Are Ashes Bad For Your Garden?
The Next Steps In Planning For Cremation
Many people, including me, find comfort in spending time in nature, especially in a garden, on the banks of a picturesque body of water, or under the shade of a tree on a hilltop. It is no wonder that so many people seek to make their connection point with nature more permanent by choosing to bury or scatter their ashes in these places. The logic is there. What a special place for a family to recall in a mental image or visit to feel a connection.
Since this is such a heartfelt and popular option, I have to wonder: are people getting what they want when they choose this path, and does it deliver the desired results? Are the ashes that are being placed under a newly planted tree or bush beneficial to the plant? These are essential points to consider when thinking about the long-term connections to places in nature that now have added meaning for your loved ones.
In reality, cremains (ashes) are dry calcium phosphates with a small combination of minerals like sodium and potassium, which is the same for human cremains and pet cremains, both coming from the bone matter that remains. (1)
When it comes to gardening, will plants grow in a bulk amount of ashes? The unfortunate answer is: no.
Unlike other nutrients that you place in your garden, ashes do not decompose as plant matter would. Cremated remains may be harmful when placed in large amounts around plants and trees. While cremains contain many nutrients that plants need like calcium, phosphorus, and potassium, they also have a large quantity of salt, or sodium, which is toxic for most plants. They lack essential micronutrients essential to plant growth, like zinc and manganese. Large amounts of calcium, which is in large part what cremains are, deplete the nitrogen in the soil while having a high pH level, which can also affect plant growth.
Before you start digging someone’s ashes up from your garden or changing the plan for your cremains all together, STOP! Mixing small amounts of cremains into the soil is relatively harmless to the health of the plants or trees in your garden.
Urns are available that claim to be composed of rebalanced soil that will counteract the adverse effects of a large volume of ashes near a plant. Most of these urns also have seedlings or seeds integrated into the outer layers that could grow after burial, providing some ease of mind if this is the option that suits you.
It would help if you thought about several things before associating someone’s cremains with a particular tree or plant:
Plants die too! You should ask yourself:
- Will there be an emotional response or resurgence that occurs when this plant or tree dies?
- Will this be akin to losing this person again or for the final time?
- If so, that is something to consider if you select this path.
Are you good at caring for existing plants or trees?
- You might have an emotional connection to this plant and feel a need to continue to care for the plant to maintain a relationship with the person who has died if it has a direct association with someone’s ashes.
- If you like the thought of going to the garden to have a connection but lack a “green thumb,” as they say, you might consider alternatives like mixing the cremains into concrete for a bench or decorative feature in the garden instead.
Is this plant or tree in a place you can visit for as long as you want to?
- Planting a tree or bush in a private garden is very convenient, but if the need arises to sell the house, it may become difficult to visit.
- Alternatively, if ashes are associated with a tree, trees grow quite large, making it harder to relocate them. Will you be affected if the person who buys your house cuts down the tree?
If these are points of distress for you, would the placement of a plaque alongside the ashes that can be moved to a future garden or cemetery instead if the need arises serve as an acceptable point of remembrance for you?
As long as ashes are integrated into a garden healthily, using the opportunity as a meaningful way for family and loved ones to remember a loved one in a caring way, the potential options are endless. It is advisable, however, to be observant and be aware of the possible presence of an intense emotional connection to a specific tree or plant that some friends or family may have. Weighing this knowledge when considering placement and utilization of cremains in a garden as a final path can provide a mindful and desirable resolution for all those involved and for their mental wellbeing in the future.
It’s About More than the Ashes
Are cremains beneficial for trees? No, but ashes are the earthly remains of our loved ones after cremation. Treating them in a way that creates meaning and a mode of remembrance to those who have lost someone they care for is priceless. If done in the right way, and for the proper purposes, the integration of cremains into a garden can be a meaningful final resting place that is valued by those we leave behind.
I know that if my ashes join the roots around a fruit tree in the garden, that tree will grow and be cherished. After nature has decided that the fruit tree has produced its final fruit and completed its course of life, it too will return to the earth and nourish other plants, trees, and flowers. In a way, the romantic vision of the natural cycle of Mother Nature carries a special meaning for those who I, unfortunately, have to leave behind when my time comes. And I am okay with that.
Our experiences with death can be a profoundly personal and meaningful experience. The way we encounter the ceremony as a diverse community can affect each person in attendance and carry unique meanings with each of us into the future. Variables in how we conduct services or the path we choose for our remains can have a lasting impact on those we leave behind.
If you found this topic worth sharing, do. Or check out Deathitecture an article about new ways we are looking at architecture in the context of death.
If you would like to learn and think about other topics in our new and changing technological world that deal with the end of life, Digital Remains by J.H. Harrington is a great resource.
(1) Mary H. Dyer, “Planting in Cremation Ashes — Are Cremation Ashes Good for Plants,” Gardening Know How, Accessed May 29, 2020.
