3. Cemeteries and Gardens of Remembrance Service standards
3.1 Grounds maintenance
We are committed to maintaining our cemeteries and Gardens of Remembrance to a high standard, ensuring they remain tranquil and reflective spaces.
Grass cutting
During grass cutting season, from March to the end of October, cemeteries are regularly cut with both pedestrian and ride-on mowers to amenity standards. Strimming is also carried out at some cemeteries regularly throughout this season. Periods of extreme wet weather will affect and delay grass cutting and weed control programmes. We will endeavour to resume services as soon as ground conditions allow. This acknowledgement of external factors affecting service delivery is crucial for managing residents’ expectations, preventing complaints by setting realistic parameters, and fostering understanding rather than implying an uninterrupted schedule regardless of conditions. If we plant spring bulbs in grassed areas, we will only cut grass immediately surrounding the bulbs when the bulbs have finished flowering and died back sufficiently to ensure they flower the next year.
Weed control
We operate a comprehensive weed control programme up to three times a year: in spring, midsummer, and late summer.
Seasonal flower beds
We replant seasonal flower beds twice a year, typically in June and October. We weed flower beds monthly.
Shrubs, trees, and hedgerows
We prune and cut back shrubs, trees, and hedgerows according to their seasonal requirements, with careful observance of nesting times for birds to protect local wildlife.
Litter and cleanliness management
Leaf-blowing and clearance activities begin at the end of October and continue until December. We empty litter bins on a regular basis. Dead flowers, spent wreaths, or other waste items or litter must be placed in the appropriate receptacles provided throughout the cemeteries. To maintain the dignity and cleanliness of the grounds, we may remove floral items deemed ‘past their best’ without prior notice.
Explicitly stating this policy clarifies a necessary operational practice, preventing potential distress or confusion for visitors who might expect their tributes to remain indefinitely. This manages expectations sensitively and contributes to the overall neatness and dignity of the grounds.
Drainage and gully maintenance
We check drains and gullies monthly as necessary and clean them in late autumn to ensure proper water management.
To read a summary of our grounds maintenance activities scheduled during the year, go to Bereavement Services.
3.2 Grave reinstatements and aftercare
3.2.1 Definition of grave reinstatement
The grave reinstatement programme specifically addresses the natural settling of ground on recently opened graves following a burial. This process includes the lifting of floral items deemed 'past their best’, the careful topping up of the grave with additional soil, and levelling off the ground to ensure a safe and appropriate surface, preparing it for any future memorialisation.
3.2.2 Target for grave reinstatement completion
We aim to carry out the full grave reinstatement process over a 12-week period from the date of burial. During this 12-week period, recently opened graves will be checked weekly and topped up as needed, especially after periods of heavy rain, to manage initial settlement.
By explicitly defining ’reinstatement’ as the initial post-burial process of settling and levelling, and differentiating it from more frequent ‘topping up’ (which occurs weekly within that 12-week window), we clearly delineate the scope and timeline of its responsibility. This proactively manages residents’ expectations, preventing assumptions of perpetual council maintenance of individual graves beyond this initial period. If a grave urgently needs topping up within this initial 12-week period, we encourage residents to contact Bereavement Services by email: [email protected] or call us on 028 9027 0296.
3.2.3 Grave owner’s maintenance responsibility
We are responsible for the overall maintenance of the cemeteries and the initial grave reinstatement process as outlined in section 3.2.2. A grave owner or the family is responsible for ongoing care and tidiness of individual grave plots for example tending to plants, or cleaning memorials footnote five. Clearly delineating this responsibility is crucial for managing expectations and avoiding misunderstandings about long-term care of graves.
Footnotes
Footnote five. Burial Procedure - Cardiff Bereavement Services (link opens in new window), accessed June 24, 2025.
