Sympathy Plants: A Living Way to Show You Care
Sympathy Plants: A Living Way to Show You Care
When someone is grieving, a living plant says something cut flowers cannot: that you are here for the long stretch, not just the first hard week. A sympathy plant keeps growing in their home or garden, a quiet companion through the months that follow. This guide covers the best plants to send, what different plants mean, where to send them, and how to add a card — so your gift brings comfort long after the bouquets have faded.
What is a good sympathy plant to send?
A peace lily is the most popular and meaningful sympathy plant, symbolising peace, rebirth and the soul returning to calm — it is easy to care for and thrives indoors with little light. Other thoughtful choices include an orchid for lasting beauty and strength, a potted rose for love, a snake plant or pothos for someone who would rather have something nearly impossible to kill, and a memorial tree or shrub to plant outdoors in remembrance. For a gift the family can grow for years, a hardy outdoor plant or a tree is especially comforting. Choose based on the recipient: a low-maintenance houseplant suits someone with little time or energy, while a garden plant suits someone who finds peace outdoors. Whatever you pick, add a short handwritten card — a living plant paired with a few sincere words is one of the kindest sympathy gifts there is, because it keeps growing alongside their grief instead of fading within days.
Why send a plant instead of flowers
Cut flowers are beautiful, but they fade within a week — often just as the hardest part of grief begins, when the cards stop and the house goes quiet. A living plant stays. It becomes a small, growing presence in the home, something to tend on the days when caring for anything at all feels hard, and a gentle reminder that someone was thinking of them.
That does not mean flowers are wrong — they are a lovely gesture for the service itself, and our guide to funeral flowers covers those. A plant is simply the gift that keeps speaking long after the funeral is over.
The best sympathy plants to send
Some plants carry meaning, others are simply easy to keep alive. The kindest gift balances both:
- Peace lily — the classic sympathy plant, symbolising peace and rebirth; forgiving and happy indoors with low light.
- Orchid — elegant and long-lasting, a symbol of strength and enduring love.
- Snake plant or pothos — nearly impossible to kill, perfect for someone with no energy to spare for fussy care.
- Potted rose or hydrangea — a flowering plant that can later be planted in the garden.
- A memorial tree or shrub — a living tribute that grows for decades; see our guide to a memorial tree.
If you would rather send a wider gift, a plant alongside something practical works beautifully — our sympathy gifts guide has more ideas.
Indoor or outdoor — choosing for the person
Match the plant to the person’s life, not just to tradition:
- Choose a houseplant for someone short on time, living in an apartment, or who would find an indoor companion comforting.
- Choose a garden plant or tree for someone who finds peace outdoors and has the space — it becomes a living place to remember.
- Think about care. If you are not sure how green their thumb is, lean toward the hardiest options so the gift never becomes a worry.
A garden plant or tree can also mark a special spot, the way a memorial garden does, giving the family somewhere to sit and remember.
Where to send it and what to say
Sympathy plants are usually sent to the family home rather than the funeral, so they arrive when the house is quietest and the company has gone. A florist, garden centre or online plant service can deliver with a card. If sending to the service instead, check first — some families request donations in lieu of flowers.
Always include a short, handwritten note. It does not need to be long: a few honest words — that you are thinking of them, that the person mattered, that you are here — turn a plant into a real act of care. The plant keeps growing; your words stay with it.
A living tribute, and a lasting one
A sympathy plant grows quietly in the corner of a room or a garden bed; a free digital memorial page holds the whole of who they were. The two sit beautifully together — a living thing to tend, and a place that gathers their photographs across the years, a video, the music they loved, and the stories everyone wants to keep. You can share the page link with the family in your card, so your gift offers both something to grow and somewhere to return, whenever they need to feel close.
It is free to create and takes about five minutes. A QR plaque is optional and comes later — the page is the heart of it.
Create a free memorial page
Pair your gift with a lasting memorial
The digital memorial page is free to create — start free, gather a lifetime of photos, video and stories, and share the link with the family alongside your plant. The optional QR memorial plaque links the same page to a headstone, bench or garden stone with a single scan, for families who want a lasting marker too (you will see the current price on the product page). The plant keeps growing; the page keeps their story alive.
Sympathy plants — FAQ
A peace lily is the most popular and meaningful sympathy plant, symbolising peace and rebirth, and it is easy to care for indoors. Other thoughtful choices include an orchid for lasting beauty and strength, a potted rose for love, a snake plant or pothos for someone who wants something nearly impossible to kill, and a memorial tree or shrub to plant outdoors. Choose based on the person: a low-maintenance houseplant for someone busy or tired, a garden plant for someone who finds peace outdoors.
The peace lily symbolises peace, rebirth, and the soul returning to a state of calm, which is why it has become the classic sympathy plant. Its white blooms are associated with sympathy and remembrance, and it carries a gentle message of hope and renewal for the grieving. It is also wonderfully practical: it thrives indoors with low light and little attention, so it offers comfort without becoming one more thing the family has to worry about.
Sympathy plants are usually best sent to the family home rather than the funeral, so they arrive in the quiet days after the service when the visitors have gone and the support is needed most. Flowers are more common at the service itself. If you do want to send a plant to the funeral, check with the family or funeral home first, as some request charitable donations in lieu of flowers or plants. Always include a short handwritten card either way.
For someone with little time or energy, the hardiest sympathy plants are the snake plant, pothos, ZZ plant and peace lily — all forgiving of low light and irregular watering. These are ideal when you are unsure how confident the recipient is with plants, because the last thing a grieving person needs is a gift that becomes a source of guilt. A nearly indestructible plant offers comfort with no pressure to keep it perfect.
Keep it short, sincere and handwritten. A few honest words are enough: that you are thinking of them, that the person mattered, and that you are there if needed. Simple lines such as ‘Thinking of you and your family,’ ‘With love and deepest sympathy,’ or ‘He will be remembered with so much love’ are warm and appropriate. If you knew the person, a brief, specific memory makes the card especially meaningful alongside the living gift.
Yes, and many families love to. A potted rose, hydrangea, shrub or young tree given as a sympathy gift can later be planted in the garden as a living memorial that grows for years. It becomes a place to sit, tend and remember, much like a dedicated memorial garden or memorial tree. If you intend the gift to be planted outdoors, choose something suited to the local climate and mention it on the card so the family knows it is meant to be planted.
Send a living gift — and help keep their story alive, free, in minutes.
Start a free memorial page to gather the photos, video and stories of someone loved, and share it with the grieving family alongside a plant that keeps on growing.