When someone passes away it is very traditional for family and friends to send funeral flowers to the funeral home their body will remain at until the day of the funeral.  The flowers can be viewed by friends and family if there is a visitation/viewing time.  When the body is transported to the cemetery (in most cases) some of the flowers are also taken to this site.  Some of the arrangements that were sent are actually sent home with a family member. There are many types of arrangements of funeral flowers.

The largest arrangement is normally a casket spray which is a large blanket of flowers that is placed over the casket.  This arrangement remains on the casket through the burial.  In most cases this is purchased by the spouse, or child of the deceased.  Of course in some cases whoever is very close to the deceased and wants to contribute the blanket of flowers does.  These funeral flower arrangements can consist of a variety of flowers including but not limited to roses and carnations. 

If you are out of the area, and need to send flowers here in Chicago, visit your local florist and browse their FTD catalog to have flowers delivered here. For instance, if you live in Saint Louis Missouri, you can visit your local Saint Louis florist to have the flowers delivered here locally in Chicago. The same goes if you lived in Baltimore, you'd want to visit your local Baltimore flowers, and so on...

With that in mind, there are also sprays that consist of fresh flowers that are placed on a stand versus in the blanket form. These arrangements are quite attractive since all of the flowers are facing out making them easy for all to see. In addition, sprays are made by arranging the chosen flowers right up against each other.  The flower stems are cut very short and only the small end of the stem that’s left is put into the foam for the arrangement.  Due to the amount of flowers in these arrangements they present quite a piece of colorful art. These funeral flowers are taken to the cemetery. 

Baskets of flowers have become quite popular since many individuals know that the sprays do not look fresh for over a few days due to the short stems and little water. This type of arrangement allows the stems to be kept and the arrangement looks more like a flower arrangement we are used to seeing elsewhere like for Valentines flowers or for Mothers Day flowers.  Depending on the size of the basket, some will be sent to the cemetery and others will be sent home with a family member.  Still others prefer to send funeral flowers in the form of a plant such as a lily or a dish garden which is a selection of several green plants.  This way the sender is assured someone will take the plant home in honor of their loved one and can be enjoyed for days and maybe even years to come.