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I have decided that I am going to make a little memory garden in my backyard. It is basically just going to be a kidney shaped area with a stone border. I am placing a small bench just outside the border, with memory stones on the inside. They will just have the first name of the person they represent, with their birth and death year dates only.

I have gathered all of the stones for engraving, and went to a monument company in a small nearby town to discuss price. One place said they would do it for $55 per stone. Well, I have 13 stones, so I decided against that. I’m not trying to stress myself out with a high cost the other place that I went to said that they could not help me because they used sandblasting, and that because of the type of stones I had chosen, it would just damage them, and not look nice.

So I’m wondering about finding someone with really nice handwriting and seeing if I could have their name and dates drawn on the stones. I’m having trouble imagining that in my mind. Would that look really cheesy?

I’m not trying to make a bunch of work for myself, so as of now, I don’t have plans of planting flowers or foliage of any kind. I was just going to remove the grass and heavily mulch the area.

Anyone ever done anything like this? Or maybe you can picture things in your mind better than me? I am just wanting a very low-key place to just go and sit in the mornings… Hang out with memories a little bit. Not wanting it to be anything dramatic.

Any of you creative people have any ideas?

I’m also using Stones because I have to consider my five dogs running around in the yard tearing up any lovely plantings I might have. 😏

What a nice idea! My aunt used to paint smooth stones she collected from the lakeshore, but I guess it could be tricky...

Only thought I had is "Hopefully you don't have to deal with quackgrass!" That type of grass sends underground runners out, over, under and between every obstacle humans can put down! If you do have it, be prepared to use grass killer spray several times a season (not the kind of herbicide that kills everything, just the kind that stops grass growing). I have only been able to have my garden beds by diligently patrolling invasive grasses. Birds do their part, too, dropping little weed seeds as they scratch for grit!

And one other comment from experience: this may be the kind of project that "grows on you" over time, socdon't be surprised!

What about engraveable name plates that you could just affix to the rocks somehow? Much cheaper to do, but I don't know what you'd use to affix them.

Maybe find a place that does customized name stickers and decopage them on the rocks?

I think a memory garden is a beautiful idea.

Sounds lovely, WhatsRight. What a beautiful idea.

How about ordering customized stencils and spray or brush paint names/dates on the rocks? Choose stencil fonts and paint color schemes that appeal. If weather is harsh in your area, spraying with a clear matte top coat after the stenciling dries could be a good idea to protect the paint. Etsy is one source for customized stencils. Search "custom stencil" and lots of vendors will pop up.

Online sources out there (like Etsy - search "customized stones") will customize, carve or paint their rocks to your specifications. Which could get pricey but may be less expensive than $55.00 per stone. Depends on size of stone, how much carving or painting involved. If that works, maybe use the gathered stones for the border or to build up areas for some dimension? Or mound some around bench legs to tie the bench in with the stone area.

Have a river rock area in my yard. Suggest laying down neutral colored permeable landscape fabric before laying the stones to keep weeds from popping up in the cracks! Which they will unless steps are taken to prevent them getting a toehold.. Seems prudent to avoid having to move stones around to weed. If you don't like the look of landscape fabric peeking out between stones you could put down a layer of pea gravel, pebbles or organic mulch on top of the landscape fabric before placing the stones. In my experience, pea gravel/pebbles provides a longer lasting and tidier looking base than organic mulch.A mix of pebble sizes mixed with some pea gravel in colors that make sense with the stone coloring could lend a natural/cohesive look. But whatever surface works best for you and the dogs will look great! Places like Home Depot or Lowes could even deliver your supplies.

Hope this helps!

[This message edited by BoundaryBuilder at 11:59 PM, Sunday, May 11th]