Do you want to place flowers on a grave in the winter and need help making your selection? Are you looking for flowering plants that can withstand cold temperatures? Frost?
I’m here to help you find what you’re looking for.
As a florist, I support my clients during all moments of life, whether they are ceremonies celebrating joyful occasions or more difficult times, such as grief. Today, I’m going to share my knowledge with you to help you choose flowers to honor your loved ones.
Cemeteries are typically adorned with potted plants, flower arrangements, or shrubs planted directly in the soil. To ensure a vibrant display in winter, you can place small flowering plants on a grave, such as pansies, hellebores, primroses, chrysanthemums, or cyclamens. You may also consider shrubs like skimmia, bush veronica, and Japanese azalea. These can be complemented with plants such as sea dust, heather, or small conifers. Lastly, you can pay tribute to your loved ones with a bouquet of cut flowers (as long as it’s not raining or freezing) or with preserved roses, protected under a glass dome.
Want to know more details? Read this article to find out:
- A selection of flowering plants that withstand cold winter temperatures
- Green plants suitable for placing on a grave
- If it’s possible to put cut flowers on a grave during winter
- How to honor a deceased loved one with an everlasting rose
What Flowering Plants to Place on a Grave in Winter? 🌼
Whether it’s for All Saints’ Day or not, if you’re looking to adorn a grave in the winter, you’re probably searching for a flowering plant that can withstand the typical weather conditions of this season.
In the following lines, I will provide a selection of flowering plants that can withstand cold and rain, and some can even endure frost and snow. By choosing one of these plants, you can ensure that the grave of your loved one you wish to honor remains decorated for several weeks or even months, keeping their memory alive.
Thought
These little flowers, with their very evocative name, are highly treasured. They have the advantage of being very affordable (rarely more than $1 for a small pot) and can create beautiful floral arrangements. They also pair wonderfully with other plants in mixed containers.
Thoughts come in many colors: some are solid while others present themselves in beautiful two-tone variations.
🛑 There are perennial pansies, which last from one year to the next. However, if you’re looking for a beautiful bloom, I recommend annual pansies, which will flower for several months within a single year. These will produce much more abundant flowers and require less maintenance.
➡️ Maintenance Tips
Thought is very low-maintenance. For that reason, it’s perfect for a grave that you won’t visit often.
- Cold resistance: -15°F
- Light exposure: full sun to shade (all exposures)
Hellebore
Also known as Christmas roses, these perennial plants produce stunning white or colorful flowers. They typically bloom from December to May. Additionally, they can be kept in pots or directly replanted in the ground. Hellebores can grow between 12 and 24 inches tall.
These flowers are known for blooming even under snow, around Christmas, in a continental climate. If you’re looking to adorn a cemetery in the mountains, this is the perfect plant to choose.
➡️ Maintenance Tips
- Cold resistance: -20°F
- Light exposure: partial sun to partial shade
Primrose
Like these thoughts, these little flowers are affordable and perfect for arrangements. They come in a variety of colors such as pink, purple, yellow, red, and more, and can be kept in pots or planted directly in the ground.
They bloom mostly at the end of winter, or even at the beginning of spring. They can be kept for several years, but they are very sensitive to the heat of summer!
➡️ Maintenance Tips
- Cold resistance: -15°F
- Light exposure: partial sun to partial shade
Chrysanthemum
This iconic flower of All Saints’ Day blooms in the fall, lasting until December. It is the flower that is traditionally placed on graves during this time of year to honor our loved ones who have passed away.
The Chrysanthemum is not associated with mourning everywhere in the world: in Japan, for instance, this sacred flower symbolizes good luck. In China, it is connected to nobility and longevity, and is given as a gift to celebrate births.
This flower is typically grown in pots, but it can also be planted in the ground. There are many colors available, and some varieties produce stunning tricolor plants.
➡️ Maintenance Tips
- Cold Resistance: -10°F
- Light Exposure: Full Sun
Skimmia
Originally from Japan, this small shrub can grow up to a meter tall and blooms for more than six months. It initially produces small clusters of pink buds that open into tiny white or light pink flowers. Very hardy, it can be potted or planted in the soil at the head of a grave, providing greenery year-round.
➡️ Maintenance Tips
- Cold resistance: -10°F
- Light exposure: full sun
Véronique Shrub
Like the Skimmia, this is a evergreen ornamental shrub. It blooms in late summer for an extended period, making it suitable for placing on a grave in the fall. The variegated varieties are beautiful all year round, even outside of the flowering periods.
⚠️ Attention, this plant is vulnerable to frost during its early years: if you’re considering getting a small specimen to place in the cemetery, it’s best to live in the southern part of France.
➡️ Maintenance Tips
- Cold resistance: 32°F in the early years (up to 20 inches), then down to 14°F
- Light exposure: full sun to partial shade
Cyclamen
This charming little plant blooms during the winter months. It comes in many colors. For outdoor use, opt for the smaller varieties, which are more resilient.
⚠️This plant cannot tolerate frost.
➡️ Maintenance Tips
- Cold resistance: 32°F
- Exposure: preferably partial shade
Japanese Azalea
This beautiful plant blooms at the end of winter, or even in early spring. Very hardy, it is a perennial and will bloom year after year. In a pot, it will not exceed 20 inches, while in the ground, it can reach up to 5 feet.
👉 The Japanese Azalea thrives in acidic soil: you can plant it in a substrate made of heather soil.
➡️ Maintenance Tips
- Cold resistance: -15°F
- Exposure: shade
What Green Plants Can Be Placed on a Grave in Winter? 🌿
If you want to pair flowering plants with shrubs, for example, to create a plant arrangement or a planter, this section will answer your questions.
Here are some plants that you can place on a grave or even plant in the ground at the cemetery, and that will thrive even in the harshness of winter.
Maritime Itinerary
This little plant features a very beautiful foliage that evokes the winter. With a nearly gray-green color and a texture as soft as velvet, it contrasts particularly well with flowering plants. This allows for the creation of lovely colorful arrangements to honor the memory of your loved ones.
➡️ Maintenance Tips
- Cold Resistance: -5°F
- Light Exposure: Full Sun
Heather
This small plant is perfect for enhancing a planter. Its leaves change color in winter, transforming into shades of orange, red, and even gold. It is a very resilient plant, well-suited for cold regions. It is unaffected by rain or drought and requires almost no maintenance.
👉 Heather loves acidic soil. To ensure it thrives, add heather soil to its growing medium.
➡️ Maintenance Tips
- Cold Resistance: -20°F
- Light Exposure: All exposures
Decorative Conifers 🌲
Drought and Cold Resistant, these plants are among the best suited for winter conditions. As perennials, they will thrive year after year, enhancing and complementing your flowering plants. Here are a few varieties:
- Chamaecyparis obtusa
- Chamaecyparis lawsoniana
- Thuja
- Cypress
➡️ Maintenance Tips (Applicable to All Mentioned Varieties)
- Cold resistance: -15°F
- Light exposure: full sun, but they can tolerate partial shade for part of the day
Can You Place a Bouquet of Flowers on a Grave in Winter?
Many people would like to place fresh flowers at the cemetery during the winter, but they hesitate, fearing that the flowers won’t last even a day outside. This is unfortunate, as it is indeed possible.
Indeed, flowers can last several days outside in the winter (sometimes even longer than indoors!) if the following conditions are met:
- No frost, including morning frost,
- No heavy and/or persistent rain,
- The flowers are hydrated, either through water-retaining packaging or with hydrophilic foam.
Floral arrangements designed for mourning, the casket spray is especially suited for this occasion. It is intended to be laid flat on the grave, which prevents it from tipping over in the wind. Additionally, the flowers used in the arrangement are secured in water-retaining foam.
So, feel free to ask your florist for a bouquet like this if you want to place flowers at the cemetery.
The Eternal Rose, A Tribute 🌹
Unlike a cut flower that is fleeting, you would prefer to place a lasting and exceptional flower on a grave, reflecting the love you had for your deceased loved one.
In this case, the everlasting rose is exactly what you’re looking for. It is a natural flower that has been preserved using a conservation solution, specifically glycerin. This type of flower can last for a very long time while maintaining its vibrant appearance.
However, please note that an everlasting rose should not be placed outside without protection. These flowers are sensitive to moisture, which could damage them.
However, eternal roses under a glass dome are perfect for this purpose, as they are well-protected. If you’re interested in this product to pay tribute to a friend or family member, feel free to check out our wide selection of eternal roses under glass domes available in our online store.
You can also choose from our selection of galaxy roses. These artificial roses under glass, made from a real rose, will withstand winter temperatures and will honor the memory of your loved ones.
I hope this article has answered all your questions and helped you to properly honor your loved ones who have passed away as we look forward to the return of spring and the beautiful days ahead…
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