First let me say that I love flowers. I love fresh cut flowers, planted flowers and pictures of flowers. I love receiving flowers and planting them in my garden.

The only time in my life when I did not enjoy flowers was after my mother passed away. For anyone that has lost an immediate family member they know that the first thing people think to do is send flowers. This is a lovely gesture. People think “a beautiful boutique of flowers” will brighten their day. However, in some circumstances, having an overwhelming amount of flower arrangements can become hard to manage for the family.

After my mother passed away, I found that the flowers that were beautiful the first few days started to make me sad as they began to fade. It was a reminder of the death I just experienced. When I returned home I felt this overwhelming need to plant flowers that would last, a need to bring new life into my home.

Why Flowers May Not Be the Perfect Gift

• If the funeral service is held in another city, it leaves the family with the burden of taking care of flowers that will die while they are out of town.

• If the person has been cremated, an overwhelming number of flower arrangements can become hard to manage if there is not a burial site to place them on.

• Cut flowers die rather quickly and to watch flowers dying all around can be depressing after the loss of a loved one.

What to Do With All the Flowers?

After my aunt passed away my uncle’s dinning room was filled with flowers. They were nice for a few days but my aunt was cremated and there was no grave site to place them on. Instead of allowing the flowers to go to waste, they donated them to a local hospital to bring joy to the patients.

A Different Way to Send Flowers

• Purchase a plant or flower that can be planted and offer to help them set-up a memorial garden for their loved one in their home or backyard.

• Coordinate with the family to help them buy one or two nice floral arrangements for the funeral or memorial service.

• Have a few flowers incased in a decorative frame along with a picture of the person that has passed away as a memorial to the person.

• If the funeral is out of town, consider sending flowers directly to the funeral home or church where the service will be held.

Click Here for more Thoughtful Gift ideas.

© 2009 Lori Pederson
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