We are blessed to live in a time where we are no-longer limited to memorialising our lost ones in the same ways as our forebears did 100 years ago, and now there is an incredible & every-growing range of beautiful, unique and special ways we can remember those we have lost.
After suffering loss & being unable to find a meaningful, natural way to remember his loved one, David Holmes added to this growing range, setting-up Ashes to Blooms.
The service take 50g of the ashes of a loved one, which is combined with a combination of UK native wildflower seeds & other natural ingredients to create bespoke seed balls. Families can choose the flower varieties used, whether their own favourites or those that remind them of the one they have lost. Ashes to Blooms also offers a range of specially-selected seed mixes, suited to different soil types, as it wants to make sure that everyone gets the best results. Customers are then able to plant their bespoke memorial seed balls in a special place, and watch their wildflower memorial grow.
After losing his brother, Andrew, David and his family planted Andrew’s seedballs in their gardens and in planters on their balconies, and he has since been growing with them, each summer. David describes the pleasure in being able to tend and water his brother’s flowers, which he says feels like an act of care & ongoing connection.
The service is now available directly from Ashes to Blooms, and from a network of over 300 funeral directors & crematoria, across the UK. Since 2024, the business has launched its bespoke animal service, Pet Ashes to Blooms, which has been incredibly popular. Also launched last year, Ashes to Blooms now offers seedball-making kits, so that families can make their own seed balls, using their loved one’s ashes. David describes this as an affordable, special and intimate way to remember your loved one, and to come together to craft your own wildflower memorial.