06/03/2026
Elmwood Cemetery Cradle Gardeners have been working to bring beauty and joy to visitors for 8 years now, and Melissa Monaghan and Nikki Gentry are a part of the group. What’s a cradle garden? It’s an oval-shaped stone placed on top of a gravesite that was at one time intended to act like a miniature memorial garden. The family of the deceased would plant it with lilies, iris, roses, or ivy. They would tend to these gardens when they visited the cemetery weekly.
But modern life doesn’t lend itself to frequent cemetery visits. Over time, the estimated 2,500 cradles in Elmwood Cemetery emptied of flowers.
In 2018, Elmwood staff contacted 3 generous cradle gardeners to pilot a volunteer gardening program. Thanks to Ruth Martin, Susie Smith, and Peggy Young, the program was successful, and the following year registration was opened to a larger group.
Melissa and Nikki were among the new recruits who have given their time and talents to the cradle gardening program for years now. We hope you’ll read below their thoughts on gardening the Edrington lot in the Lenow Circle section of Elmwood.
“What originally drew us to this spot was definitely Mrs. Sara and her headless statue. At first, we weren’t sure whether the statue had become headless because of vandalism or weather-related damage, but we later found out it was due to weather. The way her body is standing feels very serene, almost as if she is reaching out to tap you on the shoulder and say hello. There was a bit of a macabre and desolate feeling at first, especially with how dirty the headstones and statues were when we began. Now, after cleaning them and planting flowers, I feel like serenity reigns supreme.
We originally started by working on the three cradles in front: Mrs. Eugenia, Mrs. Sara, and Mr. William Edgrington. The following year, we decided to work on all the cradles in the family lot so that everyone received a little bit of love. That led us to include Mr. Simpson Tate and little Emily as well.
Over time, we planted lilies of different varieties, hostas, gerbera daisies, petunias, buttercups, ajuga, zinnias, and a few others. These are the plants that seem to be doing their best.
The lilies we chose represent motherhood, death, and remembrance. Mrs. Sara and Mrs. Eugenia were mothers who deserved to be remembered. We also liked that lilies are perennial flowers that come back year after year. There is something comforting about seeing them return each spring and bloom again. To us, they symbolize not only remembrance, but also renewal. Their beauty seemed like a fitting tribute to the women whose graves we care for. Though we never knew them in life, caring for their graves has given us a sense of connection to them and a desire to ensure they are not forgotten.”
Thank you, Melissa and Nikki, for your dedication to gardening at Elmwood.
