Part of the reason I wanted to set up this blog aspect to the website is so I could talk about some things in more details than the product info or an Instagram post will allow. Farewell flowers are an incredibly personal thing and it's such an honour to be asked by a family to create the flowers for a loved ones funeral.
Up until now funeral flowers have always included Oasis as a base, whether that be for a casket top or for letters or wreaths (a more traditional take on funeral flowers) and this didn't sit right with me. Not only is Oasis bad for the planet, taking years to biodegrade, it means that the flowers don't have a life after the funeral, they are just left at the burial site and eventually wilt, only for the Oasis frames to be dumped in a skip and then ending up in landfill.
Thankfully recently there has been a shift to try and find more sustainable ways of creating funeral flowers where the stems would still have a water source to look at their best for the service but so that the flowers could be enjoyed afterwards too.
Over the last 6 months I have been looking at ways that Studio Poppy can offer funeral flowers in a way that isn't harmful to the planet too and I'm pleased to say I've found a few systems that tick these boxes while still delivering impact and I'll go into more detail about one of them now...
Working with the families on a colour scheme I design lots of small bunches of flowers into jam jars. These jars are wrapped loosely in brown paper (I'll explain why further down!) and filled with a small amount of water with a bit of twine around the top.
Once all of the jars are filled with flowers I then arrange them into a basket.
The basket has a layer of biodegradable cellophane on the bottom as well as a grip mat cut to size. I add the jars into the basket one by one, filling any gaps with moss. Not only will the moss absorb any water spillages, it will keep the jars upright and smells amazing. Once all the jam jars have been placed I double check to make sure the jars aren't moving and are secure enough to be on top of the coffin during transportation and when being carried.
After the service there basket can then be taken to the venue of the wake and the jam jars can be taken out, the brown paper removed (this has been protecting the jar from getting dirty from the moss) and placed on tables. This not only brightens up the venue, it links the flowers together from the service. Once the Wake is over and people start to leave, a jar of flowers can then be given to friends or family to take home to be enjoyed for a week to 10 days after the funeral. The jar can then be re-used and filled with fresh blooms as and when the recipient likes.
I've used this for a few funerals that I have been asked to make flowers for now and I'm really pleased with the feedback, they love the natural feeling of the flowers in the basket and the impact that they have but also the ethos behind the creation too. If you or someone you know is looking to order funeral flowers for a loved one, there is more information on the 'Funeral' tab on the website or don't hesitate to get in touch via the contact form, email or Instagram DM, I'm always happy to answer any questions.