Farewell flowers with an afterlife - baskets and containers
Gill Hodgson, Co-founder of the Farewell Flowers Directory and Fieldhouse Flowers, Yorkshire.
A woven basket filled with June flowers by Kitchen Garden Flowers and Produce, Matlock, Derbyshire, was a stunning feature of our Farewell Flowers Directory photoshoot earlier this year. Photo: Angela Stubbs Photography.
For funeral flowers with an afterlife, why not ask your florist to create a shareable arrangement which, after being used on the coffin for the funeral service, can be divided for reuse on the tables at the reception and later given away to friends and relatives to take home? One of the easiest such arrangements is a basket. Indistinguishable from a solid tribute, the basket actually contains multiple containers each filled with foliage and flowers and which, when removed from the basket, become stand-alone arrangements.
How many small arrangements fit in a basket?
The number of separate arrangements in the basket is your choice – I’ve fitted anything from5 to 15 - and the number will depend on the size of each container and the number of flowers it contains. Perhaps you’d like to divide your flowers to dress 5 tables?
What containers should I use?
For good sized table posy arrangements, I often use cleaned tin cans – which can be painted or left as shiny metal. One family I worked with chose to prepare the tins themselves, covering each one with paper on which the grandchildren had drawn a picture of their grandad. That’s the beauty of being more involved with the preparations for a funeral – you’ll be able to make it very personal and special.
When the basket arrangement needs to be divided among more tables, I use the mini milk bottles shown above: easily obtainable by the dozen online, they stand some five and a half inches (around 14cms) high. You can also decorate them with ribbon if you wish. If you’re making this style of arrangement yourself rather than asking a florist to do it, then remember to crumple some paper between each bottle in the basket to keep them upright and stop them clinking together. Baskets too are available online. My quick search unearthed lots to choose from – from traditional wooden Sussex trugs to ones woven from willow. Your florist might ask you to provide the basket, and this will save you from the bother of needing to return it quickly afterwards. Look for one 50 – 60 cms long in order to create a good display which will cover a good proportion of a coffin, and consider the height of the sides also as the flowers will need to be around two thirds taller than the container itself in order to create a visually balanced display.
I’ve used the word ‘basket’ but the container could be so many things:- I’ve filled pretty cardboard boxes, a mother’s sewing box and a carpenter’s tool bag. Family members or close friends will be delighted to be offered these small flower arrangements as they leave. They’ll usually sit safely in the cup holder in the car on the way home and serve as a lovely reminder of a loved one for days to come.
Why is this type of arrangement more eco-friendly than a traditional coffin topper?
A double ended spray built on a floral foam base may look beautiful on top of a coffin for the duration of a funeral service, but the underlying reality is that it’ll be seen for less than 30 minutes and the plastic residue will remain in landfill forever. Why not choose a basket or container as a plastic-free alternative which treads more lightly on the planet, is just as pretty and can be shared and enjoyed after the service?
