Grace in the hour of grief

There can be no better condolence card than flowers, especially if it’s a bouquet of carnations, azaleas, chrysanthemums, daisies, gladioli, heather iris, limonium, lily, monte casino, gerberas, snapdragon and even orchids. The Greeks used even roses at funerals; it would a bunch of red and white roses. It became a symbol of bad luck for them.

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Pink carnations have a special significance as they are supposed to say “I’ll never forget you.” The North American carnation is typically 0.6m to 1m (2 – 3.5 feet tall) with a brittle slightly branching stem, narrow opposite leaves and large terminal double flowers. They come in red, white, pink yellow and sometimes purple varieties.

A basket containing a spray of red and white carnations is considered the classic funeral-time offering.