planted near pools of water for maximum impact. Check the label if size is an issue for you when planting. Some of the weeping cherries can get quite large and tower over 40 feet tall. If smaller and more compact is more desirable for the landscape you have chosen, check out the dwarf varieties.

Due to the heat, it’s a little late in the season right now for planting these types of trees, best times are early spring and later fall. That gives you plenty of time to pick the perfect spot and coordinate a tree planting ceremony or dedication if desired.

Filed Under: memorial garden, Memorial Service Ideas Tagged With: dogwood trees for memorial garden, ideas for memorial gifts

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