For our loved ones that were born in the month of August, a good starting place for planning a memorial theme is the August birth flower, the gladiolus.

Striking beauty, from the Latin word “gladius,” meaning sword. Glads symbolize strength and moral integrity.

If you don’t know the loved one’s favorite color, you could draw on the colors the Peridot gemstone.  Peridot is the August birthstone and is mainly green, with golden yellows and brown inclusions. The color of summer.

Ancient Egyptians called peridot “The Gem of the Sun” because it was supposedly too bright to be visible in the sunny Egyptian desert. Legend also suggests that peridot can glow at night and it’s now believed that Cleopatra´s emeralds were really fine, dark green peridots.

Drawing on the color of peridot and the color of summer, Urngarden.com has green and gold urns at a tremendous savings for families.

Check out this unusual idea for a simple, elegant floating glad floral arrangement.

A nice surprise on Memorial Day 2010, poppies sprang up around the bird bath in the garden.

We love poppies, blood red oriental poppies. Ancient Egyptians placed garlands of poppies on mummies and the Greeks crowned their dead with the flower. Legend has it that in Europe, poppies sprang up on battlefields from the blood of slain soldiers. In the Victorian language of flowers, Poppies symbolize consolation, sleep, and rest,  and was commonly used to memorialize the dead.

“And now, my beauties, something with poison in it, I think. Something with poison in it, but attractive to the eye,  and soothing to the smell. Poppies… Poppies. Poppies will put them to sleep. Sleep. Now they’ll sleep!”
-The Wicked Witch of the West

Earlier this Spring, I threw some seed down and these beauties sprang from the soil. Wish I knew what they’re called. Last fall, my neighbor let me harvest the seed, she said they were an old plant and didn’t know what they were.

Not only are they beautiful, they are hardy, the soil isn’t that great, and I haven’t done a thing to them. Added bonus: the hummingbirds love them.

If you want some, leave a comment and I’ll share the love.

After several years of planning, a Memorial Garden will be dedicated in Abingdon Square Park in New York City, to the memory of Adrienne Shelly, who was killed in 2006.

“This has been a long but very satisfying journey to honor my late wife in the park she loved so much, across from the building in which she lived for many years, worked and died.” said Shelly’s husband, Andy Ostroy,who helped design the memorial garden.

Ostroy chose to stock the plot with Nikko blue hydrangeas (symbolizing understanding)

Obedience, hardy and tolerant of clay soil. Symbolizes graciousness and strength.

Liatris, also known as Blazing Star, symbolizes love.

Campanula, also known as the Bellflower symbolizes gratitude.

and Nepeta, also known as catnip, is lemon-scented with heart-shaped leaves.

Shelly’s memorial garden will be dedicated with a memorial plaque on Aug. 3.

Founded in 1836, and re-opened in 2004, Abingdon Square Park is a tiny, luscious triangle in Greenwich Village. According to neighbors, the park seems almost holy, like a sacrament in the summertime.

The park is dominated by the bronze statue of a soldier holding a flag, the Abingdon “Doughboy,” was designed to “honor the brave men who went forth from this neighborhood to join the armed forces of the United States during the World War.”

Planning a memorial garden or tree dedication? Check out our memorial stones.

My bleeding hearts are popping. So sweet to see.

How about some heart-shaped memorial stones for your Spring garden?

Weather-proof and durable, and best of all:

Snowdrops and daffodils are strong and beautiful.  They survive  harsh weather conditions, neglect, and continue to multiply.

City planners and developers love the Bradford Pear tree and it’s always an early bloomer.

The Bradford Pear has a distinct odor. Lately? I’ve been smelling a strong cat pee odor.  Turns out?  It’s the Bradford Pear trees!

Forsythia brings the explosion of early spring color. My neighbor sculpts and manicures his bush, trying to keep it contained. Personally, I think it looks better on the wild side, like fireworks.

The fragile beauty of the snowdrop flower pushes through the harsh elements to reveal the promise of brighter days and rebirth.

Snowdrop is one of the first bulbs to bloom in the early Spring. Usually they’ll appear January thru April and can form impressive carpets of white blossoms.  Snowdrops spread, but are not invasive, so that if you come back to the same spot year after year you may feel lifted at the sight of their patient, modest increase. A gardener friend tells me there are many places around the country where they have established themselves for more than a hundred years.

Painswick Garden, U.K.

Snowdrops and Carnations are both considered winter flowers and might be two ideas to consider for a January memorial service , grave side or memorial garden planting.

Fall is an excellent time to plant a tree as a living memorial for a loved one. Even apartment dwellers can adopt and beautify a blighted urban area or possibly a park area. (Contact local officials in your area) We’ve assisted many schools that have planned tree planting memorials for students and faculty.

Depending on the zone you live in Fall planting is best in mild climates. Weather conditions are cool and allow plants to establish roots in the new location before spring rains and summer heat stimulate new top growth.

A popular choice for a memorial planting is the Weeping Cherry tree. These stunning ornamental trees are generally pest and disease resistant and don’t require a lot of pruning. Pair your new planting with a memorial stone and you’ll have created a beautiful living tribute to honor your loved one.

Examples of memorial stones that some of our families have chosen:

This style is one of the most popular and can be personalized with artwork and a custom message.

The heart-shaped memorial stones are an inexpensive option: Less than $40.00

The river rock garden stones also do well and can be personalized with custom message and artwork.

All of our stones can sustain harsh winters and usually ship within a week after ordering.

Thank you for letting us serve you.

We’ve had several schools call that are doing memorial gardens on the grounds. Tree dedication stones for a couple of kids that lost their dads. And today? A memorial stone to place in a butterfly garden to honor one of the teacher’s who’s lost a child.

The client didn’t want anything that looked too “cemetery-ish”.

A personalized river rock tucked in beside a butterfly bush is a lovely lasting tribute.

Every time my little Rock steps out he likes to pee on my beautiful bleeding heart, so, I’ve decided when the time comes I’ll mark the spot with a garden memorial stone as a final tribute.