If you’re the type of person who regularly visits a loved one at a local cemetery, and you like to keep flowers on the grave, you’ve probably experienced the frustration of returning to find your flower arrangements missing. Nice flower arrangements aren’t cheap, and it’s heartbreaking to see your loved one’s headstone unadorned.

Why Your Flowers are Gone

When you arrive and the grave site to see your flowers missing, wind is the naturally assumed culprit…especially if the cemetery lies in a naturally windy location. However, there are other possibilities as to why your flowers are gone.

Your flowers might have been removed by the cemetery’s groundskeepers. If the arrangement fell, or blew off the stone, the groundskeeper may have picked it up when they came to mow the area and disposed of it. It’s also possible that you placed the flowers in a area that they need to weed eat, or mow. There’s also a possibility that your arrangement and/or placement of it, violated cemetery rules and was removed.

Sadly, your flowers could also be gone due to the work of thieves or vandals. Across the country, there has been a rise in thefts of flowers and other decorations from cemeteries. (http://www.startribune.com/today-s-grave-robbers-are-going-for-the-flowers/19340249/) Bronze vases and other items that have recycling value are the main targets, but even flowers arrangements are being stolen from graves. Many cemeteries also fall prey to vandals who destroy grave decorations for no apparent reason.

It should also be noted that if your flower arrangements are made with real flowers, it could be deer or other animals eating them.

Available Options

The first step to keeping your flowers safe should always be to know and abide by your cemetery’s rules for flowers and decorations. This will eliminate the possibilities that it’s groundskeepers removing your flowers. Some cemeteries don’t have any specific regulations. If this is the case with yours, try to keep them out of areas where mowers run.

There are a lot of homemade contraptions you can use you “MacGyver” skills to create. We’ve seen lots of fishing line configurations, zip ties, and even duct tape. The downside to this method is it often ends up looking very unattractive, not working, and sometimes even damaging the grave marker.

If you prefer to have your flowers displayed in vases, there is a product out there called, “Stay in Vase Design” that will keep your flowers safe from the wind, but not some of the other culprits for missing flowers.

Headstone saddles are designed to clamp on the the top of the stone and hold your arrangement in place, but it really doesn’t take much wind to blow it away. The metal arms of the saddle aren’t strong enough to make that tight of a clamp hold.

The Best Way to Keep Cemetery Flowers from Blowing Away

cemetery flower tether The best way to prevent the loss of your flower arrangements is by securing them with a Headstone Flower Anchor. The flower anchor is designed to be used on saddle arrangements to secure them to the stone, but it could easily be used to secure a wreath, a cross, or other style of arrangements.

The anchor attached to the stone with a high-bonding tape designed to be used on masonry. It has a thin, aircraft grade wire loop, and then a clip on the other end. The clip is designed to clip on to the metal saddle, but with a little thought, and arrangement could be clipped to it, as well. Once attached to the stone, and clipped to the flowers, you have a tether that is secured to the grave marker.

This not only keeps your flowers from blowing away, but it also keeps them up off the ground, and therefore out of reach of mowers and weed whackers. The side benefit of the anchor is a thief or vandal can’t just grab your flower arrangement and take it off the stone.

When used properly, the anchor is hidden from view, but will only allow the arrangement to move a few inches. Most thieve and vandals won’t take the time to figure out why it’s not coming off the stone, and will simply move on to an easier target.

There’s nothing that can completely guarantee the safety and security of your cemetery flower arrangements, but the Headstone Flower Anchor is definitely the best option available. They only cost $11.99, and quantity discounts are available. To learn more, or buy and anchor today, click here.