The Best Sympathy Flowers to Choose if you have Allergies

When you send flowers, it is always a good idea to keep in mind what happens to the flowers after they are delivered. We all send flowers with the intentions of making a good first impression (when the flowers are actually delivered) but there are some other factors that could play a role in which types of flowers you choose to send. If you recipient is someone who suffers from allergy issues, some choices may be better than others. This is especially true when you are sending sympathy flowers for a funeral service, because the flowers will be in close proximity to a large number of people.

If you suffer from allergies, or wish to send flowers to someone who does, your friends at Donato Florist are here to help you find the perfect floral arrangements to send – especially if you have special needs or requests.

Flower Allergies

Most people who suffer allergic reactions to flowers experience symptoms like sneezing or red eyes are actually having a reaction to the pollen. Pollen is a fine yellow dust that many plants produce, especially in the spring. Although it is one of the leading causes of allergies in most people, allergies may also be triggered by other things such as dust or pet hair.

If you suffer from allergies, keeping the dust levels down in your home is one of the most important things you can do to minimize your symptoms. If you are unable to eliminate the problem that way, you can also have a medical practitioner test for specific allergies in order to identify what is causing the reactions.

Funeral Flowers and Plants to Avoid

Losing a loved one or a friend is hard enough, having your allergies triggered during the funeral service or when funeral flowers are delivered to the home of the deceased can cause trouble, even though the intention is thoughtful.

Some varieties of flowers produce more pollen than others. In particular, people with allergies may want to avoid sunflowers and chrysanthemums. Many common grasses and trees also give off pollen, so if you wish to include greenery in your floral arrangement, ask the floral design experts at Donato Florist about low-pollen options or other alternatives.

What to Choose Instead

While several varieties of flowers and plants are known for producing a lot of pollen, fortunately, there are many flowers and plants which are allergy-safe. Geraniums and hydrangea are both popular flowers which come in a range of bright colors. You can find them as cut flowers or potted plants. Geraniums even have a scent – but no pollen!

Other terrific options are succulents and cacti. Not only can these magnificent little plants add green to your home, but they also make cute gifts in pots that are safe for people with allergies, making them the perfect gift for family members to take home to reflect and enjoy.

Finally, some florists may offer special pollen-free versions of flowers, or be able to remove pollen-carrying stems at your request – all you have to do is ask!

If you’re shopping for sympathy flowers in Roselle Park, NJ and surrounding areas, be sure to visit Donato Florist at 257 W. Westfield Ave., or shop online 24/7 to check out our selection of Funeral Sprays and Wreaths, along with Casket Sprays, Flowers for the Home, and our incredible selection of Sympathy Plants and Urn Tributes.

Our talented designers will be happy to help you select the perfect flowers for any occasion are happy to assist with special requests such as flowers for people with allergies. We offer same-day delivery to Roselle Park, New Jersey, or anywhere else in the USA. Give us a call today at (908) 245-1330 and let us know how we can help!

Selecting the Perfect Sympathy Flowers

When it comes to selecting a memorial gift to send for the funeral service, the specific types of flowers you choose can help convey your sentiments and send a meaningful message through the traditional language of flowers. Plants are also excellent choices because they provide a beautiful, long-lasting tribute to the lost loved one and also serve as a constant reminder of the love and affection you share to support the bereaved during the grieving process. At Donato Florist we specialize in helping you select the perfect sympathy flowers for any occasion, whether the service is in Roselle Park, New Jersey, or anywhere else in the USA. Here are a few of the most popular funeral flowers and what they represent.

Roses

As one of the most iconic flowers, roses are a tasteful and beautiful part of an arrangement of funeral flowers. White roses evoke feelings of reverence, youthfulness, innocence, and humility while red roses convey respect, love, and courage. Other colors like pink signify appreciation, grace, love, and gentility while dark hues like crimson denote grief and sorrow. Yellow roses are often given by friends of the deceased as a way of symbolizing their strong ties. Including a single rose in a bouquet traditionally expresses everlasting love for the deceased.

Lilies

Lilies are the flowers that are most commonly associated with funeral services because they symbolize innocence restored to the soul of the departed as well as the hope offered by the renewal process.

Carnations

Carnations are long-lasting and fragrant, which makes them a popular choice for sympathy arrangements. They are hearty flowers, making them ideal for services that last more than a few hours. Red carnations stand for admiration while pink carnations symbolize remembrance and white carnations denote innocence and pure love.

Hydrangea

Hydrangeas are large seasonal spring plants that are always an appropriate gesture to give to a grieving family. It can be enjoyed indoors after the service and can later be replanted in their garden. This hardy plant that will grow in almost any moist soil and will continue to bloom for many years.

Chrysanthemums

Chrysanthemums are frequently included in funeral arrangements depending on what part of the world the deceased lived. In much of the United States, mums symbolize truth and are usually regarded as positive and cheerful, although New Orleans is a notable exception. In some European countries, they are symbolic of death and are exclusively used for funerals or on graves. In China, Japan and Korea, white chrysanthemums are symbolic of lamentation and grief making them a wonderful choice when mourning with a family that has ties to Europe or Asia.

Orchids

Orchid plants express everlasting love. When giving an orchid plant as a gesture of sympathy, it is important to consideration color. Pink and white are traditional colors of sympathy. Varieties such as the phalaenopsis orchid and dendrobium orchids are ideal plants to denote sympathy.

Tulips

Bright spring tulips are symbolic of renewal and fresh starts. They make an excellent choice to send as a sympathy gift because they are believed to bring encouragement and hope to those in grief. Tulips represent grace and elegance. Yellow represent cheerfulness while white tulips symbolize forgiveness. Purple tulips are reminiscent of nobility or royalty while red tulips represent perfect love.

Gladioli

Typically used in fans and sprays, gladioli are classic and elegant in arrangements for traditional funeral services. The gladiolus embodies strength of character, sincerity, and moral integrity and are available in a range of color options from white to dark greens, oranges and reds. As a sympathy flower, gladioli make an excellent choice to send to the family because of its uplifting message during a time of loss.

No matter what message you are trying to convey with your sympathy flowers, Donato Florist is here to help you select the perfect memorial gift for any occasion. Give us a call today at (908) 245-1330 to talk to one of our experienced floral designers and we will take care of the rest.

Expressing Sympathy & Grief While Social Distancing

The Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic has had an effect on nearly every aspect of life – and also death. Since we can’t gather together in person for big funerals or memorial services, we have to find new ways to express sympathy when friends and loved ones are grieving. Here are some ideas:

Send a card (or an e-card)

While many government institutions are currently closed, the post office is still open, and it still costs less than a dollar to send a sympathy (or thinking of you) card anywhere in the country. If you don’t have a card to send – or a stamp to send it with – you can send a free e-card online. These “virtual cards” can be personalized with your own message and emailed directly to the recipient.

Make a call or have a video call

Depending on your relationship, a call may be a more appropriate than a card. Hearing a familiar voice and having a real one-on-one conversation can be very therapeutic and comforting. If you want to go a step further, a video call will let you talk face-to-face in real time from anywhere in the world. With platforms such as Facetime, Skype, or Zoom, video calls are just as simple to make as traditional phone calls. It’s a good idea to reach out via text or email before you initiate a video call to make sure the other person is prepared.

Sign the virtual guest book

Guest books are traditionally a very important part of a funeral or memorial service and serve as a record of those in attendance. They are extremely valuable to the family and make it easier for them to send thank you notes afterwards. Since many funerals and memorial services are being conducted online, it may not be possible to physically sign the guest book, but there are options for an online “virtual” guest book that you can usually find when viewing the obituary. These virtual guest books are just as valuable to the family as the traditional books and serve the same purpose, but also give you the opportunity to offer condolences, share photos or memories, and read what others have posted.

Share a photo or unique memory

Funerals and memorial services are a celebration of life and everyone in attendance had their own unique relationship to the deceased. You may have a favorite photo or story that nobody else has seen or heard before from that perspective. Sharing personal memories or photos with others helps to paint a more complete picture of the person’s life and other would probably love to see or hear it. If it’s a printed picture (from before the days of digital photography), you can simply take a picture with your phone and share it that way.

Plant a memorial tree

One long-lasting way to honor the memory of a loved one is by planting a tree in their name. Not only does this serve as a permanent, physical tribute to their legacy, but it is also environmentally friendly. Be sure to get permission if you wish to plant the tree somewhere other than your own property. If you don’t have anywhere to plant the tree, or are physically unable to do it yourself, there are places that use certified arborists to take care of the details for you. In most cases they present you with a certificate and the location of the tree should you decide to visit.

Give a customized memorial gift

There are countless options for sending a gift of remembrance to a grieving friend or family member to commemorate a lost loved one. Consider their interests and hobbies when choosing a memorial gift. It can be something as small as a wind chime or charm bracelet, or something larger like a plaque or memorial bench that many people can contribute towards. Etsy and Pinterest are full of ideas for one-of-a-kind, unique, personalized items.

Send the family a gift card or cook them a meal

Gift cards make excellent memorial gifts for the family or close acquaintances of the deceased. Despite their somber tone, funerals are a lot of work and grieving family members do not often have time or energy to cook for everyone involved. Restaurant gift cards provide a nice option for a quick meal and many of them deliver. Another option is to cook a meal or take food directly to the grieving family. Be sure to check with the family first, however, to make sure they do not end up with too much food that will go to waste.

Donate monetarily

Monetary donations are always appropriate, and most obituaries specify where requested donations should be made. They are typically associated with a group or an interest that was important to the person, but you may choose to donate in their memory anywhere you would like. If you don’t feel comfortable donating directly to an outside organization, you can always give money directly to the family and let them choose where to donate.

Don’t ignore your own grief

Despite the focus on the grieving family, do not neglect to take care of yourself and make sure to consider your own grief. There are resources available that will help you deal with feelings and grief after the loss of a friend or family member and many of them allow you to remain anonymous or put you in contact with people who have gone through similar experiences. You owe it to yourself to find the help you need.

Simplifying Sympathy Flowers

Flowers are a wonderful way to communicate thoughts and feelings in times when words just aren’t enough. We love to send and receive them on joyous occasions such as birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, achievements and milestones.

But flowers also play a very important role in some of life’s most somber moments as well because of their ability to express sincere sympathy and lend support to those grieving over the lost a loved one when no words will do.

For many, ordering sympathy flowers can be a confusing and intimidating task, especially when you consider the circumstances, emotions, and responsibilities that you are suddenly forced to handle without much prior notice or time for planning. It can feel very intimidating, but your friends at Donato Florist are here to help guide you through the process and address any questions or concerns that you have in order to put your mind at ease.

Selecting the flowers

When deciding on sympathy or funeral flowers, the first thing to consider is your relationship with the deceased. Traditionally, the immediate family selects a memorial wreath or casket spray for the service. Close family and friends often opt for personalized floral tributes that reflect the deceased’s personality, occupation, hobbies or passions. These flowers are typically displayed during the funeral service.

Other friends, relatives, and co-workers have many other options available including plants and simple floral baskets which can either be used for the service itself or sent to the home of the bereaved. The best choice in this instance are flowers that reflect the personality or relationship with the deceased as many modern funeral services focus on the celebration of life more so than mourning the passing.

When to send flowers

Timing varies greatly depending upon several factors, but a good rule of thumb is to order funeral flowers at least 24 hours in advance of the funeral or memorial service, and even 48 hours for larger pieces like wreaths or sprays. Many funeral homes prefer to have the flowers in place several hours before the ceremony, so the earlier you order, the better. This also helps the florist by reducing the number of deliveries they need to make.

Sympathy flowers that are intended for the family and not the service may be sent directly to the home. The timing of these deliveries isn’t particularly as important, so any time after the service is over is appropriate.

In lieu of flowers

There is often some confusion when obituaries contain the phrase: “In Lieu of Flowers.” Contrary to popular belief, this terminology does not mean that the family does not want flowers. If that were the case, the phrase “please omit” would be used instead. It does, however, indicate that you have the option of making a donation instead of – or in addition to – sending flowers. Unless specifically stated, flowers are always an appropriate symbol of sympathy.

Other things to consider

With so many different types of memorial services and so many other variables based on religion, cultural, or family preferences, understanding funeral etiquette is not always a simple task. At Donato Florist, we’re here to help you make an appropriate selection and choose a thoughtful gift when filling your funeral flower order.

When words just aren’t enough…

The most important thing to remember is that a gift of flowers can make a big difference for grieving family members and friends. It can often speak louder than words and lets them know you are thinking of them during one of the most difficult times in their lives.

Our expert floral designers at Donato Florist will help you find the right type of arrangement, and we are happy to offer guidance and suggestions if you’re unsure which style or design you wish to send. After you order, you can rest assured knowing that we will handle all of the details to make sure your flowers are delivered to the proper place, at the proper time.