With family graves many miles away, I understand what it feels like not to be in a position to maintain an important grave or visit it regularly. I love helping others in the same situation by ensuring that the graves of their loved ones look beautiful and cared for at all times. My inspiration comes from the German tradition of cemetery gardening. Services range from headstone cleans to all horticultural and floricultural aspects of grave maintenance. I always work closely with families and tailor my work to their wishes.
Services are tailored to the style of grave and the wishes of the family. My work includes headstone cleaning, grass cutting, weeding, edging, leaf sweeping, litter picking, as well as plant watering, trimming, dead-heading, feeding or mulching.
Examples of one-off services are
I visit graves that I look after at least monthly to carry out any work needed to ensure graves are maintained to a high standard. My work covers horticultural as well as non-horticultural aspects. I work on behalf of the family and will keep the family updated on the condition of the grave, work carried out and recommendations for future work and I carefully listen to feedback.
Regular maintenance starts from £20 per month.
This urn grave is under a tree and the stone tablet was covered in plant debris and soil.
The tablet is now being cleaned on a regular basis. The small planter decorating the grave is replanted according to season.
Example of one-off services are occasional headstone cleans, restoring a neglected grave, placing a wreath at Christmas time, or liaising with a stone mason. If it needs doing, you can be certain I will do it.
The example below shows a grave restoration. Using my knowledge of plants and horticulture, I ensure that the style of a grave is in keeping with the family’s wishes and the local environment and in line with cemetery rules and regulations.
This grave had sunk and was badly overgrown. The family had moved away from the area, but wanted the grave to be a place to remember a much-loved father.
After clearing weeds, raising soil levels and improving the soil, the grave is now planted with mostly evergreen perennials suitable for the situation, leaving space for seasonal splashes of colour.
I have had the fortune to work with a fantastic young florist in Malvern who taught me so much! All different styles of arrangement; hand-tied bouquets, posies, wreaths, garlands,… I love using flowers from my own garden, and I only use real flowers.
The sad sight of dead bunches of flowers lying on graves, or plastic holly wreaths in the middle of summer, is probably what first brought me to cemetery gardening. I will always remove any arrangement once it no longer looks attractive.
I am happy to create arrangements for you or to engage a florist for special requests.
facebook.com/cemeterygardener© Copyright Cultorum 2024
facebook.com/cemeterygardener© Copyright Cultorum 2024
facebook.com/cemeterygardener© Copyright Cultorum 2024