PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 8 — The Woodlands Cemetery in West Philadelphia has officially launched the 2024 Grave Gardener application period. Starting in January, nearby residents have the opportunity to apply for a volunteer role tending a cradle grave at the historic 54-acre cemetery. The application window extends through Wednesday, January 17, 2024.
Run by the small 5-person staff at The Woodlands, the popular volunteer program features 150 Grave Gardeners tending 215+ cradle graves. Founded in 2016, the model of The Woodlands Grave Gardeners has received international attention and has inspired cemeteries across the country to adopt grave-tending programs.
In the Victorian era, rural cemeteries like The Woodlands acted as public green spaces where families would gather.
Grave Gardens, also known as cradle graves, were popularized in the Victorian era, the same period as The Woodlands' founding in 1840. These decorative graves were originally designed to be planters which would have been established and maintained by the family of the deceased. The Woodlands Grave Gardeners are reintroducing this practice by pairing volunteer gardeners with the cradle graves, most of which had sat flowerless after the original family of the deceased moved away or passed themselves many decades ago.
The program is free and accessible for volunteers at no cost to the gardeners, with The Woodlands providing plant material, hosting workshops, and loaning tools. The Woodlands relies on donations to keep the program running, which costs approximately $15,000 annually. Gardeners are also welcomed into a community of new and seasoned volunteers, with the opportunity to meet and mingle at happy hours throughout the year. The Gardeners are responsible for the upkeep of their gardens throughout the growing season, from March - November, and have the option to return the following year.
Volunteers share their inspiration for gardening as a part of the application process. The program attracts both master landscapers and novice gardeners alike, with varying levels of experience. Many of the volunteers talk about honoring a loved one or processing grief through caring for a cradle grave. “In a culture that prefers to ignore the fact that death is a normal part of life, I have always appreciated how cemetery gardens like The Woodlands invite us to enjoy spaces that we typically only associate with sadness,” Alexandra Correia said.
Over 100 folks submitted applications in hopes of gardening in 2023. Applicants who were not accepted in previous years are encouraged to apply again. All volunteers must attend introductory workshops before they begin gardening, to set the context for the program.
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If you would like more information about The Woodlands, please contact info@woodlandsphila.org
or call (215) 386-2181
About the Grave Gardeners
The Grave Gardener program is a volunteer gardening group run by The Woodlands. Individual gardeners adopt a cradle grave, which they plant with Victorian-era plants and care for throughout the gardening season. As a site with many layers—The Woodlands was once the 18th-century estate of amateur botanist and plant collector William Hamilton and was converted into a rural cemetery in 1840—we are always looking for interesting ways to engage visitors with the rich history of the site. Re-planting our Victorian cradle graves is the perfect way to beautify the space and share a unique aspect of The Woodlands’ history.
Learn more by visiting www.gravegardeners.org