For 300,000+ years, humans have honored the life and death of loved ones with funeral ritual. That is a long time, and there is good reason for it. Funeral rites serve the living by bringing closure, initiating the healing process, and helping us face the pain of loss with community support. In the US and much of the developed world, the past 100 years have led to the institutionalization of funerals and burials. With this, we have unknowingly given up an integral human tradition, and in turn we are missing out on the healing power it provides. By embracing the sacred duty of after-care, we fully experience the transition of our loved one. The unknown becomes a little more familiar. Moving on becomes easier when we have given one last gift of kindness and loving attention.
Green burial encourages us all to get back in there, to honor our dead with as much hands-on participation as we can muster. Depending on your situation, family and friends may be able to dig or fill in the grave, carry the casket to the grave site, wash and dress the body, or keep the body at home for an intimate and moving funeral service. Smaller personal touches also add meaning. Family may paint or decorate the casket or shroud, share readings, stories and song. There are probably as many unique ways to honor these lives as there are unique individuals living them. For help and inspiration with planning and participating in a meaningful and fulfilling send off, see FAQ / Pre-Planning and if it feels like a good fit, Green Renewal Caskets would like to help you include a seed ceremony into your plans.
GRC Seed Pack
A packet of native wildflower seeds is included as a gift with every GRC casket. Our hope is that these seeds will be planted in honor of a loved one and will symbolize the life that is being released from the body and given back to the land. Here are some ideas for how to use these seeds in a ritual to honor your loved one:
- Plant seeds atop a grave* during or after the burial ceremony
- Scatter seeds along the person of honor’s favorite hiking trail.
- Plant seeds in a personal or community garden as a memento of the deceased and as a way to continue to remember and care for them.
- Use seeds to teach children about the cycle of life and help them understand the loss of their loved one.
- Readings, song, dance, prayer, moments of reflection, etc. can be incorporated into seed ceremonies to reflect the individual and their community.
*please check with your cemetery for rules regarding grave plantings
Green Renewal Caskets’ seed mix is produced by Prairie Moon Nursery in Winona, MN. Each seed packet contains the following custom made mix of wildflower seeds that are native to the upper Midwest. These are prairie species, adaptable to various conditions including dry rocky soils and will need a mostly sunny location to grow and flower.
If scattering along a trail or other natural area ~ try to avoid places where the existing vegetation is thick. Seedlings will have a hard time competing and becoming established. In general, scattering seeds without prepping the ground will yield relatively low germination.
If planting seeds in a garden bed or other tended location ~ prep your site by removing any weeds and loosening the top inch of soil. Spread seeds and pat them into the ground to keep from losing them to wind or rain. A light covering of straw can also help keep them in place. Water them in. Some of these plant species need a cold period before they will germinate, so autumn is a good time to plant. Then just wait till spring, keeping an eye on your site to water during dry periods. Your first year growth won’t look like much, but patience is your friend here. With the exception of black eyed susan and partridge pea which may flower their first year, expect the seeds in your packet to take 2-3 years to get big enough to flower.
If you like, here’s a more in depth article on starting a wildflower meadow from seed from University of New Hampshire Extension.
- agastache foeniculum- ANISE HYSSOP
- asclepias tuberosa- BUTTERFLY WEED
- Chamaecrista fasciculata- PARTRIDGE PEA
- dalea purpurea- PURPLE PRAIRIE CLOVER
- echinacea pallida- PALE PURPLE CONEFLOWER
- echinacea purpurea- PURPLE CONEFLOWER
- heliopsis helianthoides- EARLY SUNFLOWER
- Parthenium integrifolium- WILD QUININE
- penstemon grandiflorus- SHOWY BEARDTONGUE
- ratibida columnifera- LONG-HEADED CONEFLOWER
- rudbeckia hirta- BLACK-EYED SUSAN
- symphyotrichum sericeum- SILKY ASTER
- tradescantia ohiensis- OHIO SPIDERWORT
- verbena stricta- HOARY VERVAIN
Anise Hyssop – photo courtesy of Prairie Moon Nursery, Winona, MN 
Butterfly Weed – photo courtesy of Prairie Moon Nursery, Winona, MN 
Partridge Pea – photo courtesy of Prairie Moon Nursery, Winona, MN 
Purple Prairie Clover – photo courtesy of Prairie Moon Nursery, Winona, MN 
Pale Purple Coneflower – photo courtesy of Prairie Moon Nursery, Winona, MN 
Purple Coneflower – photo courtesy of Prairie Moon Nursery, Winona, MN 
Early Sunflower – photo courtesy of Prairie Moon Nursery, Winona, MN 
Wild Quinine – photo courtesy of Prairie Moon Nursery, Winona, MN 
Showy Beardtongue – photo courtesy of Prairie Moon Nursery, Winona, MN 
Long-Headed Coneflower – photo courtesy of Prairie Moon Nursery, Winona, MN 
Black Eyed Susan – photo courtesy of Prairie Moon Nursery, Winona, MN 
Silky Aster – photo courtesy of Prairie Moon Nursery, Winona, MN 
Ohio Spiderwort- photo courtesy of Prairie Moon Nursery, Winona, MN 
Hoary Vervain – photo courtesy of Prairie Moon Nursery, Winona, MN
