After the funeral, you may have a large amount of funeral flowers that will not fit in your own home. If you don’t want to let the flowers go to waste, there are several options open to you.
Before you part with the flowers, remove all the cards and notes so you know who to thank after the funeral.
Take home a floral arrangement
Too many flowers around the house can be overwhelming, but consider taking one or two bouquets home with you. Floral bouquets look beautiful placed around the home, adding colour and life. It’s often a lovely way to remember the person, particularly if a floral arrangement incorporates their favourite flower. Funeral flowers are also a comforting reminder that people care, and that you are not alone in your grief.
Plant them in your garden
You might want to plant a particularly beautiful flower, perhaps one that reminds you of your loved one in your garden, or in a place of some special significance to the two of you. That way you can create a living monument to that person.
Preserve the funeral flowers
If you wish to keep the flowers beyond a couple of weeks, you may wish to try pressing the flowers, and then creating a keepsake for you and other family members. Flower petals can be used to decorate bookmarks, picture frames, candles, jewellery boxes, and other trinkets.
Give away to family and friends
It is perfectly appropriate to ask family and friends to take home floral arrangements used in the funeral service. Approach the people closest to the deceased first, such as siblings, spouses or children of the deceased.
Leave funeral flowers on the grave
Permanent headstones are not placed straight away, so if you wanted to, you could leave flower arrangements on the grave after the funeral. Cut flowers will not stay in bloom for longer than a week, so you’ll need to remove the flowers fairly soon after placing them. If you have a floral wreath spare, these still look good after the flowers have died. Before placing the arrangement, remove all paper, plastic and other items that could fly away to help keep the cemetery clean.
Donate the funeral flowers
You may wish for someone else to enjoy the flowers by donating the arrangements to a retirement home, hospice or hospital. Call before donating the flowers, to check they accept floral donations. Some will not accept these due to pollen allergies. Remove all cards and notes that identify what purpose the flowers were used for, as well as any arrangements suggestive of a funeral, such as a casket spray, special tribute or cross.
Make your own DIY potpourri
You can make potpourri from dried flowers and leaves, so you can carry on enjoying the fragrance of the flowers for some time to come. You will also need spices, herbs and essential oils. You could make bags of potpourri to give to friends and family as a pleasant memento. Flowers and leaves will shrink when dried, so you’ll need to set aside a large quantity of flowers that will then shrink down. The process involves drying out the flowers, adding essential oils and then storing for a couple of weeks for the oils to permeate.