There are many cemetery options and personalized memorials for those choosing cremation, and they can be made to be as unique as the person being honoured. A cremation garden offers a peaceful final resting place, as well as a place for friends and family to remember and reflect for generations to come.

A Dignity Memorial^® professional can walk you through every step of the planning process, so you can make an informed decision about your or your loved one’s cremation resting place. From inurnment options to scattering gardens, there are choices that suit personal preferences and family traditions.

What is a cremation garden?

A cremation garden is an area of a cemetery set aside especially for those who choose cremation. It might include a simple community lawn with small plots for urn burials, a park-like area with paths dotted with cremation benches and boulders designed to hold cremated remains (or "ashes"), a large, green lawn with columbaria, cremation monuments and a scattering garden, or it could be a scattering garden enclosed by rosebushes. Many memorial parks have a variety of options for creating a place of remembrance.

Cremation burial options

Ground burial spaces are individual burial plots for cremation containers that can be marked with a customized marker or headstone, just like a casket burial plot.

From pictures to favourite verses, there are endless possibilities for customization of cremation monuments and markers to showcase the personalities of the people they are built to honour.

Cremation benches are granite benches are typically laser-etched with names, dates, mottos and more. Typically, you can choose the granite colour for the bench and the metal for the marker. To learn more about cremation benches, read our cemetery property guide.

Columbaria are structures (large or small) that house cremation niches where individual urns or other cremation containers are placed. They are sealed with granite, glass or bronze and can be engraved with personal information. More information about columbaria and cremation niches can be found in our helpful guide.

A scattering garden is a designated area in a cemetery where cremated remains are meant to be scattered. There is usually a wall or scroll with the names and dates of the individuals whose remains have been scattered there. Families often choose to scatter a portion of their loved one’s remains in a cemetery scattering garden even if their loved one wished to be scattered in a personally meaningful location, like an ocean or forest. That way, the scattering garden gives the family a permanent and accessible place to remember, reflect and share with future generations.