No matter your race, religion or country of birth, you are bound to be familiar with a number of traditions including funeral and burial practices. One of the most common practices in many different cultures is the placing of flowers on somebody’s grave. Of course each culture and race has its own reason(s) for doing this but the main point of it is to honor the loved one who has passed away. When you send flowers to a friend or arrange for a flower delivery for whatever reason, it is sometimes easier than trying to order flowers for somebody’s grave. You want something that expresses how you feel about that person and you want them to last for a period of time before they perish.
A lovely sentimental flower arrangement for that special person’s grave would be a replica of the one placed on the day of his or her funeral. This type of arrangement can be placed on the grave once a year on the anniversary of their death as a token of your love and respect for them and as a sign that you have not forgotten them.
When choosing flowers for a grave, remember to choose hardy ones. In other words, try to avoid tropical or exotic blooms and use flowers like carnations and roses that will last much longer without water than flowers like orchids. If you are able to place the flowers in some well watered floral foam or in a vase, this would be even better since the flowers will last a lot longer than if they didn’t have any source of water at all.
Don’t go spending a fortune on flowers for a grave site. Reason being, cut flowers do best indoors out of the sun, wind and other harmful weather conditions. When placing flowers by a grave, you need to remember that they will endure the weather of that specific season which may include rain, snow, the hot sun and even wind. It simply isn’t worth spending a whole heap of money on flowers that you will probably only see once and that might end up being destroyed out there.
The only exception would really be for those who only visit the grave once a year to lay flowers down and they insist on using the deceased favorite flowers no matter how much they cost. Let’s face it, it’s easy to talk about saving money when you aren’t the grieving party but when you have lost somebody truly dear to you, you will do just about anything to honor them even in death.
Another alternative, if permitted by the authorities and only if you are able to visit the grave regularly, is to plant a small flower bush next to the grave or place a potted plant instead of a bouquet. Perhaps the grounds keeper will be kind enough to water and care for your plant while you aren’t there. That way you don’t have to worry about buying a new bouquet every time you visit.