A living memorial for your pet in Ghent
Pet ashes are strongly alkaline and salty, so they need mixing and time before anything is planted over them. Here's how to do it well in Ghent, and what it costs.
- A memorial that moves with you
- Why pure ashes harm young roots
- Written prices you can compare
Ghent, Flanders
Planning a greener goodbye in Ghent
The Ghent area is famous for growing begonias and azaleas, and a flowering plant is a natural memorial here, whether a pot on the windowsill or a shrub in the garden with ashes worked into the soil. Handmade urns, engraved stones and glass pieces also suit this creative university city. Remember that paw prints and fur clippings have to be requested before the cremation takes place.
The Leie and Scheldt, the quays of the Graslei and Korenlei, Citadelpark and the lakes at Blaarmeersen are places many Ghent owners shared with their animals. Scattering in public places is governed by local rules, so ask the city before you do it. Plenty of families keep the urn at home and keep only a tiny portion in a pendant to carry to that favorite spot.
Suburban yards around Ghent often hide sprinkler lines, cables and gas pipes just below the grass. Before you dig a wide planting hole, use the free call-before-you-dig service where you live, and check where any irrigation runs. A tree planted over a sprinkler line will eventually find it. Marking the spot a week before the ceremony avoids a last-minute scramble.
Ghent is home to about 262,000 people, the 2nd-largest of the 2 Flanders communities we cover. The nearest larger centre is Antwerp, about 32 miles (51 km) away, which is where some providers serving Ghent are based.
If you want to compare providers, look at Brussels (31 miles, a larger centre) and Antwerp (32 miles). Distance matters because pickup fees and the time until the ashes come back both grow with the drive.
67.98%[1]
In 2023, 67.98% of deaths in Belgium were cremated (21 crematoria).
$15–$80[2]
Memorials.com's pet urn cost guide puts biodegradable pet urns at $15–$80.
$119[3]
The Living Urn's pet bio-urn planting system (without a tree) costs $119.
communal $30-200; private $100-500+[4]
Embrace Pet Insurance lists US communal cremation at $30-$200, partitioned at $50-$250, private at $100-$500+ and aquamation at $80-$450.
The published sources behind those figures are Memorials.com and Embrace Pet Insurance.
How Belgium feels about cremation
About 67.98%[1] of people in Belgium are cremated, which puts it in the middle: cremation is common, but so is burial. For pets, that often means families weigh a planting urn against a whole-body burial in the yard. Both can grow a tree. The planting urn takes less space and can go almost anywhere; a whole-body grave needs more depth and distance from water, and the tree should go beside it rather than directly on top.
We take the Belgium rate from Cremation Society of Great Britain, International Cremation Statistics 2023 (2023). It is a human statistic; there is no equivalent pet figure for Ghent, and we would rather show a real number than invent one.
Ghent seasons and your memorial tree
We don't have detailed weather data for Ghent, so use a simple rule: plant a memorial tree in the mildest part of your year, when the ground isn't frozen, baked or waterlogged. A local nursery will know when that is. Ashes can wait safely at home, so there's no need to plant in the wrong season.
What bio urns and aquamation cost in Ghent
Water cremation is new in Europe. The first facility for people opened in Ireland in 2023[5], and Norway changed its law in 2022 so funeral homes can apply to offer it[6]. For pets, availability near Ghent is limited, so most families use a flame cremation and a biodegradable urn afterwards. Ask local crematoria directly whether they offer it.
Prices for Ghent track the wider Flanders market, so use the Flanders price table as your baseline and the services page to see what is included.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Where you can plant or release ashes in Flanders
Water releases need a little more care than a garden planting. Rivers, lakes, reservoirs and coastal waters in Flanders are managed by different bodies, and drinking-water sources are often off-limits. Wherever you release, use only a water-soluble urn or loose ashes, add nothing but loose flower petals, and let no plastic, ribbon or wreath wire float away.
From ashes to a growing tree: the steps
- If the ashes have been on a shelf for years, planting is still an option. Ashes don't degrade with age, so nothing has been missed.
- Open the container carefully indoors or out of any breeze, and look to see if there's a sealed inner bag holding the ashes.
- Weigh or measure what you have, and put the figure into our urn size calculator to find a planting or water urn of the right capacity.
- Decide whether to keep any back. Having lived with the ashes so long, plenty of families choose to plant the bulk and hold on to a small amount.
- Pick a date that carries meaning, perhaps the day they died or the day they were born, and ask the people who loved them to come.
- Treat the old urn kindly afterwards. A ceramic or wooden urn often finds a second life holding a houseplant or small mementos.
Remembering your pet in Ghent
Ghent's old town has little garden space, and many families choose a memorial that sits indoors: a compact urn on a bookshelf, a framed paw print by the window, or jewelry holding a pinch of ashes. Families in suburbs such as Sint-Martens-Latem or Merelbeke with more garden room sometimes add a stone or plant a tree. Decide where the memorial will live before choosing its size and material.
Our services overview lays out every option side by side, the planning tools turn your pet's details into figures, look through our guides and the blog, or look at how readers voted in our polls. You can also browse every city in Belgium. Nearby, we also cover Antwerp, and every city in Flanders.
Reader polls
What would you choose?
Vote anonymously and see how other readers answered. The results are live counts from people who visit this site, so they show real opinions, not a scientific sample.
If you rent or might move, how would you handle a memorial planting?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
What kind of tree or plant would you choose?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
If you had to decide today, which aftercare would you choose for your pet?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Free tools to help you plan
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Memorial tree finder
Pick a tree for a planting urn that suits your climate, space and pet.
Aftercare options compared
Compare private, communal and water cremation with burial on cost, timing and what comes home.
Questions people ask
Which nearby towns can I compare with Ghent?
The closest communities we cover are Brussels (about 31 miles) and Antwerp (about 32 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Ghent too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
Is cremation common in Belgium?
For people, yes: about 67.98%[1] of Belgium deaths end in cremation, according to Cremation Society of Great Britain, International Cremation Statistics 2023 (2023). Nobody publishes the same figure for pets, but in our experience pet choices in Ghent follow the human pattern closely, so cremation is the default most families here start from.
Where are the providers that serve Ghent actually based?
Some are local, and some run from Antwerp, about 32 miles away. That is normal for a city this size. What matters is the collection time they quote for Ghent and whether the drive is priced into the total, so ask both up front.
What happens to the memorial tree if I move away from Ghent?
It stays with the land, and ashes mixed into soil can't be recovered. If a move is possible, plant in a large container, plant at a relative's home, or keep a small portion of the ashes back for a future garden. Cuttings from many shrubs root easily, so you can take a piece of the plant with you.
How do I stop my other dog digging up the memorial?
Fresh soil with bone ash in it is interesting to dogs. Lay a piece of wire mesh just under the mulch, surround the planting with flat stones, or put up a short temporary fence for the first few months. Walk your dog past the spot on a lead a few times so it becomes familiar. Interest usually fades once the soil settles.
Can I plant my pet's ashes in a community garden in Ghent?
Only with the garden's permission, and many don't allow it because members grow food and share the soil. Ask the coordinator first. If burying isn't allowed, a potted plant beside your plot, a flowering perennial grown in your pet's name without ashes, or a small marker stone are gentler ways to make the space meaningful.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] In 2023, 67.98% of deaths in Belgium were cremated (21 crematoria). Cremation Society of Great Britain, International Cremation Statistics 2023, 2023.
- [2] Memorials.com's pet urn cost guide puts biodegradable pet urns at $15–$80. Memorials.com – Pet Urn Cost Guide, 2025.
- [3] The Living Urn's pet bio-urn planting system (without a tree) costs $119. The Living Urn – Pet tree urn, 2026.
- [4] Embrace Pet Insurance lists US communal cremation at $30-$200, partitioned at $50-$250, private at $100-$500+ and aquamation at $80-$450. Embrace Pet Insurance - Bury or Cremate Your Dog? Costs, Pros & Cons, 2025.
- [5] Europe's first water cremation facility, Pure Reflections, opened in Navan, Co. Meath, Ireland, in January 2023. RTÉ, 2023.
- [6] Norway amended its Funeral Act in 2022 so funeral homes can apply for authorization to offer water cremation. Resomation Ltd: Where is Resomation permitted, 2022.
- [7] About 59 million U.S. pet-owning households may be open to eco-friendly aftercare options. Our estimate: 86.9M pet households x 68% interested in green funeral options. How we calculate.
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