Assisted Living: Dealing With Everyone's Emotions

After The Funeral: Floral Arrangements And Plants

13 February 2015 by Julia Gregory

The passing of a loved one is a difficult time for family members.  Sending flowers to a grieving family is a visible sign that shows love, support, and sympathy.  If you have lost a loved one, you will likely receive many floral arrangements and plants.  Flowers are sometimes sent to the home, but often are sent directly to the funeral home or church where the funeral and/or memorial service will be held.  These flowers and plants show care and concern while also making the setting inviting.  After the funeral or memorial service is over there are several different things that can be done with the flowers.  You can choose one option, or do a little of each.

Leave at the Gravesite

The floral arrangements can be taken to the gravesite by the funeral director.  If you wish, the flowers can be left there for decoration until they start to die.  At that point, the groundskeepers will be responsible for disposing of them.  You can also choose to decorate some other gravesites with them if you have other loved ones located there.

Leave at the Funeral Home

You can usually choose to leave arrangements at the funeral home.  Speak with the funeral director and see if there is another funeral that could use some extra flowers and would like to utilize some of yours.  If not, the funeral director will likely dispose of the arrangements for you. 

Give to Family Members

Allow family members to take an arrangement with them if they wish.  This is usually done by allowing the closest family members to the deceased choose first.  If they do not wish to take an entire plant or arrangement, they can take individual flowers to remember the deceased by. 

Donate

Hospitals and nursing homes will accept floral donations.  If you choose to go this route, however, be sure not to send arrangements that indicate the flowers are from a funeral.  A sick person in a hospital won't appreciate receiving a casket spread. 

Take Home

You can keep floral arrangements or plants for yourself, of course!  These arrangements can serve as a reminder of how many people care about you and your loved ones during this difficult time.  Cut flowers typically will not last long, but there are many green plants that will last for many years, such as the Peace Lily.  You can also choose to preserve flowers from your floral arrangements.

Preserve

There are many different ways to preserve flowers.  Places exist that will professionally preserve the flowers, but you can do it yourself, too.  Common and simple methods for preservation are to press the flowers or dry the flowers by hanging them upside down.  Other ways include using borax or sand drying.  A few ways to save and display dried flowers are in glass boxes, frames, shadowboxes or by putting in a scrapbook or laminating onto a bookmark. 

If you're looking for funeral flowers, contact Walker Funeral Home. After the funeral, you can use some of the ideas below to make the best use of them.

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