Calverton National Cemetery: Flower Rules, Hours and Finding a Grave

Calverton National Cemetery sits on eastern Long Island, between Manorville and Riverhead in Suffolk County. The VA built it in 1978 as the third national cemetery on Long Island, and it now covers 1,045 acres. It is a very large cemetery with a floral policy of its own, so it pays to read the rules before you bring flowers. Here is what the Department of Veterans Affairs publishes about it.

Where it is and when it is open

• Address: 210 Princeton Boulevard, Calverton, NY 11933.
• Phone: 631-727-5410.
• Visiting hours: open daily from sunrise to sunset.
• Office hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.

The VA says transportation to a gravesite is available for visitors who need help, weather and ground conditions permitting, Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM. Ask at the office.

Finding a grave

There is a kiosk with a gravesite locator at the administration building, and cemetery staff can help during office hours. The grave location is also on the map in the burial document folder the family received. Before you leave home, the VA's nationwide gravesite locator will give you the section and site number. Our guide to finding a veteran's grave walks through it.

If the burial was recent, expect a temporary marker. The VA says every effort is made to have the permanent marker delivered and set within 60 days of the interment.

Flower rules

Calverton's posted policy is simpler than most national cemeteries in one way and stricter in others:

• Flowers are welcome all year. The policy reads, "You may place flowers on your loved ones' graves throughout the year."
• Use the floral cones. The cemetery asks visitors to use its floral cones, available throughout the grounds, for both fresh-cut and artificial flowers. The cones let the grass grow and be trimmed around them.
• Everything is cleared monthly. Floral items come off when they are faded or unsightly, and all gravesite decorations are removed monthly on the cemetery's published schedule.
• Winter season: from December to mid-January, grave blankets 2 by 3 feet or smaller and other seasonal items may be placed. The VA notes that blankets under snow are hard for staff on equipment to see.
• Nothing taller than 3 feet, and nothing that reaches onto a neighboring grave.

What is not allowed

The list is long and specific. Calverton does not allow floral saddles on top of headstones, anything fixed to a headstone, marker or niche cover, items held in the ground with spikes or staples, shepherd's hooks, permanent flower containers or plantings, glass, candles, solar or battery lights of any kind, balloons, pinwheels, statues, stuffed animals, wind chimes, photos or commemorative items, rocks, or alcohol. Trees, benches and cemetery structures may not be decorated.

The cemetery also says plainly that it is not responsible for flowers on graves, which will not be replaced if they are "damaged, stolen, or eaten by deer."

For how these rules compare across the VA system, see our guide to flowers at a national cemetery. Rules can change, so confirm with the cemetery before a holiday visit.