When my friend Susan’s mother Jean was cremated at Leura Memorial Gardens in Autumn this year, her family used lots of flowers and foliage from her garden in the Blue Mountains of NSW to adorn her coffin.

It was a way of expressing something about Jean, who’d always loved the blue hues of the mountains, a light created by the oil of the Eucalyptus trees that defined her garden home.

Jean’s request was inspired by her husband who had died a few years before. He did something similar with spring flowers.

“After all the rain of late I was spoilt for choice in this. Jean’s favourite shrubs were a mass of buds and flowers and they were a great comfort,” said Susan.

Judith Black from London teaches how to do a funeral flower arrangement using Australia’s own Eucalyptus.

And for some general funeral flower arrangement ideas watch this.

For history buffs read what Funeral Educator Todd Van Den Beck has to say about the history, value and benefit of funeral flowers.