Flowers at a Veteran's Grave: National Cemetery Rules, Windows and What to Send

National cemeteries look different from other cemeteries for a reason: uniform white headstones in straight rows, clean lawns, few decorations. That look is maintained by a single floral policy that applies at every Veterans Affairs national cemetery. Knowing it in advance means the flowers you send are welcome, and stay.

The national cemetery floral policy, in short

• Fresh-cut flowers are welcome at any time of year. They are placed in front of the headstone, or in a temporary metal or plastic cone provided by the cemetery, and removed when they wilt.
• Artificial flowers and potted plants are allowed only in set windows. Typically from around October 10 through April 15, and for ten days before and after Easter, Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Exact dates vary by cemetery and are posted at the entrance and on the cemetery's page.
• Christmas wreaths and grave blankets are permitted from about December 1 through mid-January and are removed after.
• Not permitted at any time: permanent plantings, statues, vigil lights, glass, breakable containers, balloons, pinwheels and most decorative objects. Anything on the ground that interferes with mowing is removed.
• Flags: small American flags are placed by the cemetery for Memorial Day and Veterans Day and collected afterwards. Personal flags left at other times are generally removed during maintenance.

What that means for a delivery

If you are sending fresh flowers, any date works. If you are sending a silk arrangement, aim for the winter window or one of the three holiday windows. Silk placed in the middle of summer at a national cemetery will be removed at the next maintenance pass, however beautiful it is.

For many families the answer is a seasonal plan built around the windows: a patriotic arrangement for Memorial Day, one for Veterans Day in November, a holiday arrangement in December and a spring one at Easter. That is four deliveries a year, each inside a permitted window, and the grave is decorated for the dates that matter most to a veteran's family.

Finding the grave in a national cemetery

National cemeteries make this easier than anywhere else. The Nationwide Gravesite Locator, run by the VA, gives the cemetery, section and grave number for any veteran buried in a national cemetery, and the larger cemeteries have a kiosk at the entrance that prints a map. Give the section and grave number when you order and the Runner walks straight to it.

State veterans cemeteries and Arlington

State-run veterans cemeteries generally follow policies modeled on the VA's, with the same fresh-anytime, artificial-in-windows structure, though the dates differ. Arlington National Cemetery is run by the Army, not the VA, and has its own rules: fresh flowers year-round, artificial flowers only in the winter months and around the major holidays, and nothing left that could be considered permanent. Check the specific cemetery before ordering.

Private cemeteries with a veterans section

Many church and municipal cemeteries have a veterans section with government-issued markers. Those sections follow the cemetery's own rules, not the VA's, so artificial flowers are usually allowed year-round there. Our general guide to cemetery flower rules explains how to check.