Plants make thoughtful gifts for the bereaved. But you might not knowwhat to do with funeral plantsas soon as you bring her home. So here's a quick look at some of the more common burial plants.
Go to these sections:
- tropical flowers
- Lilies and Onions
- foliage plants
- Flowering bushes and bushes
- juicy
Scroll down to learn about some important plant traits and how to care for them, whether you grow them in a pot or plant them in your garden.
1. Orchids (Orchidaceae)
What is an orchid?
Orchids are flowering plants that thrive in tropical areas. They are revered for their medicinal properties and can live anywhere from 30 to 100 years in the wild.
Characteristics:
Very aromatic. Thick but simple sheet structure. The flower is bilaterally symmetrical, waxy and comes in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes. Each flower has three sepals and three petals, one of which, the lip, is richly variegated.
Careful:
Too much water in an orchid pot will lead to root rot and premature death. Place the plant in a sunny window to receive the light from the rising or setting sun. Fertilize with orchid fertilizer and replant in soil suitable for orchids when the orchid stops flowering
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2. Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum spp.)
What is a peace lily?
Peace lilies are tropical plants commonly referred to assympathy plants. But be careful with them, as they are slightly toxic to pets due to calcium oxalate, a respiratory inhibitor found in all parts of the plant.
Characteristics:
The anatomy of the white and green peace lily flower is part spadix and part spathe. The spadix is a short 2" to 3" column of miniature flowers, while the spathe is tall, while the petal acts as a sheath for the spadix.
Careful:
Peace lilies require constant, filtered watering as their leaves turn brown with regular tap water. Place a bowl of gravel under the pot to increase the much-appreciated moisture level. Fertilize every six weeks and keep them out of direct sunlight.
3. White Giant Cala Lily (Zantedeschia ethiopica)
What is a calla lily?
Calla lilies are herbaceous perennials native to southern Africa that begin life as rhizomes that look like roots rather than bulbs. These roots are thick and grow horizontally, sending flowers and leaves upward.
Characteristics:
Calla's simplicity makes it a flower for all occasions. Similar to the peace lily (see above), the calla lily flower's anatomy includes a spadix and spathe. To tell them apart, you'll notice that the calla lily's spadix is embedded in the spathe, almost obscuring it.
Careful:
Calla lilies love heat (80 degrees), humid summers and shade. Therefore, plant them in a location where they will be spared from the midday sun. They thrive in moist but well-draining soil. But if kept indoors, replant and fertilize the soil annually to encourage growth or reproduction.
4. Dutch hyacinth (eastern hyacinth)
What is a hyacinth?
Dutch hyacinth is a perennial herb obtained from a spring flowering bulb. It is also known as common hyacinth or garden hyacinth.
Characteristics:
You won't confuse the beautiful scent of a spring-blooming hyacinth with any other flower. Each has four to six long green leaves and a cylindrical raceme, each with six petals. White or blue are appropriate colors for a funeral.
Careful:
Continue growing in the original pot or transplant into the garden for about 6 to 8 weeks before the first frost. They grow up to two feet tall if you plant them in loamy soil with full access to sun. Keep the soil moist, but don't overwater.
5. Dieffenbachie (Dieffenbachia spp.)
What is Dieffenbachia?
These tropical perennials are also known as dumbcanes because chewing on the leaves can make your tongue swell. This toxicity provides reason enough to keep it away from children and pets.
Characteristics:
The Dieffenbachia plant has large green leaves with white and cream patterns that follow the leaf veins. The flowering of this plant is similar to that of the peace lily and the calla lily and it only blooms once a year.
Careful:
These houseplants require partial shade with bright, indirect sunlight. They also need moisture and a specific watering schedule. However, overwatering will cause the roots to rot, so ensure adequate drainage and dry the soil before watering again.
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6. Serpent Plants (Sansevieria trifasciata)
What is a snake plant?
These plants are from the succulent family and are native to West Africa. According to NASA's 1989 Clean Air Study, they are known to purify the air of toxins and pollutants, including benzene, formaldehyde, xylene, and trichlorethylene.
Characteristics:
The leaves of the snake plant are green and white with horizontal variegation. The yellow color outlines some of the leaves of these species, making them appear to glow at the edge.
Careful:
Talk about a simple plant! They are excellent for indirect light, require little care and tolerate little water. However, they are toxic to dogs and cats and can cause swollen tongue, diarrhea and vomiting if ingested.
7. Majesty or Majestic Palm (Ravenea rivularis)
What is a Majesty Palm?
The home of the majestic palm tree is in Madagascar. After its introduction in Florida in the 1990s, it slowly became a popular houseplant and commercially grown in the United States.
Characteristics:
Outdoors, the non-flowering palm tree can grow to 90 feet tall, but indoors it matures to ten feet—slowly growing about a foot a year. Its leaves are long and dark green.
Careful:
Majesty Palm requires regular watering and lots of indirect sunlight throughout the day. Give it liquid fertilizer once or twice during the growing season, transplant annually, cut off any yellow or brown leaves, and be prepared for an infestation if the plant doesn't get enough moisture to thrive.
8. Azaleas (Ericaceae)
What is an azalea?
Azaleas are flowering shrubs of the genus Rhododendron that typically bloom in spring.
Characteristics:
Azaleas have bright, vibrant flowers scattered from top to bottom of the bush. They aren't incredibly scented, but the sheer number of buds makes up for the lack of scent.
Careful:
These plants require little maintenance once they have established roots. Deciduous varieties require more sun than evergreen varieties. They need a pH of 4.5–6 in humus soil and do well when planted near a conifer that can drop its needles to keep moisture in the soil.
8. Hydrangea (hydrangea macrophylla)
What is a hydrangea?
Hydrangeas are deciduous or evergreen shrubs, trees or vines, native to America and Asia. Most likely, the plant you received is a cultivated deciduous shrub variety.
Characteristics:
These popular shrubs bloom from mid-summer to early fall. They have pom-pom flowers (or mop heads) that make them an amazing gift. In addition, its leaves are quite large, unlike, for example, azaleas.
Careful:
Hydrangeas need full sun to partial shade and well-draining soil. Prune wisely every year to maintain its size. Soil pH, in particular, determines flower color, so your potted pink hydrangea may turn blue if planted in acidic or alkaline soil.
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9. Rose bushes (pink family)
What is a rosebush?
Rose bushes are perennial flowering plants (shrubs, vines or hanging plants) that flower annually. When cut and presented in a vase, they are among the most commonTypes of mourning flowers.
Characteristics:
Shrub rose plants have pointed spines, oval but pinnate leaves, and several fragrant flowers per plant. These flowers vary from white to purple and from yellow to red.
Careful:
With good drainage, fertilizer, and moist soil, a rose bush is easy to care for. Since your plant will likely arrive potted in a container, it's easy to plant in your garden (zones 3-11). Just wait for a cool but cloudy day in spring or autumn to do this. Prune as needed to prevent powdery mildew.
10. Gardenias (gardenia jasminoides)
What is a gardenia?
Gardenia is a flowering shrub or tree native to the tropics and southern hemisphere. It is used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat symptoms affecting the “nervous, cardiovascular, and digestive systems (Chen et al., 2020)”.
Characteristics:
Gardenias are incredibly fragrant and have glossy dark green leaves. White is the most common and popular color for funerals.
Careful:
If they must stay indoors, give them 6-8 hours of sunlight daily. Otherwise, place them outside in the summer, but bring them back inside in the cooler seasons. Gardenias prefer regular watering, high humidity and a good mist every now and then.
12. Spotted Begonias (spotted begonias)
What is a begonia?
spotted begoniasis one of the 1,300 species of perennial flowering plants in theBegoniaceaeFamily.
Characteristics:
Plump, hard, variegated, erect leaves. The upper part of the spade-shaped leaves features a polka dot green with a white pattern, and a red star accents the underside. In summer, clusters of flowers frozen on a stem display many small white petals that harbor cheerful yellow stamens.
Careful:
Spotted begonias love morning sun, but not all day. Plant them in the spring when you are sure the last frost of winter has passed. If you can, plant them soon after burial and in moist soil conditions. Otherwise, keep them in pots in fertilized, well-draining soil.
13. Succulents (Aizoaceae)
What are succulents?
Succulents are a type of plant that retain water in their leaves, giving them a plump appearance and making them perfect for dry climates. They are found on every continent except Antarctica.
Characteristics:
These plants are usually small (only a few inches tall), drought tolerant, and ornamental. However, they are not to be confused with cacti. Many succulents are waxy or hairy, a trait that allows them to trap moisture in the plant, reducing airflow around it.
Careful:
Succulents are the perfect plant for the person who isn't a big green thumb. They can survive without much watering and don't need to be transplanted often due to their size and growth.
Your funeral plan and the safety of pets or children
Some plants are poisonous to children and pets, so it's important to find out if the burial plant you're giving or receiving has the potential to harm someone or a pet in the household. Even if that's the case, as long as you play it safe and take the proper precautions, your plant will give you years of enjoyment.
Sources:
- Chen L, Li M, Yang Z, Tao W, Wang P, Tian X, Li X, Wang W (2020). Gardenia jasminoides Ellis: ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry and pharmacological and industrial applications of an important traditional Chinese medicine.J Etnofarmacol. July 15, 2020; 257
- Garden design magazine. (2020). Caring for Roses: A Beginner's Guide to Growing Roses.garden design.https://www.gardendesign.com/roses/care.html
- Garden design magazine. (2019). How to grow and care for calla lily flowers - garden design.https://www.gardendesign.com/flowers/calla-lilies.html
- Hicks Nurseries. (2020). Cactus and succulent care tips: The 10 best succulents for your home.https://hicksnurseries.com/houseplants/cactus-succulents/
- Schwartz, T. (2021). Succulent taxonomy.sublime succulents.https://www.sublimesucculents.com/succulent-taxonomy/
- University of Florida. (2020). begonias.UF/IFAS garden solutions.https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/ornamentals/begonias.html
- Zhang S, Yang Y, Li J, Qin J, Zhang W, Huang W, and Hu H (2018, June 25). Physiological diversity of orchids.plant diversity. Volume 40, issue 4, August 2018, pages 196-208.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468265918300556