Spruce Knoll was completed in 1996 as a woodland garden intended for those who wish to cherish the natural world while at the same time choosing a burial site that will provide perpetual beauty for the living as well as the dead.  The towering spruce and pine trees create a cathedral-like setting that overlooks a historic Victorian-era section of Mount Auburn. Renowned Garden Designer Julie Moir Messervy, working closely with the horticultural staff of Mount Auburn, has provided a succession of blooming shrubs and smaller perennial plants for the enjoyment of all visitors to this unique and sacred site.

The Knoll provides for simple, in-ground burial with nearby memorialization. Broad areas blanketed with ivy are defined by informal stone or pine needle paths. It is intended for those who desire simplicity, using nature as the primary memorial rather than an elaborate monument.  The cremated remains are put directly into the earth in an area of the Knoll selected by the family, but not set aside for its exclusive use. No containers are allowed, and over time the remains will become part of the ecosystem and cannot be recovered.  The name and date of birth and death may be added to shared memorial stones that flank the outer edges of the area.