Miss Heather,  of NYC gave us a garden tour of some of the memorials spotted lately in her Greenpoint neighborhood.

But first, a brief history moment.

Early Colonization of Greenpoint:

Greenpoint was originally inhabited by Keskachauge Indians, a sub-tribe of the Lenape. Contemporary accounts describe it as remarkably verdant and beautiful, with Jack pine and oak forest, meadows, fresh water creeks and briny marshes. Water fowl and fish were abundant.

Flash forward to our first projects: Airbrush memorials for Luis* and Malo:

Smaller and more subtle examples include this memorial to Alexander McQueen on the B62 bus stop.

*update: Tribute to Luis located in Bushwick. Not Greenpoint.

Campbell St. Roadside Memorial

The tree in midtown has become a roadside memorial.

Some families like to scatter ashes from way up high, this lady is releasing a keepsake amount of cremated ashes from the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Or this undisclosed location:

We prefer to keep it on the down low, whether spreading ashes on the ground or over the water:

U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Gabriel Hernandez

If you plan to spread the ashes on the ground, a shallow trench or groove can be dug in the soil or sand where the ashes can be placed. This process can be personalized by drawing out the person’s name or a heart shaped trench. Add candles or luminaries around the trench to create a spiritual ambiance and can be later used as a keepsake for those that attend.  Wildflower seeds and  tree plantings are another way to personalize the event. At the end of the ceremony, participants can either rake over the remains in the trench, or have the water from the ocean sweep the remains out to sea while family and friends join hands and remember the individual’s life.

The most common method of scattering ashes is known as “casting” , which is basically tossing the ashes into the wind.  Let’s talk about the WIND.  Consider wind direction and try to cast down to prevent “blow-back”.  The dense nature of human ashes combined with a fine powder forms a whitish-gray cloud when it becomes airborne.

Some families want to release the ashes all at once, and others want to spread the ashes as a group, each member taking a turn scattering the remains.

This family opted to split the ashes in individual envelopes, some DIY-ers use paper cups.   Your family funeral director can make this process much easier if you need assistance or have questions regarding this process.

Scattering tubes and biodegradable scattering urns are also available.

Jessica wanted to create a memorial stone for a one of the dispatchers at the police station in Michigan.

We can do custom work but the logo she wanted to use was too small and multi-layered.

What else could we use? Police badge was out of the question, she wasn’t a cop. The town mascot is a Beaver.

“No”.

How about a dove for the dispatcher? The messenger.

Client loved it!

“I just received the stone this morning and it looks great.  Thanks again for all of your help.”

Stained glass image courtesy of Down East Stained Glass, check  their site for more beautiful custom stained glass designs.

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:

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.

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.

Fall is a great time to plant a seed or two, and city dwellers, I’m talking to you….YOU too can dedicate a tree, living plant, garden or sacred space in memory of your loved one.

Special thanks to CK, who has publicly shared her journey of the loss of her sweet momma.

Thanks to the boundless grace of many bloggers, my mother is now commemorated and honored in New York City with her own tree (for those new to my blog, my mother died suddenly 8 weeks ago–a tribute with pictures of her is here). But it’s more than a tree. It’s a sanctuary. More than that, the tree has been planted in a park in Spanish Harlem which is in a part of the city that is a “BID” (Business Improvement District). So this beautiful act betters a community…which makes a whole lotta sense since the beauty of this community’s moving act betters me.

And if I feel down you know what I’m gonna do? Damn straight, I’m going to see my momma’s tree!

Even if you don’t have a million dollars to re-landscape your outdoor living space, you can still create a memorial garden or outdoor sanctuary in a small space on a shoestring.

Depending on how elaborate you want to get, a bench and a few low maintenance plants will do. Expand on the idea with an arbor, pergola or trellis. Outdoor lighting? You can do it in phases, or as your finances allow. Next season, add a fountain or water feature.

Feel like you need to get your hands dirty and work the earth? What about this intriguing garden design? It can be done on a small scale and filled with easy care plants.

Want to dedicate a tree or sacred spot in the garden? Customize a garden memorial stone or marker from the Urngarden.

It’s never too late to start creating your healing garden, in fact this is a great time to find outdoor furniture, plants and accessories on clearance.

Today’s tip: Create a sanctuary for yourself.