The passing of a beloved friend or family member is one of the most difficult times we’ll ever experience. It’s common to show our sympathy and grieve by sending flowers. Doing so has been a long-standing tradition, dating back to 60,000 BC. Flowers can speak for us during the most difficult times when we may have a hard time expressing our feelings.
There are many different types of traditional funeral flower arrangements we can send – floral baskets, standing sprays (which are displayed on an easel), wreaths, crosses, hearts, dish gardens, and plants.
What do the different kinds of flowers mean when it comes to expressing sympathy? In this blog, we’ll explore 13 traditional funeral flowers and what they mean.
1. Lilies
Lilies are one of the most common funeral flowers. The lily represents the innocence that has been restored to the soul of the departed, as well as majesty, purity, and sympathy.
Peace lilies are also a common funeral flower. They symbolize innocence and the rebirth of the departed’s soul from the complex physical world to a greater place.
2. Roses
Roses are used for a variety of events, but they can also be used as traditional funeral flowers. Each colour rose represents something different. Red roses symbolize love and grief, white roses symbolize spirituality, purity, and innocence, yellow roses represent a bond between friends, and pink roses express thankfulness to the deceased.
3. Chrysanthemums
Another popular funeral flower, the meaning of chrysanthemums varies depending on the country. For example, in the United States and Europe, these flowers represent sympathy and honor. In China, Japan and Korea, white chrysanthemums are symbolic of lamentation and grief. In addition, colour plays a role in meaning. For example, white chrysanthemums symbolize innocence, and red chrysanthemums symbolize love.
4. Hydrangeas
These beautiful flowers symbolize true heartfelt emotions and are a gift of thanks in repayment for understanding. While more readily available in the spring, these flowers can even be planted in a garden. This is a great way to celebrate a loved one since the flower will live on for many years.
5. Orchids
Orchids say “I will always love you”. Pink and white orchids are commonly used to express sympathy and represent eternal love. Phalaenopsis and dendrobium orchids are generally the most appropriate types of orchids used as sympathy flowers.
6. Gladioli
Commonly used in standing sprays, gladioli are a traditional funeral flower. They are made up of a tall flower stem with multiple flowers. The gladioli represents strength of character, sincerity, and moral integrity, making them a perfect flower for funerals.
7. Carnations
Carnations are often used in funeral wreaths and standing sprays. They are long-lasting and very fragrant, making them a popular choice for traditional funeral flowers. Different colours of carnations have different meanings. Red carnations evoke admiration, pink carnations symbolize remembrance, and white carnations stand for pure love and innocence.
8. Daffodils
Daffodils are a symbol of renewal and fresh starts and commonly indicate the end of a long winter of grief and pain and the beginning of joy, peace, and understanding. Giving daffodils communicates feelings of forgiveness, a desire to set things right and inner reflection.
9. Tulips
Tulips are good traditional funeral flowers to show sympathy, since they represent elegance and grace. This type of flower also has varying meanings depending on the colour. For example, yellow tulips represent cheerfulness, white tulips represent forgiveness, purple tulips represent royalty, and red tulips represent love.
10. Irises
Irises convey deep sentiments and signify faith, wisdom, valour, and hope. Irises bloom in a variety of colours, and each colour has its own specific meaning. Blue iris means hope and faith, yellow iris means passion, and white iris means purity and innocence.
11. Poppies
Poppies make great choices for funeral flowers since they’re readily available in many different climates throughout the globe. When we hear the word poppy, we usually think of the red poppy, but they actually come in a variety of colours, each with their own special meanings, It’s the red poppy that is commonly used in funerals as they mean death and remembrance.
12. Lilacs
This aromatic flower is another flower that is commonly used in funerals. All colours of lilac, except magenta, are meaningful for funerals. For example, for a baby or young boy’s funeral, blue and white lilacs are common. For a young girl’s funeral, pink and white lilacs are common.
13. Dahlias
Dahlias are a beautiful option for funeral flowers. They are also available in different colours which all mean different things. Pink and purple dahlias represent kindness and grace, white dahlias mean purity, and red dahlias wish the recipient strength during a difficult time.
These traditional funeral flowers are your go-to flowers to commemorate a loved one. Think about the person you are honouring and choose a flower that best represents them.