Plants for memorial area

This is my first post as I'm new to the forum so hello to everyone. I'm looking for suggestions regarding plants that could be used on a memorial area for my dad at a crematorium. I would like three shrubs in total and they need to be:

- hardy
- one needs to have winter interest
- suitable for a windy(ish) site
- low maintenance
- drought resistant
- not too unruly so would need to withstand hard pruning and not get too big in the first place (up to a metre tall)

Ideally I would like Rosemary, Lavender and another shrub. I've been thinking of Mahonia. Does anyone know of any Rosemary, Lavender and Mahonia that would be possible? If not Mahonia, any other recommendations or suggestions?

Thank you in advance.

 

That’s a lovely idea for a memorial @BezzaDougal. Sorry for your loss.

My thoughts re the Lavender and Rosemary is that both require a sunny spot with well draining soil so I would check the spot for that or they won’t thrive. A Mahonia prefers a bit of shade and a richer soil in my experience.

If there are other planted areas on the site, maybe have a look to see what works well. If it’s at the crematorium, they may be able to help with suggestions.

If you are looking for evergreens then maybe look at Hebes, Heathers or Skimmias. A rose might work well, but would be a bit bare for half the year.

I hope you find something suitable and fitting.

 

Provided the site is sunny and well drained, a shrubby salvia like Amethyst Lips would be a possibility, becoming drought tolerant once established. It flowers profusely with bicoloured purple flowers and the leaves have a pleasant blackcurrant scent. There are other varieties like Cherry Lips (scarlet) and Hot Lips (red).

 

I think Mahonia might be ruled out on the grounds that it's extremely prickly, but the rosemary and lavender are possibilities.
A lot of Crematoria have rules and regulations as to what can and can't be planted so it might be worth checking if you haven't already done so.
Could you give a general idea of the location of the Crematorium please? It might help with suggestions if it's in the North or South of the country .

 

Thank you so much for coming back to me. I think the spot would be sunny as it's quite exposed up there, but we live close by and lavender and rosemary does well in our garden (as does Mahonia). Your other suggestions are good too although we have a Skimmia in our garden and it never looks particularly healthy so maybe the soil isn't suited to it. A winter flowering heather would look lovely though and would attract pollinators. Great ideas, thank you.

 

Thank you for the suggestion. I hadn't thought of Salvia, but I like the fact that its name is derived from the Latin for 'safe'. Thank you.

 

Yes, I've checked already as I was originally under the impression that I would have to go with the choices they have at the crematorium - rose, salix, Red Robin. Nothing wrong with those plants, of course, and Red Robin would look good, but my dad enjoyed sitting in the garden and watching the bees on the lavender and rosemary and I thought that the bees would continue into the winter with the Mahonia. The crematorium has confirmed that we can choose our own planting (within reason on eventual height of the shrub). I still need to speak to them about possible choices so they may object, but I'm getting some ideas together first. We're in Kent - Hawkinge. Thank you.

 

Thank you - I'll have a look at what's out there. Thank you for the suggestion.

 

If you like Mahonia, there are some compact varieties like M. "Volcano" which has flower buds in October and November and spineless leaves. It will cope with sun as well as shade. M. "Soft Caress" is another compact, spine free variety.

 

I hadn't heard of Mahonia Volcano and I've just had a look at it. It looks lovely. "Soft Caress" is one I'd come across before, also nice. I was keen on the spineless ones and then read that rabbits are partial to them (probably they're not as keen on the spiky leaved ones!). The crematorium has a lot of rabbits running around so I didn't want to tempt fate.

 

You'd be safer with aromatics like lavender, rosemary and sage (salvia) @BezzaDougal which should all be fine in your location.

 

A salvia I would recommend is "Royal Bumble".
From personal experience I've found it to be a really good flowering variety. As you are in Kent, you might be interested in Dysons nursery, they are salvia specialists .
Dyson's Nurseries: specialists in growing Salvias in Kent

 

Royal Bumble is a good one too. Dyson’s don’t stock this or any of the Lips series unfortunately. Other less well known varieties can be borderline hardy and require winter protection so be sure to check the RHS hardiness rating.

 

Thank you for both the plant suggestion and the mention of Dyson's as well. I'll have a look. I've never grown Salvia before in my own garden, but I know that they're long flowering and so pretty too.