Planting Multiple Memorial Trees with Ashes is Growing in Popularity
The patented Living Urn® system, America’s leading bio urn, is currently offered by hundreds and hundreds of funeral homes throughout the U.S. and is in 17 countries worldwide. Tens of thousands of tree memorial plantings have taken place with The Living Urn® and, with the cremation rate accelerating and more awareness for tree burials, many more are expected in the future. Many families who choose to grow a tree memorial with The Living Urn® select a single bio urn system and tree that they either plant on private property, at a local park, church property, or other special place. Many other families choose to grow multiple tree memorials of a loved one with The Living Urn®.
There are many reasons why families divide ashes of a loved one and plant multiple tree memorials, and below are a few of the more common ones.
Common Reasons Why Families Plant Multiple Tree Memorials
- A Memorial for Each Family Member: Many families choose to divide up the ashes of a loved one and give a portion to each family member. This can include children, grandchildren, siblings, parents, other relatives or friends. Some will plant their own tree memorial, while others will choose other memorial options. This is a great way for each member of the family to have their own special memorial to remember a loved one who passed.
- A Tree Memorial for Multiple Places: Most people have multiple places that they cherish in life. Whether it’s their hometown, where they lived for a majority of their life, their favorite vacation spot, or other special place, these are places people hold special in their heart. Given this, some people choose to have a tree memorial planted in their memory at each special place.
- Can’t Decide on a Single Tree Type: With so many beautiful options offered by The Living Urn®, it can be a challenge for some families to agree on that one special tree for their loved one’s memorial. From red maples to weeping willows, flowering azaleas to pink dogwoods, The Living Urn® offers over 50 beautiful options nationwide and at least 20 options for most parts of the U.S. All trees provided by The Living Urn® range in height from 1.5 to 4 feet tall and come in a pot with a healthy, robust root system.
- The Love of Trees and Nature: With their love for trees and nature, some families choose to plant as many memorial trees as possible. We’ve had some customers plant 5, 10 and even 30 trees to honor a loved one. The Living Urn® was designed to be used with as much or as little of a person's ashes as desired so there’s no problem dividing the cremated ashes up into multiple tree memorials. This not only beautifies the landscape, but the trees planted also give back to future generations!
Mark Brewer, The Living Urn® Co-Founder commented on the growing popularity of planting multiple tree memorials, “Planting more than one tree memorial with The Living Urn® is becoming more and more popular. Driving this movement is the fact many families don’t live in the same city and each member of the family wants their own memorial of a loved one with a portion of the cremated remains. There are also many other reasons for this, including the fact that many people just love trees and all they represent.
Based on the growing demand from families who want multiple tree memorials, we recently introduced a Family Urn Program, where families receive bulk discounts when purchasing more than one Living Urn system. This offering has received a significant amount of interest and we’ve heard many great stories from families about the multiple tree memorials they've planted for their loved one.”
To learn more about The Living Urn’s Family Urn Program, click here.
The Family Tree: A Unique Memorial Tree Option for Families
Another option that’s growing in popularity is to have a ‘family tree’ planted and a multiple Living Urns containing ashes of each family member who passes planted adjacent to the tree and its roots. Common tree types planted as family trees include large oaks, maples, and willows. This is similar to the ‘family plot’ in a cemetery, however, involves a growing and thriving centerpiece that serves as a living reminder of the family members who’ve passed. A family tree gives surviving family and friends a single place to visit and reflect on everything each of the family members who’ve passed have meant to them.
Brewer commented, “The Family Tree idea was actually introduced by our cemetery partners involved with Memory Forest. Our Memory Forests are a series of partnerships with cemeteries and memorial parks nationwide where Living Urns can be planted and cared for. Given cemeteries have experience with family burial plots, they thought the idea of a family tree was a great idea for families who choose cremation. This idea is catching on and we’re seeing more and more family trees being planted throughout the country, not just in cemeteries, but also at many other locations special to a family. It’s a great idea and a wonderful way to memorialize an individual and family.”
Pre-Planning Program: Another Unique Memorial Option
If you love the idea of a tree memorial, but don’t currently have a need for it, another option is plan ahead of time with The Living Urn’s Pre-Planning Program. With this, you receive a bio urn and planting system right away to store at a special place until it’s needed, whether if it’s months, years, or even decades from now. Included with each Pre-Planning Bio Urn system is a voucher card for a tree of choice. When the time comes to plant, family or friends simply follow the simple instructions included on the voucher card to select your tree and have it shipped to a location of their choosing. Then, upon receiving the tree, all they need to do is follow the simple instructions provided to plant a living memory tree.
Families can also order multiple Pre-Planning versions of The Living Urn. If ordering more than one, simply contact The Living Urn’s Denver-based customer service team at (800) 495-7022, ext. 0 to see about any special discounts that can be applied.