Memorial Garden at East Shore Unitarian Church
The Memorial Garden is an area of the church grounds set aside for reflection, healing, and peace to connect spiritually with the natural world and remember those who have passed away. This year has been a challenging one for everyone as we social distance, worry about our loved ones and may be experiencing loss or illness ourselves. Members and friends are encouraged to respectfully stroll the garden paths, sit on benches and enjoy the beauty and peace the Memorial Garden has to offer (currently social distancing and masks are required).
Memorial plants, which are native to this area, can be selected to honor loved ones. A private service may be arranged to scatter the ashes of a loved one who has died. Each memorial plant is tagged with the name of the deceased and a name plate is added to the Memorial Plaque in the sanctuary. If you have questions or would like to honor a loved one or select a memorial plant please email Connie Hirnle, Memorial Garden Coordinator at [email protected].
How You Can Help
The Memorial Garden Ministry Team is a sub-group of the Ground Core Team which coordinates work parties to keep our grounds looking good. No extensive knowledge of plants is required and this is a great way to help our campus stay beautiful while enjoying nature. The Memorial Garden Ministry Team welcomes all who want to help. Contact Connie Hirnle, [email protected] if you are interested.
Plant of the Month
The Memorial Garden Ministry Team would like to highlight a different plant every month so that as you stroll through the garden you may be able to recognize some of our native plants. Our feature plant this month is the Red Flowering Currant (Ribes sanguineum). As you enter the Memorial Garden you will see 3 large shrubs that have dark pink flowers (see photo below). There is nothing that lifts spirits better than spring blossoms which often means that Winter is almost behind us. The Red Flowering Current also produces a dark purple berry that is a more tasty treat for the birds than for people.