The table calls it a tie: Carnation and Chrysanthemum share the crown at 100 and 100 of 100, a gap smaller than the data can honestly split.
A sympathy arrangement has one job: hold with dignity through services that run for days. Longevity carries the most weight here, then the quiet palette and dependable sourcing the occasion demands.
The picks
The flowers that won
The top score, plus the qualifier that asks least of you.
Holds through the services: 14 to 30 · Sourceable on short notice: 12 months · Scent kept respectful: no published rating
Flaws, not dealbreakers:asks for some seasonal upkeep; toxic to cats
Not for cat households
87/ 100tap for the breakdown
Holds through the services45 / 4514 to 30
Sourceable on short notice30 / 3012 months
Scent kept respectful12 / 25no published rating
The protocol
How the score is built
3 rules, 100 points, no opinions. Every line reads one field of the table.
Holds through the services45 pointstypical vase life two weeks 45; ten days 34; a week 22; four days 11; less 5; no published vase data means no rank here Read from: days it holds in plain water.
Sourceable on short notice30 pointsflorists can source it year round 30; nine to eleven months 24; six to eight 16; five or fewer 7; window not yet verified 12 Read from: florist availability months.
Scent kept respectful25 pointslight scent 25; scentless 20; noticeable 15; room-filling, too much for a closed room 5; sources silent 12 Read from: how strong the scent is on record.
Not qualifying is a verdict too: the table simply says this question is not theirs.
no published data for holds through the servicesHydrangea macrophylla, Lavender, Irises and 22 more
not documented as a cut flowerBegonia, Canna Lily, Christmas Cactus and 16 more
The winner's badge
Generated by the ranking above, and re-scored whenever the table changes.
Carnation
The badge is generated by this ranking, not awarded by hand. When the
table changes, it re-scores itself.
How we rank
We keep one table of 85 flowers,
with 25 documented facts each, drawn from university and extension sources. Every ranking is
a published formula worth 100 points; tap any score and it unfolds into the lines that made
it. A flower that does not fit the question is not scored lower: it is excluded, and the reason is
shown. When the table changes, every score and stamp updates itself.
The full method ↗
