Collection: Memory Garden

A memory garden holds your loved ones close

When you've experienced loss, keep loved ones close with a memory garden. Whether or not your lost loved one had a fondness for gardening or flowers, a memorial garden is a perfect way to honor a person's life and keep them living on in your heart.

Different flowers carry different meanings, so take their significance into account when planning a memorial garden. Poppies are often associated with eternal sleep and rest, while petunias represent motherly love and comfort. Plant columbines in your memory garden for the loved one who fought until the bitter end, as these hardy flowers symbolize strength and endurance. Zinnias like those in our Purple Rain Mix are reserved for deep friendships.

Personalize a memorial garden for your loved one

For the deceased patriot or the war hero, plant a red, white, and blue memorial garden with Red Corn Poppy, Annual Baby’s Breath, and Blue Forget-Me-Not seeds. Grow Petunia Rose of Heaven in hanging baskets for a mother, grandmother, or aunt who has passed on.

Plant the vining Moonflower at the base of a fence, wall, or archway, and when the lonely evening hours hit, take a walk in the garden and let the pure white flowers console you. Grow a patch of hyssop and let its calming fragrance be a medicine for your soul.

If your lost loved one had a favorite flower, be sure to incorporate that species into your memorial garden as well. Just because a variety isn’t listed on this page doesn’t mean that it can’t be grown in a memory garden–explore our other flower seeds and bulbs to cultivate a memory garden that your loved one would be proud of.

Roses and lilies are summer-blooming flowers that enhance any memorial garden with meaning and fragrance. Reblooming bearded irises are also popular for their two flushes of color that celebrate death and rebirth. Plant chrysanthemums and asters to provide fall color and commemorate autumn as a significant point in time.

Plant a memory garden to soothe your grief

Your memory garden can be as large or small as you have the space for, and there are no rules for how it should look. Think about the person you are honoring and be intentional in the flowers you plant and where you place any structures. Visit our Gardening 101 resource center to learn how to plant any seed or bulb before you start.

Did this person enjoy watching birds? Install a birdbath in the garden. Did they like to look at flowers while they sipped their morning coffee? You might want a table and chair overlooking the most beautiful corner of the garden. Was this person an avid vegetable gardener? Keep the tradition alive and continue to grow vegetables in their memory. Consider how your loved one would like to spend their time in the garden, and cultivate a space that reminds you of them at every turn.

Incorporate structures or art into your memory garden

If you like, you might incorporate a bench for sitting or a fountain for reflection. Water and flowers both are known to soothe the soul, so manage your grief with a memorial garden honoring your lost loved one. Use our suggested varieties or create your own memory garden from our extensive collection of flower seeds and bulbs and vegetable seeds. Take the time to enjoy a garden full of life and new beginnings. Honor your loved ones with a memory garden this season.