Memorial Day Flowers

Memorial Day flowers honor those who died serving the country, and these four designs all carry red, white and blue. A florist close to the recipient builds each one by hand.

Three are tributes for a memorial service and one is a vase for a family at home, and the guide explains which is which.

Choosing Memorial Day flowers

Memorial Day arrangements for a service or home

The Distinguished Service Casket Spray rests on the casket in a steady red, white and blue pattern, and close family usually chooses it. For a cremation service, the Veterans Tribute - Cremation Wreath is a patriotic Memorial Day wreath of carnations that circles the urn, and the Veterans Tribute - Cremation Setting frames the urn with carnations, wax flower and myrtle. Tie a Yellow Ribbon, with red roses, white daisies and blue carnations, suits a family's home or a gathering. For more service pieces in these colors, see our patriotic sympathy flowers and cremation and urn flowers.

Memorial Day flower questions

What flowers are traditional for Memorial Day?

The red poppy is the best known, a symbol that grew out of the poem In Flanders Fields. Red, white and blue carnations and roses are common too, since carnations are often linked with remembrance. All four designs here use all three of those colors.

Is Memorial Day the same as Veterans Day?

No. Memorial Day, the last Monday in May, honors those who died in military service, while Veterans Day on November 11 thanks everyone who served. To thank a living veteran, see our Veterans Day flowers and gifts.

Who usually sends a casket spray for a veteran?

The spouse, children or parents usually choose the casket spray, since it stays on the casket for the whole service. Friends, fellow veterans and coworkers more often send a vase arrangement, timed to reach the funeral home before the service.