Hardy plants for cemeteries: what to plant in a pot on a grave?

Shrubs or bushes for evergreen foliage and/or flowering.

Evergreen foliage plants provide year-round presence, a welcome addition to a cemetery. Their compact habit and resilience make them essential for pots displayed on a grave.

Heathers

To brighten a grave, the heathers are a safe bet, among the most popular plants… but not only for All Saints’ Day, the date when they are usually sold in bulk at garden centres! Their colorful flowers, their compact pot habit and their evergreen foliage ensure a strong winter display with Erica, but by mixing different varieties (Calluna and Daboecia for summer, Erica for winter), it is possible to obtain an elegant and durable pot, with little watering required. Resistant to cold as well as sun, they adapt well to small containers and require very little watering, but they require heath soil at planting. I recommend reading Virginie D.’s favourites, in “5 Heathers in pots, my little collection”, and to pair them with other plants.

Thymes

The creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum) is a very decorative aromatic plant. Its creeping habit, evergreen foliage and discreet, but melliferous, flowering make it a plant that is both useful, understated and aesthetic. It settles readily in shallow pots, even when exposed to full sun and wind, without requiring regular maintenance.

Potentillas

Shrubby potentillas (Potentilla fruticosa) also deserve our attention to brighten a grave, provided you choose compact varieties. They offer real advantages for pot culture on a grave, especially in sunny situations. Their foliage, often semi-persistent (or evergreen in mild climates), remains decorative for much of the year. But it’s their long flowering period, from May to October, which makes them a very popular plant in cemeteries with flowers in pure white, pale yellow, pink or orange depending on the cultivars.

Potentilla for pots (potentillas for pots) tolerate full sun, poor substrates and missed watering. They display good hardiness, an excellent drought tolerance and require only light annual pruning to maintain a compact habit. The dwarf varieties such as ‘Abbotswood’ (white flowers) or ‘Pink Beauty’ are particularly well suited to small pots or grave planters.

Lonicera and Dwarf Euonymus

Finally, the Lonicera nitida dwarf form, such as ‘Purple Storm’, keeps a fine and dense foliage, perfect for a miniature topiary in a pot. Dwarf euonymus also form pretty cushions of green or variegated leaves, resistant to cold, sun and drought, and some compact Hebe, though sometimes frost-prone, can suit sheltered or temperate areas: their dense foliage provides a very ornamental texture.

Lonicera nitida ‘Purple Storm’, Potentilla ‘Abbotswood’, and Calluna vulgaris

Spring and autumn bulbs

spring-flowering bulbs or autumn, which naturally enter summer dormancy, are perfectly suited to cemetery pots, particularly in hot regions or when care is irregular. These plants, whose natural cycle is opposite to periods of high heat, are indeed a good choice for tombs that are watered sparingly in summer. They pair well with deciduous plants that will wake up at the same time as their dormancy.

Narcisses, crocus, muscaris, chionodoxas or botanical tulips will be planted in autumn in shallow pots. They tolerate container cultivation very well and offer a natural flowering from the end of winter. After flowering, their foliage dries naturally in spring and the bulbs go into rest for the entire summer, a period during which they do not fear either drought or high heat. Just leave the pot in place, without maintenance, until the return of the next vegetative cycle.

The colchicums, the Naples cyclamen (Cyclamen hederifolium) are perfect as autumn-flowering bulbs and tubers suited to cemeteries. They are content with a well-drained substrate. Hardy cyclamen, in particular, produce ornamental marbled foliage that persists all winter, before a summer dormancy.

Narcissi, hardy cyclamen, Chionodoxa and colchicums

Fleshy and succulent plants

Hardy succulent plants, such as houseleeks (Sempervivum) or ground-cover sedums such as Sedum spurium, are perfectly suited to extreme conditions often found in cemeteries: heat, drought, containers that are usually shallow and lack irrigation. Their fleshy foliage, sometimes tinged red or blue-green, is robust and forms a graphic and structured silhouette all year round. Some sedum varieties also provide a light, colourful summer flowering, extending the visual appeal of these potted displays. In the south, compact agaves and Mangaves will also perform well.

Consider them for a change from the more traditional plants mentioned above. All these plants are, of course, particularly recommended for cemeteries subjected to significant summer heat, as in all southern regions of the country, and not in regions with high rainfall where excess water would cause them to rot.

Houseleeks on the left and right, sedums

Dwarf Conifers: Beware!

Garden centres often stock dwarf conifers, very tempting for cemetery planters… Be careful, because even though they tolerate growing in pots quite well in the early years, their root system, although slow to develop, ends up suffering from the cramped confines of the container, especially if watering is irregular or neglected. In addition, root overheating in a plastic or dark-coloured pot, combined with a poor potting mix, can quickly cause irreversible drying out. There are plenty of other sustainable alternatives, as we have just seen.

Pot material choice for the cemetery

One final important tip concerns the choice of pot material. It is crucial for the longevity of cemetery plantings, especially when left unattended for long periods. Constraints vary according to climate and exposure.

• In humid and oceanic regions such as Brittany or the north-west, it is best to opt for natural or glazed terracotta pots, provided they are frost-proof. Terracotta is breathable, which helps limit excess moisture around the roots, especially in winter. However, if the pot is exposed to heavy rain followed by frost, avoid plain, untreated terracotta pots, which are prone to cracking.
• In hot and dry regions, the priority is to prevent overheating of the roots. Pots made of reconstituted stone, light mineral concrete, thick terracotta or mineral fibre are well suited, as they insulate better from solar radiation. Conversely, pots made of dark plastic or black resin heat up very quickly, which burns the roots in summer, especially in full sun exposure. It is better to avoid them in these contexts.

Zinc or metal troughs overheat too quickly and cause thermal shocks. Also avoid glazed pottery that retains moisture well, but can be heavy and, above all, expensive to replace in the event of impact or theft.

Finally, whatever the material, it is essential to choose a container with drainage holes at the bottom, at least 15 to 25 cm deep depending on the plants, and ideally elevated (legs, spacers or a draining saucer) to avoid direct contact with the soil of the vault or the monument, a possible source of stagnant moisture.