Cremation Ashes Scattering

Inspiration for Cremation Ashes Scattering

The final resting place for a loved one’s ashes is a deeply personal choice. These days, there are many possibilities from beautiful natural burial grounds and stone barrows, to scattering ashes at sea – or even in space! Here are a few ideas, we hope you find something that feels right for you and those you love.

Stone Barrows

Set in beautiful locations, stone barrows offer a peaceful and uplifting location for a ceremony and as a final resting place for a loved one’s ashes. Urns are placed in niches inside the traditional-styled barrows. These niches can have customised cover plates, made of stained glass, metal, or other materials.

To find out more, please go to Burial Mounds & Stone Barrows.

Outside Sacred Stones Soulton Long Barrow in Shropshire

The niches inside a Sacred Stones barrow

Outside Holly Barrow at The Lost Village of Dode

Natural Burial Grounds and Remembrance Parks

There are many beautiful natural burial grounds and remembrance parks throughout the UK where ashes can be laid to rest. Set in woodlands, wildflower meadows, and open fields, they provide peaceful spaces to reflect and remember.

For further information, please go to Woodland & Natural Burial Grounds and Cemeteries & Remembrance Parks.

Bluebell Woods and family nooks at Granville’s Wood

Woodland and parkland at GreenAcres Colney Living Memorial Park

Rolling hills overlooking the sea at Atlantic Rest Natural Burial

Light, open spaces and beautiful grounds at Old Park Meadow Natural Burial Ground

Planting a Tree or Plant with Ashes

Cremation ashes can be combined with soil to grow a tree or plant in commemoration of a loved one. If a plant, or small tree, is kept in a pot it is more versatile in terms of location and can be moved around if required.

However, ashes have a high PH and levels of sodium and so to provide a better growing environment it is best to mix the ashes with a specially blended soil. You can also get special urns that have a unique planting system designed to grow a tree created with cremation ashes. Over time, the biodegradable urn breaks down allowing the tree to integrate with the surrounding soil.

For further ideas, please go to our Inspiration page for Memorial Plants, Trees & Seeds.

Creating a Garden Memorial

A garden memorial can be created at home, or in a special location, with a loved one’s ashes scattered amongst beautiful flowers and plants. Alternatively, ashes can be combined with a special blend of wildflower seeds, creating wildflower seed balls that can be planted when you are ready. A memorial bench can provide a peaceful space within the garden to reflect and remember.

Ashes to Blooms creates seed balls from a variety of wildflower seeds

Double memorial chairs by Classic Memorial Benches

Scattering at Sea

For someone who had an affinity with the ocean, there are some wonderful companies that can provide both attended or unattended ashes scattering ceremonies at sea. These can be live-streamed for family and friends watching on shore or at home.

Biodegradable urns, which come in many unusual shapes and sizes, can be gently lowered in to the water, where they will eventually sink and dissolve.

An ex-RNLI boat for ashes scattering ceremonies at sea by Wesley Offshore

A biodegradable shell urn from Scattering Ashes

Beach Scattering

A name or personal message can be written in the sand with a loved one’s ashes, to be gently washed away when the tide rises. It is best to do this early in the morning or later in the day when the beaches are quiet.

Ashes Scattering Tubes

Scatter tubes provide a container for the ashes and can help make scattering easier. Many are biodegradable and can be customised with designs or photographs.

Ashes In To Space or Scattered by Drone

For more adventurous souls, ashes can be scattered in to space up to 100,000 feet above the earth with a biodegradable space balloon. The ashes spend the next 3–6 months travelling around the globe before they return to Earth as raindrops and snowflakes across the world. How wonderful!

Or, in a similar theme, ashes can be taken up in to the sky in a drone and released over the sea or in a favourite location.

For adventurous souls, ashes can be scattered in to space by Aura Flights!

Aerial Ashes can scatter ashes by drone in a place that they loved

Fireworks Display

Ashes can be incorporated in to memorial fireworks to create a colourful and uplifting commemoration of love and life.

Ceremonies & Rituals

A ceremony or celebration of life can he held at the time of the ashes scattering, maybe including singing, live music, readings, or prayers. Some cultures or religions have their own traditional ceremonies or rituals. For example, buddhists sometimes release ashes in to a river while saying prayers, whilst a water burial may include ashes being set adrift on a small wooden boat.

Important things to Consider When Scattering Ashes

There are a few things to consider when you are scattering ashes. Ashes are sterile, with a high PH and high levels of sodium. So do make sure you comply with local rules and regulations and be mindful of the environment. Ashes can be mixed with a specially blended soil to make them a more gentle environment for surrounding trees and plants.

Find Further Helpful Information About Final Resting Places for Ashes

If you would like information about possible final resting places for ashes, please go to the whiteballoon information section for Final Resting Place for the Ashes.

Find Providers in the whiteballoon Community

To find individuals and organisations that can help you with ashes scatterings, or final resting places for ashes, please go to our Provider sections for Coffins, Urns and Ashes or Funeral Locations.