How to make a posy for a funeral
Do you want to make a posy for a funeral? Follow our method for a personal and biodegradable option.
Flowers are an integral part of many funerals. Often, the organiser provides the flowers. Many people, however, choose to bring their own flowers to add to the display.
A funeral posy is a small bunch of flowers suitable for a funeral. They can be bought from florists or made at home.
Making a funeral posy at home has several advantages:
- It's often more affordable than buying from a florist.
- It means you can personalise the posy.
- It's versatile, letting you use different types of foliage you have to hand.
And if you follow our method, it's environmentally friendly, too.
What you'll need
First, you need to gather your flowers. The choice of flowers is up to you. Popular choices include lilies, roses, carnations and chrysanthemums.
These can be mixed with:
- Herbs like lavender and parsley
- Berries
- "Fillers", such as freesia, lisianthus and gypsophilia (baby's breath)
You'll also need scissors, baking paper, twine and hessian – or a similar material.
Method
1. Prepare your materials
Your first step is to remove the lower leaves from all your foliage. This stops the flowers from rotting in the water.
It can be helpful to put your different materials in separate containers or spread them out separately on your work surface.
2. Construct the posy
Next, you feed the flowers into your hand between your first finger and thumb.
You begin with the strongest stems – usually flowers. Feed the stems between your finger and thumb so they sit on top of your hand.
After each addition, use your other hand to turn the posy. This helps give the posy shape.
Next, add any berries, herbs or smaller flowers. Continue in this vein until you're happy with the posy.
3. Get the posy ready to be wrapped
When you've arranged your posy, tie the stems together and cut them all to the same length. At this stage, you want to ensure you've removed any thorns or excess leaves.
If you're preparing your posy the night before, you should cut the stems at 45-degree angles. This boosts water intake and helps the flowers remain fresh in water.
Now put your posy in a water-filled vase.
4. Wrap up your posy
You'll need about a metre of baking paper. Wrap up your posy and tie it up with twine. You can then tie a square of hessian or a similar material around the stems. Now your homemade funeral posy is finished.
How can you personalise a funeral posy?
One of the advantages of making a posy is personalisation. By making the posy yourself, you're free to customise it to reflect the personality or interests of the person who has died.
You can add a handwritten note. You can use the person's favourite flowers or flowers in their favourite colours. You could even repurpose fabric from their home to cover the stems.
AFD is a team of independent funeral directors in Barnet, London. Our managing funeral director, Nitesh Patel, has spent many years helping local families arrange fitting, personalised funerals. Do you need our support? Please call whenever you're ready on 020 8355 7876.
