Choosing plants for graves

Plants to be used on graves have to possess some very special characteristics.

  1. They must be suitable for the location, both visually and in terms of plant health

  2. They need to make a pleasing picture all year round

  3. They must not become a nuisance to other cemetery visitors or maintenance staff

  4. They should not require excessive maintenance effort

Talking about specific plants for graves would fill a book, so here are some pointers for choosing plants that are suitable for a grave.

If in doubt, speak to an expert.

Choosing plants for graves

Plants to be used on graves have to possess some very special characteristics.

  1. They must be suitable for the location, both visually and in terms of plant health

  2. They need to make a pleasing picture all year round

  3. They must not become a nuisance to other cemetery visitors or maintenance staff

  4. They should not require excessive maintenance effort

Talking about specific plants for graves would fill a book, so here are some pointers for choosing plants that are suitable for a grave.

If in doubt, speak to an expert.

Choosing plants for graves

Plants to be used on graves have to possess some very special characteristics.

  1. They must be suitable for the location, both visually and in terms of plant health

  2. They need to make a pleasing picture all year round

  3. They must not become a nuisance to other cemetery visitors or maintenance staff

  4. They should not require excessive maintenance effort

Talking about specific plants for graves would fill a book, so here are some pointers for choosing plants that are suitable for a grave.

If in doubt, speak to an expert.

How do you choose plants for a grave?

Let’s start with some general considerations for choosing the right plants.

Suitability for the location

The plants chosen obviously have to be suitable for the local soil, light and weather conditions. It is also important that they fit visually into the setting. A palm tree in a rural Herefordshire churchyard or a grave covered with bedding plants amongst graves covered entirely with grass are both likely to look out of place.

Permanence

I like to think of graves as small memorial gardens which should look pleasing all year round. This can be achieved by changing plants regularly depending on what is in season, but it is far more cost-effective to use a large proportion of evergreen plants which can remain for several years. Herbaceous perennials, which die down during the winter, will leave “holes” in the planting.

Appearance

Varying heights, foliage textures and colours will provide visual interest. Plant sizes need to be in scale with the grave. A larger number of small plants will generally look better than a few large ones.

Size and vigour

Churchyards and cemeteries are public places and it is, therefore, important to bear other visitors and maintenance staff in mind. Plants which self-seed prolifically or which spread beyond the confines of the grave, making ground maintenance difficult or blocking paths, should be avoided.

The different roles of plants

Plants for graves are generally divided into three categories: Framework Plants, which give a grave shape, height and a focal point, Ground Cover Plants, which are evergreen and – as the name suggests – cover the ground to reduce weeds and provide a background for other elements, and Seasonal Plants which provide the splashes of colour which lift the spirit.

On most graves, a single framework plant is sufficient. Seasonal planting covering 10-15% of the area provides plenty of opportunity for colour. A large proportion of groundcover plants will give permanence and keep maintenance costs down. Where fresh flowers are frequently placed on the grave, it is also useful to set in a level stone or slab as a solid base for a vase or pot.

Grave in a vine-growing region of Germany This grave in a vine-growing area of Germany clearly shows the three classes of plants. A vine acts as a framework, the triangular area near the headstone is covered with evergreen ground cover, the area towards the front contains seasonal planting.

Framework Plants

These give a grave shape and height. While framework plants are often best placed near the headstone for visual balance, the headstone, and particularly the inscriptions, should not be obscured, even when the plants have reached their mature size. A wider choice of framework plants is available for regularly maintained graves, where even naturally large-growing plants can often be kept to a modest size by regular pruning.

Example Framework Plants

  • Euonymus japonicus ‘White Spire’ or ‘Green Rocket’ are narrow in habit and will grow even under challenging conditions such as in dry shade
  • Very dwarf pines, such as Pinus mugo ‘Gnom’, make attractive framework plants, although they may eventually outgrow their location.
  • Clipped box (Buxus sempervirens) has traditionally been widely used, but is falling out of favour due to the spread of box blight and box moth caterpillars.

An evergreen fern, here combined with a bleached root, can be a very successful framework plant. It is distinctive, with a foliage texture that is unlike that of most other plants.

Ground Cover Plants

Ground cover can be provided by different types of plants. True ground-cover plants spread laterally above or below ground. These generally need regular attention in order to keep them within the outline of the grave and prevent them becoming a nuisance, but also to keep them from growing into other plants on the grave itself. Small evergreen plants which are densely planted will also provide good cover. Larger and more widely-spaced evergreen plants, maybe interspersed with seasonal planting, can play a similar role.

Example Plants Providing Complete Cover

  • Heathers, particularly winter-flowering Erica
  • Lesser periwinkle, Vinca minor
  • Small-leaved ivies, such as Hedera helix ‘Spetchley’
  • Bergenias; there are some fantastic varieties which stay dense, not like the well-known “elephants’ ears”
  • Ajuga, for example ‘Braunherz’ with a good dark leave colour

Example Plants Giving Partial Cover

  • Grass-like Carex oshimensis, for example ‘Everlime’ or widely available ‘Evergold’
  • Hart’s tongue fern, Asplenium scolopendrium
  • Heuchera
  • Francoa sonchifolia, with low rosettes of leaves and spires of white/pink flowers in early summer
  • Helleborus orientalis is attractive even when not in flower

Combining evergreen plants with different leaf colours and textures creates interesting and long-lasting ground cover. Here Carex oshimensis ‘Evergold’ is combined with a small Euonymus and low-growing Ajuga reptans ‘Braunherz’ with burgundy-coloured leaves.

Seasonal Plants

The most common plants for seasonal colour are bedding plants, either planted individually amongst permanent plants or densely planted in the form of traditional “carpet bedding”.  It should be borne in mind that bedding is not a cheap option because of the need to replace the plants typically three times a year, added to which maintenance is time-consuming, with the need for regular watering, feeding and dead-heading. Added to this is many bedding plants’ attractiveness to pests, in particular slugs. The most cost-effective way of adding colour is with the use of bulbs, although this is easiest in the spring. Of course, it is also possible to add seasonal colour with a planted container set in amongst the permanent planting.

Example Bedding Plants

Countless brightly-coloured bedding plants are available, many of them needing full sun and regular watering. In my experience, the toughest for a wide range of conditions are

  • Primulas (spring)
  • Begonias (summer)
  • Ericas (autumn/winter)

Example Bulbs

The majority of suitable bulbs are spring-flowering. It is best to go with the smaller-growing bulbs, which look most in scale with the area, for example Narcissus ‘Tête-à-Tête’ or ‘Jetfire’ rather than ‘King Alfred’. Their dying foliage after flowering also looks rather less offensive.

  • Snowdrops
  • Crocus
  • Tulips
  • Cyclamen (C. hederifolium for autumn, C. coum for spring)
  • Daffodils

Few plants can match the cheerful colouring of spring bulbs, here Crocus ‘Blue Pearl’.

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