Funeral Flowers Guide and their Meaning

Funeral flowers have long been a significant presence at a funeral service. They offer warmth to a deeply sad situation and help us to express our condolences when the right words are hard to find.

They have the ability to balance the heaviness of death by adding a sense of softness to a room and provide a colourful source of comfort and sympathy to those in attendance.

Whether you're in charge of organising a funeral, attending as a guest or you want to express your condolences to a friend who is grieving, we hope our funeral flowers guide and their meaning can help you in your search for the perfect bloom.

Carnation

Carnations are a popular flower choice at funerals as they are long lasting and have a lovely fragrance. Each colour represents a different emotion: red carnations symbolise admiration, white carnations symbolise pure love and innocence, yellow carnations sympathy and pink carnations symbolise a mother's pure and eternal love.

Chrysanthemum

White chrysanthemums symbolise loyal love, grief and mourning, while red chrysanthemums symbolise deep love. In most countries chrysanthemums symbolise truth, grief and loyalty, however it's important to note that other cultures can have their own meaning. In America for example, they symbolise honour, optimism and joy.

Gladioli

Gladioli are a strong, long stem flower symbolising moral integrity, honesty and strength. They can be given at a funeral in any number of colours and are a classic choice for funerals.

Hydrangea

Hydrangeas offer sympathy, condolence, strength and sincerity. They are a lovely choice if you want to gift someone with a plant rather than a bouquet as the plant is very robust in nature.

Lily

White lilies symbolise purity, sympathy and radiance. They are often seen at funerals for it is believed by some to represent the deceased's soul has returned to a peaceful state.

Orchid

Orchids have a refined beauty and are one of the more diverse blooms. They signify hope, peace, love and courage with each colour representing different emotions. They are a delicate flower and all species and varieties of orchids can be appropriately given as funeral flowers.

Rose

Like other blooms, roses too have different emotions reflective to each colour. Red roses symbolise love and respect for the departed. Yellow roses symbolise friendship and a broken heart. Pink roses symbolise grace and appreciation and the classic white rose represents purity, reverence, and innocence. Roses are very traditional and can be used for expressing condolences, no matter what type of relationship you had with the deceased.

Tulip

Tulips are effortlessly elegant and although they are cheerful and bright to look at, they can represent new beginnings, hope, forgiveness and deep love for the departed. Tulips would be more appropriate to send to the family home rather than to a funeral.

We hope after reading our funeral flowers guide you feel more confident about choosing the right flower that symbolises your intention. Remember, society isn't stuck in tradition these days, the majority of people won't know all their flower meanings. As long as you have put thought into your decision and considered those you are buying for, the kind gesture of sending flowers will outweigh all else.

Organising funeral flowers is just one of the many tasks associated with a funeral. For help with funeral songs, how to write a eulogy or how to find details of a funeral, please refer to our support and advice articles here.