What Tree Do I Get For My Loved One's Tree Urn?
You love the idea of using a tree urn to create a beautiful living memorial for a loved one. However, which tree should you choose? This is a common question the folks at The Living Urn receive each and every day. There are thousands of tree types to grow with a bio urn, however which tree is right for your loved one's living memorial?
Here are some of the most popular trees planted with bio urns…
Red Maple
The Red Maple symbolizes strength, intelligence and beauty. It’s a hardy tree that has an extremely wide growing area – it can be found thriving in the colder regions of the Northeast to warmer regions in Southern Florida. The red maple is also an intelligent tree and can adapt its root system to the soil type where it is planted. For example, in wet soil its roots will grow long laterally with short taproots and then in dry conditions it will grow short lateral roots with long taproots. In addition, the red maple shows its beauty year-round – from its striking red flowers displayed in the Spring to large and healthy green leaves in the Summer months, to red fruit and amazing shades of red, yellow and orange leaves in the Fall. For these reasons, The Living Urn’s red maple urn is one of the most popular trees families choose to grow a living memory!'
Dogwood
Dogwood trees are another favorite of families who plant a living memorial and are commonly believed to symbolize loyalty, safety and determination. The striking white, pink, or red flowers displayed by this tree family are truly a sight to see. The dogwoods are low-branching four season trees that can serve as an excellent colorful contracts to evergreen backgrounds. Its glossy red fruit are a favorite by songbirds when ripened in the Fall. They grow in many regions throughout the U.S. and are commonly referenced in many Christian writings throughout history. Its flowers can form a ‘perfect cross’ and many associate the dogwood tree with Easter as a tree of renewal and new beginnings.
Crape Myrtle
Crape Myrtle trees symbolize love, longevity, beauty and good fortune and is a symbol of marriage in a number of cultures. Some varieties are smaller trees that don’t require as much space as other tree options. Depending on the type selected, the crape myrtle can display vibrant pink, red, white, or purple colors! Its flowers are considered by many to be sacred to Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and it can be found growing and thriving in many parts of the U.S., especially the Southern states.
Flowering Cherry
Flowering Cherry trees symbolize rebirth, beauty and the brilliance of life. The annual blooms it produces are claimed by many to be some of the most beautiful in the world. Their symbol of rebirth dates back to agriculture reproduction in Japan starting in the 700s. The flowering cherry trees can be found at our Nation’s capital and are a must-see destination for thousands of people each year.
Oak
Oak trees symbolize wisdom, longevity and strength – commonly known as “the king of trees”. They can live and thrive for hundreds of years and grow into large stately sights. With such strong symbolism, the oak is the national tree of a number of nations, including the United States, England and Germany. Some types are slow growers, but during that time establish a foundation that can stand the test of time. Oak wood was a favorite of early shipbuilding in the U.S. starting in the 1700s due to its strength and ability to survive treacherous conditions. The USS Constitution was constructed from oak and had great success fending off a bombardment of cannons during the War of 1812 later giving it the name ‘Old Ironsides’.
Willow
Willow trees symbolize nature, life, balance, fertility and harmony. The striking beauty of the willow is apparent in any landscape. It is a larger tree that requires a good amount of space. It was believed that the shade of a willow comforted Napoleon during his time of exile to St. Helena island. Napoleon was later buried under a willow, his favorite tree!
Bonsai
Bonsai trees symbolize wisdom, harmony, and longevity – the twists and turns of its branches represent age and the journey through time. Bonsais are another great option and are quickly growing in popularity, especially for families who don’t have a special place to plant a tree outdoors. These are grown with The Living Urn Indoors either indoors or on a patio. The Living Urn currently offers five different bonsai urn tree options to choose from. Alternatively, families can purchase The Living Urn Indoors and simply visit their local nursery to pick up a bonsai tree or house plant and follow the instructions provided to grow in the urn!
Common Questions
Still not sure on which tree to plant with your or your loved one’s ashes in a bio urn? No problem - many families are in this situation and will purchase The Living Urn with a voucher for a tree. With this, The Living Urn is shipped right away so the urn can be filled with your loved one’s ashes and stored in the bamboo casing for as long as desired until a decision is made on the tree type and date when you want it planted.
Do you know the tree type you want, but don’t know when or where to plant? Simply let The Living Urn know at time of ordering that you want to have your tree shipped on a certain date or held until further notice – the bio urn and planting system can ship right away and The Living Urn will wait to ship your tree until you are ready to plant!
Do you have another tree, plant, or flowers in mind that The Living Urn currently doesn’t offer? No problem – simply order a Living Urn without a tree, then visit your local nursery to pick up roses, other flowers, a shrub, or tree of your choice and follow the instructions provided to plant it in combination with The Living Urn! If you need help locating that favorite tree at a nursery near you, feel free to reach out to The Living Urn’s Denver-based customer service team at (800) 495-7022, ext. 0 – we’re here to help!
Do you want to plant multiple memory trees? This is becoming more and more common, as many families are choosing to divide up a loved one’s ashes among siblings, relatives, or friends to grow multiple living tree memorials. For this reason, The Living Urn has developed the Family Tree Program - a perfect way for a family, who prefers multiple tree memorials, to honor a loved one!