Your guide to memorial gardens, eco-friendly memorials and natural burials

Australians love the great outdoors, so it makes sense that options like memorial gardens, natural burials and eco-friendly memorials are becoming an increasingly popular option for memorials.

These alternatives to traditional headstones or cemetery plots offer a more nature-based way to remember someone – whether it’s through a peaceful memorial garden, a biodegradable urn beneath a memorial tree, or a natural burial site that blends seamlessly into the surrounding landscape.

In this guide, we explore memorial gardens, natural burials, and eco-friendly memorial options. 

Whether you’re planning ahead or arranging a farewell for someone close to you, natural memorial options can offer a peaceful and meaningful alternative to traditional headstones and plaques.

In this guide, we explore memorial gardens, natural burials, and eco-friendly memorial options. 

Memorial gardens are dedicated garden-style sections within a memorial park. Many families see them as a softer, more tranquil alternative to traditional grave marker areas, as they are internationally landscaped with elements such as roses, native plants, flowering beds or shaded seating. 

Unlike traditional lawn or monumental sections, memorial gardens aren’t arranged in rows. Instead, individual memorial positions are integrated into the garden’s design, with plaques placed beside plantings, pathways or small landscaped features. Depending on the park, memorial gardens can be used for both burials and cremated remains. 

Landscaped memorial positions are individual memorial sites located within the wider landscape design of a memorial park. 

Rather than sitting within a formal garden bed or memorial garden area, these positions may be integrated into the park’s pathways, natural features and scenic spaces, such as beside trees, along walkways or near water features. These positions offer families the opportunity to choose a spot based on atmosphere, outlook or personal connection to a particular part of the park. 

Memorial trees are trees planted at the burial site or alongside cremated remains. Families can choose a dedicated position beside an existing tree or plant a new tree. In cremation settings, memorial trees are often paired with biodegradable urns that break down in the soil over time. 

Simone notes that memorial trees offer a comforting sense of continuity for families. “There’s something very special about a memorial that grows and changes with the seasons. Families often find comfort in knowing the tree will keep living on, even as the years pass.”

In a natural burial, the person is laid to rest in a biodegradable casket or shroud, and the site is intentionally kept free of traditional headstones. Instead, families may choose identifiable native plantings or subtle markets that sit quietly within the environment. These allow families to recognise where their loved ones are memorialised without adding headstones or other non-natural permanent markers.

InvoCare is actively developing natural burial grounds in NSW, with two new sites planned for 2026. These will be peaceful bushland-style spaces with no mowing or mechanical upkeep, allowing the sites to remain as natural as possible.

Eco-friendly memorials may include options such as biodegradable urns, tree plantings or conservation-focused garden areas. These spaces give families a way to honour a loved one while supporting the continued growth of the surrounding landscape. 

As InvoCare General Manager Simone Ravenscroft describes it, these natural settings allow people to be “at peace within native shrubbery and treescape,” creating an environment where families can walk, reflect or even picnic as part of their ongoing remembrance. 

Memorial gardens, eco-friendly memorials and natural burials offer a nature-based alternative to traditional headstones. Whether you’re drawn to the tranquillity of a landscaped garden, the symbolism of a memorial tree, or the simplicity of a natural burial, these memorials are an environmentally-friendly alternative to a traditional memorial. 

If you’re planning ahead or exploring options for a loved one, understanding what’s available can help you make choices that align with your values and preferences. Our specialists are here to support you, whenever you’re ready.