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 follow each cemetery's own dates. They vary more than most people expect. Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery allows artificial flowers year-round; Golden Gate allows them from November 1 through March 1; Houston National Cemetery only from December 15 through January 20. Many cemeteries also allow potted plants for about ten days around Easter and Memorial Day. Every cemetery's posted rule is on our national cemetery list.
• 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, check the cemetery's own window first and choose a date inside it. Silk placed outside that window will be removed at the next maintenance pass, however beautiful it is.

For many families the answer is a seasonal plan timed to the cemetery's own windows: a holiday arrangement in December, and patriotic arrangements for Memorial Day and Veterans Day where that cemetery allows them. Each delivery is placed when the rules allow it, 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.