Unfortunately not everyone has the opportunity to look after a loved one's grave. Keep a grave easy to care for with these 3 tips.
Losing a loved one is bad enough. But if you already know that the grave design could become a problem in the long run, it gets even sadder. After all, you want to leave a beautiful grave for that special someone, with lots of blooming flowers and shrubs.
Relatives in particular who live further away cannot go to the cemetery every week to set up new cut flowers or regularly tend the grave.
Many cemetery nurseries offer permanent care of the grave site, but who would want to spend 1000 euros a year just to have someone else water it from time to time or put in a new plant. I am of the opinion that people who are already grieving are simply being deprived of too much money. You live far away and have no care facilities, so the nurseries here can charge a lot.
You can save money by making the grave as easy to care for as possible. There are countless shrubs and flowers that don't need regular watering that simply get enough nutrients from the soil. With the right soil you can also avoid annoying weeds, so you don't have to worry that your final resting place will become more overgrown every day.
3 tips for a permanently low-maintenance grave
✶ Tip 1: Choosing the right plants
A grave that blooms all year round is a beautiful eye-catcher and helps to deal with grief better. Of course you are happy when the tulips bloom in summer and you can put out a new colorful bouquet of flowers every week. But unfortunately not everything works.
Choose plants that can go two or three days without water, especially in summer. The Dipladenia is very popular and can also be seen more and more often on graves in recent years. The plant, which blooms with bright red, pink or white flowers, is heat tolerant and can survive without water for a long time.
The Japanese azalea, a species of rhododendron, is also highly recommended. she is soespecially because it consists of a great splendor of flowers, but grows slowly and above all low.
» Tip: When choosing plants, you should always choose slow-growing plants. It is best to seek advice from the gardener you trust. Together you will surely find a solution.
✶ Tip 2: Gravel instead of soil
Gravel is easier to handle and much easier to care for than soil. White pebbles also look extremely elegant and bring out the colors of the plants even better. If you don't like it quite so conspicuous, you can also choose a noble gray or natural tones. (available cheaply here)
This gravel is then simply spread over the entire surface of the earth. And best of all, weeds and moss will make it difficult to get airborne. So you don't have to constantly tackle the weeds, because that's what leads to constant and longer stays at a grave, especially in summer. Weeds are definitely not easy to care for.
Bark mulch optimal alternative to gravel
Instead of gravel, you can also use bark mulch. This is also cheap to get and has proven to be particularly useful in grave design. The weeds don't stand a chance here either.
Personally, I like white gravel better because it just looks neat and beautiful. But as you know, that's a matter of taste.
Tip 3: Ground cover as a classic
The classic on graves are ground covers. There are a number of varieties here too. I would stay away from ivy if I were you. It grows out of bounds pretty quickly, so you might get into trouble if you don't cut it back in time.
Attention
Graves are mostly in the shade. When buying plants, always pay attention to the right location!
I think the red cloudberry is very pretty and suitable. This ground cover only grows to a maximum height of 15 centimeters and blooms in bright red from October to May. So you have the grave in winter with color accents, while others only have the fir green. And when the blooming period of the cloudberry is over, then the summer plants begin - blooming enjoyment all year round.
» My tip: When planting the ground cover, you can occasionally leave out a spot and place plant pots or special grave lights in these gaps. This loosens up the overall picture a little and creates a calm, contemplative flair.