Memorial Garden

I was asked to help create a new memorial garden for a church, they had the original Victorian graveyard and a small plot for cremation urns but were running out of spaces for the urns. The church grounds run down to woods and the river and they wanted to use the space between the original plots to create a memorial garden that linked with both the age of the church and the wider landscape beyond. There is also a public right of way through the grounds that links the river to the high street and is frequently used by local dog walkers.

The garden needed to create as many spaces as possible for future use, give families and friends a private space to say goodbye and to visit the plot. There needed to be enough space between each plot for people to step around them to reach the one they wished to visit. The design also took into account that friends and relatives would be attending the plot for the dedication service and needed to be able to stand around without treading on an adjacent plot. As well as providing paths for local use while still maintaining space between the private and the public. Space was also created to allow people to dedicate a tree or bench to a loved one.

The planting palette was to be kept simple and in keeping with the landscape by the river. The trees chosen were rowans as they did well in the area and also continued the line down the main avenue from the church. A mixture of Sorbus cashmiriana (mixed in with the new planting) and Sorbus aucuparia (along the main avenue). The planting palette was predominantly white to merge into the surroundings, mixed in with wildflowers. The aftercare of the planting also had to be as simple as possible as they relied on volunteers to maintain the churchyard.