Flowers for a Funeral

Funeral flowers come in a variety of arrangements.

When you or someone you know loses a loved one, flowers serve as the most traditional means of honoring the deceased's memory and life. Some flowers suit sympathy arrangements well due to shape or cultural context, while other flowers hold specific meanings within the language of flowers that evoke sympathy, love and remembrance.

Lilies

White stargazer lilies stand for renewed innocence and resurrection.

Lilies, especially white lilies, hold a standard place at funerals as representations of innocence. White stargazer lilies symbolize sympathy, but all subbranches of white lilies represent purity and the restored cleanliness of the departed loved one's soul.

Carnations

When used in funeral arrangements, pink carnations suggest remembrance.

Carnations also frequently appear in funeral arrangements. Different colors represent different meanings. Pink carnations say, "I will never forget you," while red carnations say, "My heart aches for you." White carnations symbolize innocence and pure love.

Chrysanthemums

White chrysanthemums represent death in some cultures.

Chrysanthemums have different meanings in different cultures, but these different meanings still make mums a good option for sympathy arrangements. In Asian countries like Korea and Japan, as well as in some European countries, the white mum symbolizes death. In the United States, the flower often represents truth.

Gladioli

Gladioli work especially well in large, tall arrangements.

Gladioli, especially when arranged in a fan spray arrangement, make a striking arrangement for memorial services but work less well for home arrangement due to their size. Gladioli represent strength of character and say, "I am really sincere."

Roses

Red funeral roses suggest a sense of love and respect.

Roses, as one of the most recognizable flowers within the Western world, commonly make an appearance in sympathy arrangements for use in both memorial services and home bouquets. Roses have a wide variety of meanings, but for funerals, white roses suggest innocence, red roses mean respect and pink roses evoke gentility.

Xeranthemum

Xeranthemum, a less commonly known flower, makes a fitting and unique choice for a funeral arrangement. These flowers have white, purple and yellow blossoms. The meaning of the xeranthemum flower roughly translates to eternity and immortality.

Cyclamen

Cyclamen work well in small arrangements or as potted plants.

Cyclamen, another flower that receives little recognition, stands for resignation and goodbye. This flower, sometimes sold as a houseplant, has upward pointing petals and comes in white, pink, violet and red.

Forget-Me-Not

The familiar blue forget-me-not stands as a symbol of remembrance.

The forget-me-not stands as the quintessential symbol of true, faithful love and long standing memories. Using forget-me-nots in an arrangement for a funeral suggests a desire to remember the good times in spite of the present pain.

Thrift

Thrift flowers, also called sea pink flowers or cliff roses, come in several hues of pinks, from deep rosy reds to lilac. Thrift flowers symbolize sympathy and therefore work especially well in instances where the giver wishes to support the loved ones the departed left behind.

Snowdrop

Snowdrops have small white blossoms.

The snowdrop symbolizes hope and consolation. As a small flower, snowdrops rarely appear in large arrangements on their own, but snowdrops add an optimistic, comforting message when arranged with other flowers for a memorial arrangement.

References

• The Flower Experts: Meaning of Sympathy Flowers
• iFlorist: Flower Meanings
• The Light Beyond: Sympathy Flower Etiquette
• Teleflora: Meanings of Flowers
• Garden Cards: Flower Meanings