Creating a Memorial Garden for Your Pet

When the time comes to farewell your pet, it can feel impossible to know where to start to honour the memory of your furry family member. A memorial garden can be a popular choice to create a space close to home that celebrates the love and life of your pal. No matter the size of your living space or backyard, there are so many options for ways to personalise a memorial garden to you and your pet. 

If you’re thinking that a memorial garden could be a way that you’d like to commemorate the life of your beloved pet, here is our guide: 

Choosing a location 

Picking the right spot for your memorial garden is the first and one of the most important steps. This will make the creation of your garden all the more easier and make sure that it stands the test of time. Some things to think about include: 

• Is it quiet and peaceful? Consider a place where you are less likely to be disturbed, particularly if you are wanting to use it as a place to spend quiet time grieving your pet. This could be a corner of your backyard or a shaded area under a tree. 
• Is it easy to access? Make sure this place is easy for yourself, your family and friends to access. Consider is there easy spots to sit if you want to spend longer periods of time near the garden. 
• Is it easy to maintain? Avoid the garden being somewhere that is going to be regularly covered in leaves, flowers or dirt - otherwise this will be another thing that is added to your cleaning to do list. You want the memorial garden to be as easy and stress-free as possible.
• Are there any restrictions or permissions required? If you don’t own the property, you may need to follow certain guidelines or get permission to build a memorial garden. The last thing you’ll want is to have to move the memorial garden at a later date so this is worthwhile checking! 

Designing the garden 

Once you pick your location, it’s then all about creating a memorial garden that honours your beloved pal in whatever way you like. This will look different for everyone so there’s no right or wrong way to go about this. Also, remember that your design is never set in stone - if you decide to change up the design over the months or years, go for it! It’s your memorial garden for your pal, so it’s completely up to you how it comes together. 

When thinking about the memorial garden design, here’s some things you could consider: 

Planting flowers 

Adding flowers to your memorial garden will help it live up to its name! And it is such a beautiful ode to your pet’s life. The flowers that you choose will likely depend on things like the size of the garden, the soil and sunlight quality, and maybe even the flowers that remind you most of your senior pet. Is there a flower that is a staple of their favourite park or beach? Or maybe a flower that forms a special memory with your pal? If not, you can also choose a flower that has a beautiful meaning to honour your friend. For example lavender can be a sign of peace of mind and calmness, or rosemary can serve as a symbol of remembrance. 

Headstones

Create an official marker of your pet’s name and life with a headstone. This could be a simple headstone like their name and years of life written on a rock or piece of wood, or you could opt for a more elaborate headstone that has a quote in honour of your pet, or even a photo.

Personal mementos 

This is, after all, a celebration of your pal - so anything that was treasured by your pet can be added to this garden to create a beautiful celebration of their life and love. You could consider adding their collar, favourite toys or even some of the more odd items that our pets form an attachment to. A pair of socks, anyone? Anything that will make you smile when you visit the memorial garden is perfect. 

Sweet Goodbye is here to help 

Even though we’ve shared these suggestions, we know that sometimes it can feel overwhelming to memorialise your pet. This is why we’ve created our Pet Ceremony & Farewell Kits. Not only do these kits come with beautiful handmade soft caskets to give your beloved pal a cosy final resting place, but they also come with items to help you with the process of honouring your pet. This includes a ceremony guidebook, a handmade heart token, flower garland and a memorial marker. These kits can help in taking some of the stress out of a highly distressing time and take a few things off your mental load. If you want to learn more about our Farewell Kits, you can check them out here. 

Taking the time to find ways to honour and celebrate your pet’s life is such an important part of the grieving process. Something like a memorial garden can then become a place where you can go to remember and spend time with your pal whenever you wish - for years to come.