This is our final installment of our memorial gardens series – written expressly for those who for one reason or another are looking for smaller remembrance garden options.
“Smaller” isn’t the only reason to choose one of these alternatives. In truth, it wasn’t size that was important in this example of a DIY memorial project; it was the fact that –in choosing African Violets as the focus of the memorial garden–the outdoor location discussed in earlier installments wasn’t suitable. This may be the case for you, too.
Why African Violets?
This remembrance garden is in honor of my “Auntie Kayo”, who took me in and loved me like I was her own. She called me “her lambie”, made me a birthday cake and a new Easter dress every year, and I adored her.
She grew African Violets on the ledge above her kitchen sink. They were among the most beautiful things I had ever seen. Now that I’m living in a house with enough of the right kind of sunshine, my DIY memorial to her will be an African Violet dish garden. With that idea in mind, let’s move on.
We’ll first look at ways to use a dish garden to honor the memory of a loved one; and then we’ll turn to window box memorial garden ideas. As always, should you decide either of these options is the right one for your situation, we’ve included some wonderful online resources to support you along the creative journey.
Memorial Dish Gardens
A dish garden is a garden of plants growing in a shallow dish or bowl for a container. The plants used in a dish garden should be compatible and cultivars that stay small or grow very slowly are most commonly used. The medium should be well drained, but hold adequate moisture and should not be very fertile, since a fertile medium would tend to encourage rapid growth. If the container has drainage holes, a saucer or other protective device should be put under it. (Source)
Here are a couple of resources to help you creating your DIY memorial dish garden:
Remembrance Window Boxes
There’s a certain charm to the idea of a window box garden, and they are most suitable for many different types of flowering plants. Naturally, if you’re thinking of a remembrance window box garden, you’ll want to ensure you’ve got the right amount of light for the plants you’ve chosen (and an easy way to water the garden). One of the most inspiring online articles on window box gardens is Midwestern Living’s “30 Bright and Beautiful Window Box Planters“. Certainly, An Extraordinary Day’s “How to Plant a Window Box Garden: Tutorial & Tips” is full of valuable information on starting and caring for window box gardens.
If you’ve missed the earlier installments of this series on memorial gardens–which began way back in February–here’s where you can find them:
“DIY Memorials: Let’s Talk about Memorial Gardens”
“DIY Memorials: Planning a Loved One’s Memorial Garden”
What’s Ahead?
It amazes me that the month of June is here already. As we move into summer, chances are you’ll find yourself busy with season activities and away from the computer. Still, I hope you can join us in the next four weeks – Lenette and I have some wonderful topics to explore with you. Because as I mentioned in one of those earlier memorial garden-related posts, I’m losing my eyesight and can no longer enjoy reading in the traditional sense; one topic I’m most intrigued with has to do with the availability of grief-related materials in audio book format. I’ll be looking more deeply at the language of flowers which we touched upon in the third installment, “DIY Memorials: More about Planning a Memorial Garden”. In celebration of the beauty and meaning of flowers, I’ll also showcase Urn Garden’s collection of floral urns.