Grave care on All Saints' Day
Preparatory work for grave maintenance on All Saints' Day
In many places, priests bless the graves on All Saints’ Day or All Souls’ Day and relatives visit the cemetery on All Saints’ Day. It is therefore traditional to decorate and replant the gravesites before going to the cemetery.
The holidays herald the start of the cold season at the beginning of November. Fresh grave planting must survive the winter and be protected from snow and frost.
You should start tending the grave several weeks before All Saints’ Day and remove the summer plants. Give the new greenery time to take root so that it survives the winter better. Perennials need pruning so that the young shoots are robust enough to withstand night frosts. Pruning is recommended from the end of August.
Before replanting the grave, it is important to prepare the soil. Healthy plant growth requires loose soil that allows water to pass through. Most winter plants need an airy and nutrient-rich soil as a base. You can achieve this by spreading a handful of peat. Alternatively, there is special digging soil that is dyed black with soot.
As the grave plants, like all plants, need food, you can spread fine compost on the surface instead of black soil. This will fertilize the plants and give them a dark layer in one go. After planting, water them well. Then only water if it is dry.
A well-kept grave does not tolerate leaves lying around. Graves in the vicinity of trees are particularly affected. When collecting the dry leaves, you must be careful not to damage any plants, which means removing the leaves with care. If the grave is planted with ground cover, be sure to remove the autumn leaves, as rotting can easily occur.
When the ground starts to freeze, it is advisable to protect the planting. The best way to do this is to lay fir branches on the grave, which are suitable for the time of year.
…from as little as €50 per year.
- the initial arrangement of the grave
- the clearing after the funeral
- the leveling and maintenance of the temporary grave site
- the initial equipment of the permanent grave
- regular cleaning of the gravestone
- the regular planting of the grave
- year-round maintenance of the grave site
The costs of grave maintenance depend on the wishes and requirements of the customer. As a guide, they increase with the size of the gravesite to be maintained, the number of plants to be maintained and the increasing frequency of maintenance. As a rule, regular long-term maintenance can be carried out weekly, fortnightly, monthly or every six weeks.
The ideal winter plants for the grave
Before you eagerly start shopping and planting, you need to know which plants are suitable for the harsh season. The flowers should not only survive the holidays, but last for weeks. Hardy plants will give you long-lasting pleasure.
Here are a few tips for planting:
- Erika
- Calluna
- Mock berry
- Pansies
- Chrysanthemums
Heather or heather
Heather or heather is a grateful plant. The good thing about this robust plant is its flowering time. It starts flowering in November and the small flower buds last until May. However, the pink potted heather (Erica gracilis) is not hardy and does not tolerate severe frost. You need to protect it from the cold with fir branches.
Heather loves the sun, but can also tolerate partial shade if necessary. The color palette includes white, pink, red and purple flowers. The heather plants create a beautiful carpet of flowers on the grave. Erica is undemanding and ideal if you don’t have a lot of time to look after the grave. It is best planted in September or October on a thick layer of peat or rhododendron soil. Rhododendron fertilizer is suitable, but you can do without fertilizer in winter.
Calluna or broom heather
The Lüneburg Heath owes its carpet of flowers not to the heathers, but to the genus Calluna. The summer or broom heather (Calluna vulgaris) is frost-hardy and does not require winter protection. There are many varieties with different flowering times and colors. Another form is the bud heather, which never really blooms. It does not fade and retains its charm even at sub-zero temperatures.
Summer heather loves peaty and well-drained soil. It should not dry out, so water it occasionally on cold days. The broom heather is now also available without buds, and its colorful foliage makes it stand out.
Mock berry or partridge berry
A grave can also be designed without flowering plants. The false berry (Gaultheria procumbens) forms red berries in late spring, which stand out from the dark green foliage in winter.
Pansies
Pansies are very frugal on the grave. They belong to the violet family and impress with their variety of colors. The horned violet is particularly hardy. Pansies prefer partial shade, but also get used to the sun. They rarely need fertilizer as their nutrient consumption is low. As a mountain plant, horned violets tolerate frost.
Pansies symbolize modesty and horned violets with their small flowers are very popular for graves.
Chrysanthemums
Chrysanthemums (Chrysanthemum) are particularly suitable for grave care on All Saints’ Day. Chrysanthemums bloom when the days get shorter. They shy away from full sun and darkness, so a bright spot is best. However, not all varieties are hardy.
When it comes to grave decorations, flowers have a certain symbolic effect. The chrysanthemum stands for “eternal life”.
Flower arrangements and grave lights for All Saints' Day
Decorating the grave in a special way on All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day shows respect for the dead. The bereaved show that the dead still live in their hearts with elaborate grave arrangements on All Saints’ Day. Grave arrangements for All Saints’ Day are particularly effective on grave slabs or ground cover. Grave decorations for All Saints’ Day are available from cemetery nurseries. Of course, you can make your own unusual grave arrangements for All Saints’ Day. It is advisable to determine the location on the grave beforehand and to estimate the size of the arrangement.
Red grave candles complement the grave bouquet. Bronze lanterns and grave candles with lids protect the flame even in wind and rain.
The soul lights were originally for the lost souls in purgatory so that they could find their way back to their bodies. Today, it rather refers to the resurrection of the dead and God’s word “I am the light of the world”.
Professional grave care
Grave care is time-consuming and you have to start in good time, not just shortly before All Saints’ Day. For many relatives, it is not even possible to look after the grave. They would like to pay their respects to the deceased, but sometimes they live too far away to ensure proper grave maintenance. Or due to health restrictions, care is often not possible for older people in particular.
In this case, it is advisable to organize professional grave care. Cemetery gardeners or local nurseries often offer such a service. However, many relatives shy away from this because they are afraid of not having the necessary financial means.
In this case, Grabhelfer.de can help. We look after your grave throughout Germany and not just on All Saints’ Day, but for any occasion. We can prepare your grave for your birthday, Christmas or the anniversary of your death. In addition to one-off grave maintenance, we also take care of your gravesite on a permanent basis. We work exclusively with professional local gardeners, florists, stonemasons and landscape gardeners.
The costs of grave maintenance depend on the size of the grave and the frequency of maintenance – grave maintenance does not have to be expensive.
