After deadly Texas floods, florists across the state are donating funeral flowers to grieving families. More flowers and materials are needed.
CLEBURNE, Texas — At Cleburne Floral, beauty meets grief.
Corey Hartley is one of roughly 25 florists across Texas who’ve joined a grassroots effort called Flowers for Texas — a coalition formed just days after deadly flooding swept through the Hill Country on July 4.
The group is offering funeral flowers at no cost to families grieving flood victims. Every arrangement is donated.
“If it is casket sprays or standing sprays or whatever, we’re trying to take care of all of it,” Hartley said. “And every single person that has jumped up and volunteered has done so freely.”
The flowers, he said, offer more than financial relief for families. They are a symbol of remembrance and care, and acknowledge those who died.
“This is not something that affected just the Hill Country,” he said. “This affected all of us.”
On Wednesday, Hartley and more than a dozen florists will travel to Kingswood to help with a funeral.
“They’re not missing just one family member,” Hartley said. “The whole family is gone.”
The service will honor Shiloh, a young boy, and his parents, who were visiting Kerrville for the holiday weekend. All three were killed in the floods. Hartley says he hasn’t created so many arrangements for one service in over 30 years. The services are expected to have thousands in attendance.
Each bouquet is tailored to the person it represents.
“The little boy, of course, you know, the colors are a little bit more primary and colorful,” he said. “Mom and dad are more traditional.”
Hartley has never met most of the other florists in Flowers for Texas, but they’re united in purpose.
“There’s a lot of funerals,” he said. “And these funerals are huge. They take a lot of manpower.”
As the weeks go on, he hopes their work will help the families as they grieve.
With dozens of services still ahead, Hartley says wholesalers and flower vendors in the Hill Country have run out of supply. The group is asking for donations — flowers, materials, and support — to continue helping the families most impacted by the flood.