Graveside Landscaping: The Plot Thickens

Picking Plantings for the Family Plot

Evelyn E. Smith 

Having just finished purchasing and planting liriope ornamental grass, dwarf knockout roses, and dwarf firelight spiraea to landscape my family’s plot, I thought I would share an annotated bibliography on this often neglected subject. I selected these plants because they will never grow so high that they’ll hide the lettering on the monument; they’re relatively hardy; they fit in with plantings already in a not necessarily always well-tended, "perpetual care" cemetery, and they won’t need much maintenance even after no family is left to care for them. Come next spring, however, visitors might see some pansies as well.

For now, this means heading out to the cemetery once a day to water the family plot (there’s a water spigot about 50 feet away) until the plants and the grass-seed sowed on my mother's grave have established themselves there.  Even so, depending on how much sun a grave site gets, this research shows that families can landscape their loved ones' final resting place with some easy-care, cheerful shrubs and ornamental grasses.

Note: Even a year later, the grass hasn't completely caught because the cemetery association leveled the soil covering my mother's plot last winter.  That means I'm still working on getting grass seed to grow over my Mother's grave. I'm also seeing dead shrubs all over the cemetery because it didn't rain any during the month of August--not to mention completely brown and wilted cut flowers in cemetery urns that as a good neighbor I removed (2015, September 6). 

Thus, visiting a cemetery in early September in most parts of the United States emphasizes that although a "perpetual care" cemetery association pays a grounds crew to cut the grass (or in most cases, weeds) and run the sprinklers (except when graves are being dug near the family plot), if anyone weeds the plots or makes sure that the shrubs are thoroughly watered, it's a surviving family member.
  Emmerson, Kassidy. (2012, October 11).  Tips on how to landscape around headstones in cemeteries. Yahoo!  Voices.  Retrieved from http://voices.yahoo.com/tips-landscape-around-headstones-cemeteries-11811613.html

1. Find out the Rules of the Cemetery:  For example, plantings might need to be kept close to the headstone, so it’s easier for the groundskeepers to mow around (Emmerson, 2012, October11, para. 2).
2. Annuals, Perennials or Artificial Flowers:  Annuals must be planted again each spring and need to be watered regularly, so perennials may be a better one-time planting choice (Emmerson, 2012, October 11, para. 3).
3. Choose Low-growing, Drought-resistant Flowers:  Don’t plant flowers and shrubs that grow so big that they obscure the headstone.  Instead plant hardy, dwarf plants that grow well in a particular geographic area (Emmerson, 2012, October 11, para. 5).
4. Shepherd’s Hooks:  Emmerson also suggests the use of shepherd’s hooks to hold potted plants, although this landscaping choice might not comply with cemetery regulations.

(13, December 31, para. 6 & 10).  

She also might have suggested planting dwarf varieties that are guarantees to stay below a certain height.

Faloon, Suzie. (2014). Flowers to plant at the cemetery.  eHow.  Demand Media.  Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/list_7443202_flowers-plant-cemetery.html

Families can honor their loved ones by planting spring bulbs, annuals, perennials, and flowering shrubs in their cemetery plats as long as growing conditions and memorial park regulations allow it (Faloon, 2014, p. 1).

For a dash of color, place low-growing perennials as well as bulbs in front of large headstones or else flank them with taller-growing perennials (Faloon, 2014, p. 2).

Flowers placed directly in front of a tombstone should only grow to a height of 18 to 24 inches so as not to over-power it or else obscure the lettering.  However, seasoning fall and spring planting will add color and texture to the family plot (Faloon, 2014, p. 3).

Flowersandthings. (2004), May 11). Suggestions for drought tolerant cemetery garden.  . . . Garden Web. Retrieved from http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/drought/msg0517535513541.htm

A reader asks for advice on planting drought- tolerant plants for a mid-Atlantic family plot. Forum visitors then suggest possible plantings, including sedum, red and white yucca, lavender, daffodils and other hardy bulbs, kalanchoe, flowering carpet roses, Mexican bush sage, dwarf bougainvillea, ornamental grasses, and various types of drought tolerant roses that need only some incremental watering.

See:

• Sedum (Stonecrops):  http://www.garden.org/plantguide/?q=show&id=2059

• Lavender  (Lavandula): http://gardening.about.com/od/perennials/a/Lavender.htm

• Daffodils (Narcissus):  http://daffodilusa.org/

• Kalanchoe:   http://houseplants.about.com/od/succulentsandcacti/p/Kalanchoe.htm?utm_term=kalanchoe%20plant%20care&utm_content=p1-main-1-title&utm_medium=sem&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=adid-a713bcfe-1cd1-43c2-94d4-e6513c79e446-0-ab_gsb_ocode-4931

• Carpet roses: http://www.finegardening.com/new-generation-flower-carpet-roses-color-me-impressed

• Mexican bush sage (salva leucantha):  http://www.finegardening.com/mexican-bush-sage-salvia-leucantha

• Dwarf Bougainvillea: http://homeguides.sfgate.com/kinds-bougainvillea-34215.html

Follis, Stanley J.  (2005). Roots Web.  Ancestry.com.  Retrieved from http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~sfollis/cemetery_plants.html

Perpetual-care cemeteries nowadays often discourage families from landscaping family plots with plantings that were once traditionally found in old cemeteries because they either grow too big or else invade other grave plots:

• Yucca:  http://www.yuccado.com/

• Peony (Paeonia):  http://www.peonysenvy.com/peonycare.html

• Tiger lily (Lilium catesbaei & Lilium columbianum) http://www.theflowerexpert.com/content/aboutflowers/wildflowers/tiger-lily

 (Follis, 2005, para. 2)

Ground covers in country cemeteries without  perpetual care include the following flowers and plants:

• Creeping stonecrop (Sedum ternatum):  http://www.finegardening.com/creeping-sedums

• Live forever (Sedum Sedum purpureum): http://www.bio.brandeis.edu/fieldbio/Wildflowers_Kimonis_Kramer/PAGES/LIVEFOREVER_PAGE_FINAL.html

• Moss pink or creeping phlox (Phlox subulata) http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=c268

• Periwinkle (Vinca): http://www.bhg.com/gardening/plant-dictionary/perennial/periwinkle/

• Pinks, sweet Williams, & carnations (Dianthus): http://www.garden.org/plantguide/?q=show&id=2041

• Violets (Viola): http://americanvioletsociety.org/

• Round leaf ragswort (Senecio obovatus): http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/galleries/packeraobov.html

• Ox-eye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare): http://www.wildflowers-and-weeds.com/weedsinfo/Chrysanthemum_leucanthemum.htm

• Shasta daisy (Chysantheum leucantheumum): http://www.garden.org/plantguide/?q=show&id=2044

• Ground ivy or Creping Charlie (Glechoma hederacea): https://utextension.tennessee.edu/publications/Documents/W266.pdf

(Folis, 2005, para. 3)

Some of these plants can be planted near headstones as long as they don’t rub against them or obscure their lettering, but they will also need frequent thinning.

Grant, Bonnie L.  (2014). Flowers good for planting on the grave.  Gardening Know How.  Retrieved from http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/special/spaces/plants-for-graves.htm

Although graveside plantings must conform to cemetery restrictions, the bereaved may wish to plant flowers and shrubs surrounding a grave (Grant, 2014, para. 1).  However, in doing so, the plantings should impinge or distract from surrounding plots and be small enough and manageable enough to survive without much maintenance after those who planted them were themselves planted beneath the sod (Grant, 2014, para. 2).

Additionally, most cemetery associations impose regulations that take into account the fact that maintenance crews usually provide minimal perpetual care as they mow around or over the graves (Grant, 2014, para. 3).  Even so, it’s possible to landscape a plant with shrubs or flowers that those buried there enjoyed most (Grant, 2014, para. 3-4).  For example, if Mother or Dad particularly loved growing roses, the family might plant some hardy miniature rose bushes flanking the headstone.  The family also might wish to thank a flower with a special symbolic meaning (http://thelanguageofflowers.com/)

Perennial flowers provide visitors with annual color, but they do need some maintenance to prevent them spreading where they don’t need to go. Annuals, however, need to be replanted each year, and they may also require supplemental watering (Grant, 2014, para. 5).

Plots surrounded by shade tree also prove particularly challenging.  Nevertheless, day lilies and hostas might serve as suitable plantings if a caretaker do doesn’t allow them to run out-of-control (Grant, 2014, para. 6).  However, rhododendrons and camellias should be avoided since they might in time obscure the gravestone.  Instead the family might plant flowering ground cover, such as aguga or flowering thyme that survives frequent mowing (Grant, 2014, para. 7).

Landscaping with species of shrubs and flowers native a particular geographically locale also ensures a low maintenance plot particularly if compost and mulch is added to the soil to preserve moisture (Grant, 2014, para. 8).

Groundcover for Cemetery. (2005, September 30).  Garden Web. Retrieved from http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/grdcvr/msg0918265820392.html?6

When a poster asked for ideas for a drought-tolerant, quick-spreading ground cover for a remote rural family cemetery, readers suggested the following selections

• Sweet Woodruff (Gallium odoratum): http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=c820

• Dead nettle (Lamium maculatum): http://www.garden.org/plantguide/?q=show&id=3375

• Creeping thyme: http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/herbs/thyme/growing-creeping-thyme.htm

• Dragon’s blood sedum (Sedum spurium): http://www.bluestoneperennials.com/SEDB.html

• Three-leaved stonecrop (Sedum ternatum): http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=m310

• European wild ginger (Asarum europaeum): http://www.perennials.com/plants/asarum-europaeum.html

Heidbreder, Kelly. (2002, April 3).  Remember loved ones with planting s at cemetery.  The Blade.  Retrieved from http://www.toledoblade.com/Kelly-Heidbreder/2002/04/03/Remember-loved-ones-with-plantings-at-cemetery.html

Flowers and ground cover surrounding headstones can comfort and console, but it’s best to consult the cemetery for guidelines before planting anything (Heidbreder, 2002, April 3, para. 2).  Usually families can plant within 18-inches if they have monument space, but not if the graves only have flat markers (Heidbreder, 2002, April 3, para. 3-4).  However, when a family buys a plot, it buys the right to bury there—not a right to the real estate, so the cemetery retains the right to specify how the family uses the space (Heidbreder, 2002, April 3, para 6).  For example, some cemeteries don’t allow the planting of rose bushes or permit the planting of trees and bushes that will grow too large and thus obscure the headstone (Heidbreder, 2002, April 3, para. 8).  Moreover, in most memorial parks, plantings around the headstone must be maintained, or else the cemetery will remove them (Heidbreder, 2002, April 2, para. 9).

However, once a family knows a cemetery’s guidelines and the amount of space they have to work with, they can look for plants that fit (Heidbreder, 2002, April 2, para. 10).  Even though a family may select from a loved one’s favorite plants or colors or pick flowers, groundcover, or dwarf shrubs with sentimental names, cemeteries recommend low maintenance planting and ground covers. Many families also plant annuals, like pansies, and bulbs around the monument or choose hostas for shady areas and easy to care for ornamental grasses (Heidbreder, 2002, April 2, para. 11-14).

See:

How to select and grow pansies. (2014). Better Homes and Gardens. Retrieved from http://www.bhg.com/gardening/flowers/annuals/how-to-select-and-grow-pansies/

Minarcin, Carla.  (2013, December 31). Decorating a grave site.  From Treasures of the Past.  Ancestry.com. Retrieved from http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~treasures/gentools/decorating/

Trendy items appearing around grave sites in the last few years include shepherds’ hooks and small decorative flag poles that join all manner of lawn statuary.  Of course, all of the above might be stolen or desecrated (Minarcin, 2013, December 31, para. 1-3).

Plantings of shrubs and flowers around a headstone also present some landscaping problems for certain species simply take over, overpowering the grave gravesite and possibly covering the headstone, although they otherwise might make good choices:

• Century plant (Agave Americana): http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/ornamentals/nativeshrubs/agaveamer.htm

• Hosta (Funkia, plantain lilies): http://www.hostaguy.com/GrowingHosta.html

• Rhododendron (including Azaleas): http://www.almanac.com/product/buy-2015-old-farmers-almanac?utm_source=windowshade&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=2015ShippingInternal400x300

• Azalea: http://www.southernliving.com/home-garden/gardens/azalea-plants

• [Drift] rose (A cross between a ground cover rose and a miniature rose): http://www.nola.com/homegarden/index.ssf/2013/09/drift_roses_fit_beautifully_in.html

• [Dwarf] berry bushes: http://www.hgtvgardens.com/blueberries/big-berries-for-small-spaces

Furthermore, if a plant is planted close enough to a headstone to rub against it, it will eventually destroy the monument (Minarcin, 2013, December 31, para. 4-10).  Minarcin recommends regularly trimming trees and shrubs back and checking with the cemetery association before planting anything (2013, December 31, para. 6 & 10).  She also might have suggested planting dwarf varieties that are guarantees to stay below a certain height.

See:

17 low-maintenance plants and dwarf shrubs. (2014). DIY. Scripps Network.  http://www.diynetwork.com/outdoors/17-low-maintenance-plants-and-dwarf-shrubs/pictures/index.html?i=1

Of the 17 plants pictured the following species might be appropriate graveside plants:

• Quartz rose verbena:  http://www.learn2grow.com/plants/verbena-quartz-rose-quartz-series/

• Firelight spiraea (Spiraea japonica): http://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/details?plantid=4808

• Archer’s gold lemon thyme (Thymus citriodorus):  http://pantrygardenherbs.com/shop-for-organic-herbs/thyme-varieties/thyme-archers-gold/

• Meidiland rose (Rosa 'Meineble'): http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=c338

• [Little Bunny] fountain grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides) the shortest fountain grass: http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=l510

• Dwarf ornamental grasses: http://ghgardencenter.com/news/9/38/ornamental_grasses838a.php

 (DIY, 2014, slides 1-17). 

But first check with a local nursery to see if these plants will not only thrive in a particular cemetery, but also they’ won’t become so invasive that visitors eventually can’t see the headstone.

25 small shrubs for your smallest places.  (2014). Landscape Design Guide.  HGTV. Retrieved from http://www.hgtv.com/landscaping/small-shrubs-guide/pictures/index.html

Some of HGTV’s picks simply grow too talk or are too invasive; however, these groundcovers, dwarf shrubs, herbs, and annuals might be good choices for planting near a headstone:

• Winter creeper (Euonymus fortunei 'Coloratus')—admittedly an invasive plant: http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=a420

•  Aromatic herbs: http://www.thegrowers-exchange.com/Aromatic_Herbs_s/122.htm

•  Periwinkle (Vinca):  http://www.bhg.com/gardening/plant-dictionary/perennial/periwinkle/

• Dwarf Daphne:  http://www.hortmag.com/plants/plant-profiles/dwarfdaphnes

Perennial for cemetery plot in Massachusetts. (2010, August 3).  Ask Mr. Smarty Plants.   Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.  Retrieved from http://www.wildflower.org/expert/show.php?id=6024l

QUESTION: What perennial would work well in a cemetery plot that has very dry sun?

After checking with the cemetery to see if it is permissible to plant flowers, check to see if the flowers one plans to plant will obscure the grave stone or spread to other graves.  After doing this, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center gravesite visitors can browse links to herbaceous perennials and small shrub plantings.

Planting tips—summer. (n. d.).  Catholic Cemeteries. Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn.  Retrieved from http://www.cathcemetery-bklyn.org/pages.php?page=66

This location-specific Website suggests planting heat tolerant wave petunias as a showy ground cover (Catholic Cemeteries, n. d., para. 1).  Then it advocates doing a “little homework” to select perennials appropriate to a particular grave site by mature plant size, drought tolerance, and light exposure (Catholic Cemeteries, n. d., para. 2).  Possible selections include the following species:

• Hosta:  http://www.bhg.com/gardening/plant-dictionary/perennial/hosta/

• Moonbeam Coreopsis (Coreopsis verticillata): http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=c260

• Daylily: http://www.daylilies.org/

• Sedum autumn joy (Herbsfreude): http://www.perennialresource.com/encyclopedia/view/?plant=781

• Veronica Sonny Border blue: http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=g170

(Catholic Cemeteries, n. d., para. 3)

As usual, don’t plant anything but very low-growing plants in front of a headstone else their growth obscures the name engraved there.

Plants for gravesites.  (2014). Greenwood Nursery.  Retrieved from http://www.greenwoodnursery.com/page.cfm/194814

Before planting anything, check with the cemetery association since its regulations will probably specify what can and can’t be planted (Greenwood, 2014, para. 2).  Then browse the URL links to photos of low-growing perennials and non-invasive ground covers.  Search by planting zone, plant type (evergreen, semi-evergreen, or deciduous), light requirements (full, partial sun or shade), soil conditions, height at maturity, growth rate, fruiting or flowering, bloom color, fragrance, and bloom season.

____________

Free Plants Online

"Shop" Online for Free Trees and Flowers!

Become a Member of Arbor Day Foundation. (2014). Arbor Day Foundation. Retrieved from http://shop.arborday.org/content.aspx?page=memberships

“Get 10 Free Trees” when joining the Arbor Day Foundation for $10. Website visitors enter the zipcode to which the Arbor Day Foundation will ship the free trees, and this will match appropriate selections with that particular geographical location.

Free Plant. (n. d.). Freeplant.net.  Retrieved from http://www.freeplant.net/seeds_bulbs.html

The Free Plant Website distributes flowering seeds and samplings worldwide, including roses, lavender, sunflowers, pansies, tulips, pansies, tulips, daffodils, and iris.

Free Plants by Mail. (2010). Free Plants by Mail. Retrieved from http://freeplantsbymail.org/

Website-visitors can request “this month's free plant” or else join the “free plant club” to receive a free plant each month.