Give Flowers for Condolence?

A live potted indoor plant is also nice.

Or a live potted plant that an be planted outside is a wonderful gift.

I personally think any sincere act of kindness with the right intention is a good idea.. IF flowers are your way of showing condolences, then by all means.. some people bring food, some gift ctf to restaurants so that the family can eat out without having to deal with cooking.. I think it's the thought that counts, even a month or two down the line , I like to send a card to show that I am still thinking of the person....

I do know that Jewish folks don't see flowers as appropriate.

But in general, a nice plant would be welcome by anyone.

My brothers fiancé recently lost her brother. I ordered a necklace from etsy and asked my brother for his picture suggestion. He sent me her favorite picture of him. It took a little longer than flowers, but she said it was the best gift she had ever recieved! This made me feel good, because when my father/best friend passed she bought a nice condolences book for the memorial and a nice ornament.
Flowers Or a plant are great. A friend came over and brought food and a hug-that was awesome! Cards are nice. My cousin invited us other home for a barbecue a few days after tge memorial-that was nice.
I have also bought angel garden sculptures, bracelets. I try to make it something that the bereaved would use/appreciate.

I agree, something living. I'd also consider finding out who's helping everyone with the meal after/before the funeral. Sometimes the church where the services are going to be will fix them food. You could offer to help with that.

Also, taking a meal is often a good thing when they have a houseful of relatives staying in preparation/days leading up to the service or the evening of that day.

They could also need toilet paper, paper plates, plastic flatware, napkins, and more things like that.

It is customary in some places to give a living, potted plant rather than cut flowers. But ask DIL. She'll be able to tell you whether her mother likes plants.

When my dad died many years ago, neighbors brought food! Nearly all of it was freezable (one neighbor brought over cans of orange juice!) and it was great, because we didn't need to cook for a week and a half.

A card or a handwritten note is always appropriate.

You might send a donation to the charity of their (or your) choice, if that's one of their options.

But do ask your DIL. How kind of you to want to show your care.

My friend of my aunt brought a beautiful orchid to my mom when my brother died. It's still going strong over a year later, and my mom really loves it.
If you get a flower, maybe something that will live for a while? Maybe an african violet, or something similar?

That's very sweet of you. Sometimes flowers are not the best because of allergies. A plant could be more acceptable and lives longer.

Or you could do a food gift in a disposable container so they don't have to return it.

A card could be just fine.
A condolence call in a few weeks, when everything settles down, would be nice.

Yes, it is. Whatever kind you want. Or a plant, if you want it to last longer. Or food (preferably something that can go in the freezer.)

So sorry for your DIL and her family.

I agree with bringing food rather than flowers. They probably have too many already.

You may want to ask you DIL because we have sent flowers from the office only to find an obituary that says in lieu of flowers, send...

It depends on the cultural and religious traditions. Some religions (Judaism, for example) do not do flowers at all, not at funerals or at the house. For others, they are used at the funeral home but not afterwards at the house - for a number of reasons (space to display, the grieving family has to do something with them, they die, people are allergic, etc.).

Some people like a meal to serve to mourners and those paying condolence calls, others like something to freeze for the next few days. A low maintenance plant that doesn't die is a nice idea as long as you know that the family has a green thumb and can manage the care.

Others like a sympathy card (with a nice note about how much you liked the grandfather or what stories you heard) and a donation to a cause that is relevant to them (either reflective of their values such as public TV or the deceased's university, the local food bank or museum in their town, etc.) But you just give something to the charity in the name of the deceased and provide the name/address of the survivor(s), and then the charity sends an acknowledgement. It's not right away, but sometimes it's better for the surviving family to receive something a few weeks later, when all the well-wishers have gone on with their lives and the mourners feel a little left alone. Same goes for a gift card/certificate from a local restaurant that delivers meals.

I would say definitely DON'T bring something that requires them to do any work.

There are all sorts of nice flower arrangements for this.

http://www.teleflora.com/sympathy-flower-guide.asp

http://www.ftd.com/flowers-for-home-office-ctg/occasion-s...

When I lost my parents and my sister, the best things was food that was dropped by from neighbors. A card is going to get tossed, save the $3. Flowers die. There will be enough plants from the services.

My condolences.

I prefer to send a card with a handwritten not and include a check or cash for a memorial for "family wishes." It might be a regional thing, but here in MN giving money either to be used for unexpected expenses or for the family to make donations is very common. My great aunt, who lives in CA and AZ, lost a son a little over a year ago and she said receiving money is not common there. Only her Midwestern friends and family sent money. However, she really appreciated it because she had to cover the memorial and cremation expenses. When my mom died a little over a year ago we received thousands of dollars and were able to donate generously to three different charitable causes in her name, including research for the illness that precipitated her death. Food can be nice, but my dad received so much food when my mom died that he wasn't able to eat it all and his freezer got too full. He said he could only eat so much and he was so busy with funeral arrangements, etc. that he wasn't home much anyhow to eat it.