Funeral flowers · what to do with them after the service
After a funeral or memorial service, families often aren’t sure what to do with the flowers. There is no wrong answer. This guide is here for whenever you are ready, with a few simple ways to keep enjoying them and to save some as a keepsake.
Most sympathy pieces, including standing sprays, casket sprays, wreaths and many baskets, are designed in floral foam so they hold their shape. That foam is their water supply, so a little water each day keeps them fresh for days after the service. If you have questions about any piece we made, call or text us at (984) 250-7771. We’re glad to help.
Water the foam, and keep them cool
If you take a piece home, pour a little cool water into the foam every day, slowly, until it pools at the top. Find the foam by pressing a finger gently between the flowers near the center.
Keep the flowers in the coolest room you have, out of the sun. A cool house can keep a casket spray or basket looking fresh for most of a week.
When your flowers arrive
- Ask the funeral home which pieces the family would like to keep. Many families take the casket spray and a few baskets home, and leave the rest.
- Lay standing sprays and casket sprays flat or upright in the car, and keep the car cool. Don’t leave them in a hot car while you go somewhere else.
- At home, set foam pieces on a tray or an old towel, since water can drip.
- Water the foam that day and every day after.
- Take off the easels or stands you won’t use, and the ribbon if you would like to keep it (see below).
Where to put them
A cool room keeps them longest. Heat and sun shorten their life by days.
- The coolest room in the house, away from sunny windows and heat vents.
- A porch is fine in cool weather, but not in our summer heat or a hard frost.
- Away from the kitchen fruit bowl.
Everyday care
Sympathy & Funeral Flowers
Standing sprays, casket sprays, wreaths and baskets
- How long they last
- Usually five to seven days after the service with daily water. Lilies, roses, carnations and mums often last longest.
- Water
- Every day, slowly into the foam until it pools on top. Vase pieces: change the water every two days.
- Stems
- Leave stems in the foam until you are ready to make smaller vases.
- Flower food
- If a packet came with a piece, mix it into the water.
- Temperature
- As cool as you can comfortably keep the room.
- Watch for
- Lily pollen on clothing or the tablecloth. Lift it off with tape; don’t rub it.
Some funeral flowers can upset a pet’s stomach. Sympathy pieces often include lilies, which can cause kidney failure in cats from even a little pollen or water. If you have a cat, keep lily pieces in a closed room or leave them at the service. If any part is eaten, call your veterinarian.
Making small vases to share
Many families pull the freshest flowers out of the big pieces and make small vases to share with relatives, neighbors, the church or a nursing home.
- Pull each flower from the foam, cut half an inch to an inch off the stem at an angle, and put it straight into a vase of fresh water.
- Roses, carnations, lilies, mums and greenery all do well this way for several more days.
- Mason jars, drinking glasses and small pitchers all make lovely vases.
- The empty foam and plastic can go in the trash. If you are not sure what to do with the easel stands from standing sprays, ask the funeral home or call us.
Keeping a few flowers as a keepsake
A few flowers from the service can be saved to keep for years.
- Air-dry: pick a few roses or flowers before they open fully, tie them in a small bunch and hang them upside down in a dark, dry closet for two to three weeks.
- Press: lay single petals or small flowers between sheets of paper inside a heavy book for two to three weeks.
- Ribbons: the ribbon or banner from a spray can be kept as-is. Gently roll it instead of folding to avoid creases.
- Save the cards that came with each piece so you know who to thank.
Quick fixes
Flowers wilting the day after the service
The foam dried out. Water it slowly until it pools, and keep the piece somewhere cool.
Water dripping on the floor
Foam pieces can drip. Set them on a tray or towel.
Lily pollen stains
Let it dry, lift it with tape or a soft brush, and don’t rub. Pulling the orange anthers off the lilies prevents it.
Too many flowers to keep
Share small vases with family or friends, or leave pieces at the graveside.
A standing spray too big for the house
Pull the best flowers and make vases, then let the rest go.
Flowers fading quickly
Heat or sun. Move them to the coolest room.
Common questions
What do you do with funeral flowers after the service?
Families often take the casket spray and a few baskets home, share small vases with relatives and friends, and save a few flowers as a keepsake. You can also leave them at the graveside.
How long do funeral flowers last?
Usually five to seven days after the service, if the foam is watered every day and they are kept cool.
Can you keep flowers from a funeral?
Yes. Air-dry a few flowers upside down or press petals in a heavy book to keep them.
How do you water a standing spray or casket spray?
Pour a little water slowly into the green foam every day until it pools at the top.
More flower care guides
Foam Arrangements & Flower Baskets
Fresh flowers in floral foam
The green foam is the flowers’ water supply. Keep it wet every single day.
Read the guide →Silk & Faux Flowers
Artificial flowers that last for years
No water, ever. A little dusting, shade from strong sun, and they last for years.
Read the guide →Peace Lily
Spathiphyllum
Medium light, a drink when it droops, and filtered water for clean leaf tips.
Read the guide →About pets and plants: The pet notes in this guide are general plant knowledge from our florists, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet chews or swallows any part of a plant, contact a licensed veterinarian right away, or call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435. If a person swallows any part of a plant, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.
“So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.”1 Corinthians 3:7
Questions about your plant?
Call or text us. We are always glad to help, whether you bought it from us or not.
Call or text (984) 250-7771 Clayton Florist · 11440 Clayton Blvd, Clayton, NC 27520claytonncflorist.com