Best Plants to Maintain in Your Memorial Garden

July 18, 2025

Creating a Beautiful Memorial Garden for Your Loved Ones

A memorial garden brings peace, comfort, and quiet connection to those who visit it. Whether it is a private space next to an urn garden or a broader area shared with others, the plants you choose help shape the feeling and tone of that space. A well-kept garden can be a gentle reminder of someone special, offering a place to sit, reflect, or simply enjoy the surroundings.

But as meaningful as the space is, it still needs care throughout the year. The right selection of plants can reduce stress and time spent on upkeep, especially during busy or difficult seasons. With Ottawa’s climate in mind, it helps to pick options that handle changing weather well while still offering colour and structure across the months.

Choosing Low-Maintenance Plants for Your Memorial Garden

A memorial garden should offer comfort, not more chores. Low-maintenance plants make it easier to keep that peaceful space looking good without constant weeding, pruning, or watering. Especially in a place like Ottawa, where summers can swing between dry heat and heavy rain, choosing hardy plants is one way to reduce your workload and make sure the garden flourishes.

When picking out low-maintenance options, look for plants that are:

• Drought-tolerant once established
• Resistant to pests and common diseases
• Able to survive winter freezes and summer heat
• Slow-growing or compact in size

By using these types of plants, your garden will remain tidy with far less trimming and cleanup. Here are a few popular picks for Ottawa:

1. Hostas – Known for their reliable green foliage, they thrive in shady spots and do not need much attention.

2. Daylilies – Once planted, they spring back year after year with bright blooms and hardly need extra care.

3. Sedum – A great choice for sunny spots, these succulents store moisture and hold their shape without too much fuss.

4. Peonies – These give beautiful blooms once a year and are surprisingly tough once they are settled.

5. Yarrow – A sun-loving plant with long-lasting flowers and fern-like leaves that add texture.

Once you have picked the right plants, it is easier to focus on your visits, rather than on watering or pruning tasks week after week. These selections make an urn garden or memorial spot more manageable through the changing seasons while still offering colour and calm.

Best Flowering Plants for Year-round Beauty

Colour brings life into a space that is meant for memory and presence. By planning for flowering across the seasons, you can ensure there is always something in bloom to brighten the area. Since Ottawa has four distinct seasons, it makes sense to think about how the plants will perform in early spring, through summer, and into fall.

Perennials are a go-to choice for a lasting garden in Ottawa. They come back every year and usually require less effort than replanting annuals. That said, a few well-placed annuals can lift the garden with extra blooms where needed. When combining the two, it is a good idea to have structure from your perennials and impact from the annuals.

Here is an example layout:

• Spring: Crocuses and tulips bring the first pop of colour after the snow melts. They fit well around existing shrubs or pathways.
• Summer: Coneflowers, black-eyed Susans, and coreopsis bloom during Ottawa's warmer months. These full-sun plants are reliable and loved by birds and pollinators.
• Fall: Mums and asters shine when everything else starts to fade. Their bold colours keep the garden looking fresh through September and even October.
• All-Season Interest: Include ornamental grasses like feather reed grass or purple fountain grass. They add movement and texture, even in winter.

Mixing shades, planting heights, and bloom timing helps keep an urn garden looking vibrant and cared for, without needing to swap plants every few weeks. Consistent colour and life throughout the year help make this space feel warm and welcoming.

Incorporating Evergreens and Shrubs for Structure

A memorial garden should look peaceful all year, not just during the summer bloom. This is where evergreens and shrubs become useful. They create a steady structure for the garden, giving it a solid look whether it is snowing or raining, hot or cool. These plants form the background that other flowering plants can complement. Plus, they hold their shape through most seasons with very little effort.

Shrubs and evergreens also help shape the space. They can separate one area from another, block wind, or give privacy for a quiet seat tucked away in a corner. In an urn garden setting, this can make a big difference in how someone experiences a visit.

Evergreens worth considering in Ottawa include:

• Boxwood: Holds its shape well and trims easily if needed
• Dwarf Alberta Spruce: Perfect for small gardens and stays compact without crowding other plants
• Yew bushes: Known for their hardiness, they can handle Ottawa winters and still look healthy in spring

For shrubs with multi-season interest:

• Spirea: Offers bright spring and summer colour with leaves that change in fall
• Ninebark: A native plant option with peeling bark and seasonal flowers, bringing character through the year
• Hydrangeas: Dependable bloomers that do not mind our changing seasons and still offer good shape once the flowers fade

Smaller varieties can act as tidy borders or frame the area around memorial stones. Taller ones help create soft background walls. The goal is not to overcrowd the space but to keep enough greenery present that the garden does not feel bare in off-seasons.

Personalizing Your Memorial Garden with Local Plants

Including native plants is a good way to make a garden feel more natural without sacrificing calmness or care. These plants are already used to Ottawa’s conditions, which means they tend to do well with less help after they are established. It also means they fit in visually. They will not seem out of place or too exotic. This helps keep the garden in line with the local environment and gives a familiar feeling to visitors.

Here is what makes native plants worth adding to your memorial space:

• Their root systems are often deeper, letting them handle drought better
• They invite helpful wildlife like butterflies and songbirds
• They resist local plant diseases better than imported varieties
• Most blend well with common perennials and shrubs

Some local plant suggestions for Ottawa memorial gardens include:

1. Wild columbine – Light and airy red flowers that bloom in late spring

2. Canada anemone – A spreading plant that creates soft ground cover in sunny or partly shaded spots

3. Purple coneflower – An eye-catching bloom during mid-summer that attracts butterflies and bees

4. Little bluestem – A native grass with blue-green blades that turn reddish-orange in the fall

5. Woodland sunflower – Bright yellow blooms that appear in late summer and tolerate a bit of shade

These plants stay close to the look and feel of Eastern Ontario's landscape. They help bring a gentle sense of harmony to a garden space meant for thought and remembrance.

Creating a Tranquil Space for Reflection

Peace does not come from plants alone. The full experience of a memorial garden includes how people move through it, sit with it, and feel when spending time there. Once you have planned the plantings, the design around them can add comfort and intention.

Think about adding useful but simple elements:

• A small bench under shade for sitting quietly
• Natural flagstone or pea gravel paths for walking without disturbing the plants
• A water feature, like a bird bath or small fountain, to bring motion and a soft sound
• Solar lighting for pathways, making early evening visits smoother and more welcoming

Make sure to leave open space, too. Gardens can be full of meaning, but if they are overcrowded, it is hard to rest your eyes and your thoughts. Giving space around each element allows the plants and memorial features to stand out and feel respected.

Each part of the garden plays a role. Combining meaningful plants with thoughtful design turns a simple row of flowers into a place that feels intentional and deeply personal.

Honoring and Remembering Your Loved Ones in a Beautiful Space

The best memorial gardens grow from a mix of care and calm planning. Choosing plants suited to Ottawa’s changing seasons lets the garden stay balanced across the year. Whether you are leaning on steady evergreens, mixing in flowering favourites, or anchoring the space with native plants, each choice creates a layer of comfort.

The goal is not perfection. It is creating an environment where visitors, family, and friends can connect with the memory of someone in a way that feels peaceful. A few low-maintenance choices, paired with thoughtful design elements, can make that happen without piling on the work. A well-set memorial space does not need to be large or complex to be meaningful. It just needs a bit of intention and the right plants to grow alongside memory.

Creating a garden that honours and offers peace is a meaningful way to connect with loved ones. At Highland Park Cemetery, we can help guide you through selecting the right plants and elements for your space. Consider enhancing your urn garden for a perfect balance of beauty and remembrance. Let us help you craft a serene space for reflection and memory.