What Can I Do With My Old Flowers From a Funeral?
Funeral floral arrangements are a traditional way to honor the deceased. Usually overflowing with an abundance of fresh flowers and greenery, they lend both emotion and beauty to a funeral service. After the funeral is over, throwing away such beautiful flowers can feel wasteful. Fortunately, they can easily be recycled into new floral arrangements, displayed in new ways, or otherwise preserved.
Make New Vase Arrangements
Pull the longer stems of flowers and greenery, those that measure at least 5 inches in length, from casket sprays and other funeral arrangements. Rinse the stems in cool water to remove any floral foam residue. Slice the bottom inch from the stems with a florist's knife or scissors, cutting at a sharp angle. Arrange them in a vase filled with fresh, cool water.
Create New Basket Arrangements
Soak a block of floral foam in water until it is fully saturated. Place the floral foam in a cellophane-lined basket or other container, such as a terra cotta pot or ceramic bowl. Cut the foam to fit the container as needed. Pull flowers and greenery from existing funeral arrangements and rinse and cut them as described above. Insert the greenery and flowers into the floral foam you have just positioned in your chosen container, creating a new arrangement. Cut the greenery and flowers to different lengths to create a dimensional arrangement, and make sure the floral foam is completely covered by flowers and foliage.
Float Short Stems
Remove flower stems from funeral arrangements. Cut the stems all the way off with scissors or a florist's knife and discard them, so just the blooming head of the flower remains. Float the flower blooms in a low, decorative dish or bowl filled with water. Add floating candles to the water as well. Note that certain flowers, such as gardenias and gerbera daisies, lend themselves well to floating because of their round, relatively flat shape.
Preserve Flowers Through Drying
To make the flowers in funeral arrangements last for years, dry them. Pull a selection of flowers and greenery from the funeral arrangements. Rinse away any floral foam residue that may linger on their stems. Cut the stems down to the length you desire. Group the flowers into small bunches, tie them together, and hang them upside down in a dark, cool place until they are completely dry. You can also preserve flowers by pressing them in a flower press or between the wax paper-lined pages of a heavy book. If desired, spray dried flowers with dried flower spray, available at many craft-supply stores, to protect them from fading and breaking.
