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.
In The Mailbox: One of our clients sent a nice note thanking us for our assistance and the recommendation of a Weeping Cherry for a tree dedication. Honestly, I don’t remember making that suggestion, but the Weeping Cherry is one of my favorite ornamental trees and a stunning centerpiece for a memorial tribute. Check your zone out on a garden map, the Weeping Cherry does best in zones 5-8.
Added bonus for the Weeping Cherry tree is they are generally pest and disease resistant and don’t require a lot of pruning.
Here’s an example of a tree dedication, using a personalized river rock garden stone and a Weeping Cherry tree to honor Dave. Simple and elegant.
And then this:
Dear Lenette,
Thank you so much for all that you did to make Nelda’s memorial service even better than she had planned it.
I have always felt that the worst part of any funeral is the time when you leave the cemetery and leave behind someone you loved and have spent a lifetime with. Thanks to your generosity, I brought Nelda home with me and that was such a comfort at a very bad time.
The urn was beautiful (”bee-u-tee-full”, as Nelda would say) and M. loves and cherishes her necklace.
Thank you for letting us serve you.
Maybe one more below freezing night and then, we’re warming up! Very exciting news!
Let’s recap the first quarter of the year: Ice, Ice, Tornado, Snow, Flood, Flood.
We should be talking about memorial stones and benches, but inquiring minds want to know? Do you make your bed?
June-Gonna-Eat-That posed the question and frankly I think it’s fascinating and here’s why:
For the first 10 years of my marriage I made the bed everyday, because I knew it pleased my man. But every morning, he found fault with my mad bed making skillz. And the bed making disagreement set the tone for the morning. Every day. For 10 years.
10 YEARS!
So, I stopped making the bed. And one day, about a week later, Mr. Greenjeans said, “You stopped making the bed. Why?”
And I explained to him, I hated starting the day out having an argument over MAKING THE BED.
By then, I had already conducted an informal poll mostly with men, to determine if bed-making was an important quality in a woman. Results indicated that it wasn’t a deal-breaker. And lots of people start their day with an unmade bed.
And somehow, we got through it. And now? The bed is usually unmade.
What about you?
