When a good friend of mine lost a loved one a few weeks ago, I struggled to find a way to honor the departed — who was an avid nature lover and caretaker of Earth — with a memorial that he wouldn’t feel was “wasteful” (such as flowers).
I was thrilled when I found TreeGivers.com, a company that will plant a tree for you in any U.S. state and many other countries. A memorial tree planting comes with a customizable sympathy card, a beautiful explanatory sympathy letter, and official certificate of planting (which can optionally be framed). They even have a package for pet memorials, which is a wonderful idea and a unique way to honor a lost pet.
On a brighter note, TreeGivers will also plant trees in honor of birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, Mother’s Day, Christmas, and just about any occasion you can imagine. What a wonderful way to give a gift that also gives back to nature!
If you can’t afford to use a company like TreeGivers, still keep the tree idea in mind for a future occasion when you can’t find the perfect gift. You can easily go to your local nursery or home improvement store and buy small trees (or order them online ). Plant a tree in your own yard or give a seedling to a friend to plant in his yard. This is an especially good idea for a new home owner who might not have a lot of trees planted yet (flowering shrubs or bushes are also a nice idea). You can even plant an evergreen tree seedling
