Forest of Ancestry is our collection of biodegradable Bios Urns here at Wild & Dark, made for the people and pets we love. Each urn holds ashes alongside a seed or young plant, so that a goodbye can become something that grows, in a pot indoors or outdoors, or out in the garden.
We believe that honouring our past should never come at the cost of our future. Rather than a static monument of stone, your loved one is remembered by something living (a tree, a shrub or flowers) that returns them gently to the earth and nourishes the life around it, growing more beautiful with every passing year.
Our goal is simple: to turn remembrance into living things, to put roots back into the land and to honour the ancestry that shapes us. Every tree or plant, especially a native one, helps protect the land and local environment for generations to come, and becomes a quiet, living home for memory.
How Forest of Ancestry Began
Forest of Ancestry began with a forest under threat. In 2016, oil drilling came to Woodburn Forest, not far from where I used to live, and trees were cut down to make way for it. Locals and activists stood together to defend the forest and the water it protects, and I followed their fight. As an environmentalist, I see the earth as my home, and seeing it abused by big business is heartbreaking. I kept asking myself how we could protect our trees better. My answer was to make them sacred. A tree that holds the memory of someone we love is a tree nobody wants to see cut down. One day I hope to acquire land where memorial family trees can grow together, safe from anyone who would destroy them, and where grief can have an environment to heal. Until then, we bring the forest to our homes.
How To Plant A Bios Urn For A Loved One
A Bios Urn lets the ashes of someone you love help a tree, shrub or flowers grow, in a pot, indoors or outdoors, or in the ground in a garden. Take your time; the urn can wait safely until you are ready.
Ashes Passed Down Through The Generations
Some families have kept a grandparent’s or older relative’s ashes for many years, carried carefully from home to home, waiting for the right place. A Bios Urn can give them a permanent, living home at last, in a pot indoors or outdoors, or in the garden. Ashes kept for a long time can go into the urn just as they are. If you are caring for more than one family member, each can have their own urn and plant, side by side, rooting together.
Preparing The Urn
- Add the ashes. Gently fill the lower capsule with ashes. Any amount works, so you can keep a portion aside if you wish. If the capsule is not full, top it up with soil or compost so no gap is left.
- Close the urn. Place the top capsule on the lower one and twist it slightly to lock it in place.
- Choose what to grow. It doesn’t have to be a tree: a shrub or flowers can be just as special. Pick a seed or young plant that means something to you. For the garden, plants native or common to Northern Ireland will grow best. For a pot, choose something compact, such as a dwarf tree like a Japanese maple or bay, a small shrub such as lavender or rosemary, or flowering plants. A local garden centre can help you choose.
- Have the expansion disc ready. Inside the top capsule you will find a sealed expansion disc. You will place it at the very bottom of the top capsule when you plant.
Planting In A Pot (Indoors Or Outdoors)
A pot can live indoors on a sunny windowsill or outdoors on a patio, yard, balcony or doorstep. It is ideal if you don’t have a garden or grass, or if you may move house one day.
- Choose a large pot. The Bios Urn is 32cm tall and 16cm across, so pick a pot at least 40 to 45cm tall and at least 32cm wide inside (roughly 35 litres or more), with a drainage hole in the bottom. If you have the small urn for a baby or little one (16cm tall), a pot at least 30cm tall and 30cm wide (around 20 litres) is enough. Terracotta or ceramic is heavier and steadier in the wind; plastic is lighter to move. It is worth measuring the urn against the pot before you buy.
- Use good compost. Garden soil doesn’t drain well in a pot, so use a loam-based or nutrient-rich, soil-based compost.
- Add a base layer. Put a few pieces of broken pot or terracotta over the drainage hole, then add compost until the urn sits on it with its top just below the rim.
- Place the urn and fill around it. Set the urn in the pot and fill the gaps around the sides with compost, leaving the top open.
- Add the seed. Remove the seal from the top capsule, place the expansion disc at the very bottom, add a little compost, then lay a couple of seeds on top (or set a seedling on the disc and firm compost around it).
- Cover and water. Cover the seeds with only about 1cm of compost so no part of the urn shows, then water gently.
Aftercare: Give your plant good light and water it regularly, as pots dry out faster than the ground. Keep the compost moist but never soaking wet, and refresh the top layer each spring. Outdoor pots may need more watering in warm or windy weather, a heavy pot is steadier, and tender plants need protecting from hard frost. If you’d like your plant to live in the garden one day, it can be started in a pot for up to two years and then moved to its final home.
Planting In The Garden
- Choose your spot and season. Choose a place where your plant can grow for many years, and think about how big it will grow so it suits the space. Plant in the right season for what you have chosen. If the land isn’t yours, ask the landowner’s permission first.
- Prepare the ground. Dig a hole around 36cm deep and 25 to 30cm wide. Water the whole hole before the urn goes in, as this helps the urn begin to break down.
- Place the urn. Set the urn in the hole so the top sits a couple of fingers (3 to 5cm) below the surface. Fill in around the sides with soil from the spot, leaving the top open.
- Add the seed. Remove the seal from the top capsule, place the expansion disc at the very bottom, add soil from the spot, then lay a couple of seeds on top (or set a seedling on the disc and firm soil around its base).
- Cover and water. Cover everything with soil so no part of the urn shows, with only about 1cm over the seeds, then water the spot well.
Aftercare: Water once a day for the first couple of weeks, then once a week through the growing season. Keep the soil moist but never soggy; if it feels dry 5cm down, it is time to water.
If you have any questions, we’re here to help at support@wildanddark.com.
How To Plant A Bios Urn For A Beloved Pet
The Bios Urn Pets is a smaller urn that works in exactly the same way, so your companion can live on as a tree, shrub or flowers in a pot, indoors or outdoors, or in a favourite corner of the garden. Go gently; the urn keeps safely until you are ready. If you have kept a beloved pet’s ashes for years, this can be a gentle way to give them a lasting, living home.
Preparing The Urn
- Add the ashes. Fill the lower capsule with your pet’s ashes. It holds up to 1.25 litres, and any amount is fine. Top up any space with soil or compost.
- Close the urn. Place the top capsule on and twist it slightly to lock it.
- Choose what to grow. It doesn’t have to be a tree; a shrub or flowers work beautifully too. For the garden, choose something native or common to Northern Ireland; for a pot, something compact, such as a dwarf tree like a Japanese maple or bay, a small shrub such as lavender or rosemary, or flowering plants.
- Have the expansion disc ready. It sits sealed in the top capsule and goes at the very bottom of that capsule when you plant.
Planting In A Pot (Indoors Or Outdoors)
A pot can sit indoors on a sunny windowsill or outdoors on a patio, yard, balcony or doorstep, so it is perfect if you don’t have a garden or grass.
- Choose a pot with drainage. The pet urn is 16cm tall and 16cm across, so pick a pot at least 30cm tall and at least 30cm wide inside (around 20 litres or more), with a drainage hole in the bottom. This leaves room for compost underneath, soil on top and roots to grow.
- Use good compost. Use a loam-based or nutrient-rich, soil-based compost rather than garden soil.
- Add a base layer. Put a few pieces of broken pot over the drainage hole, then add compost until the urn sits with its top just below the rim.
- Place the urn and fill around it. Fill the gaps around the sides with compost, leaving the top open.
- Add the seed. Remove the seal, place the expansion disc at the very bottom of the top capsule, add a little compost and lay a couple of seeds on top (or set a seedling on the disc).
- Cover and water. Cover with about 1cm of compost so no part of the urn shows, then water gently.
Aftercare: Keep your plant in good light and water regularly, keeping the compost moist but not soaking. Refresh the top layer each spring. Outdoor pots may need more watering in warm or windy weather, a heavy pot is steadier, and tender plants need protecting from hard frost. Your plant can be started in a pot for up to two years before moving it into the garden.
Planting In The Garden
- Choose your spot and season. A sunny corner of the garden or a favourite walk can be lovely. Think about how big it will grow so it suits the space, plant in the right season for what you have chosen, and ask the landowner first if the land isn’t yours.
- Prepare the ground. Dig a hole a little deeper than the urn so the top will sit 3 to 5cm below the surface. Water the hole before the urn goes in.
- Place the urn. Set the urn in the hole and fill in around the sides with soil from the spot, leaving the top open.
- Add the seed. Remove the seal, place the expansion disc at the very bottom of the top capsule, add soil and lay a couple of seeds on top (or set a seedling on the disc and firm soil around it).
- Cover and water. Cover with soil so no part of the urn shows, with only about 1cm over the seeds, then water well.
Aftercare: Water daily for the first couple of weeks, then weekly through the growing season, keeping the soil moist but not soggy.
If you have any questions, we’re here to help at support@wildanddark.com.