How long does it take to press/dry flowers?

Should I take the funeral flowers away?

• I live in a condominium complex in which all front doors open into a common hallway. Last week the neighbor who lives across the hall suddenly passed away from an anurism. I immediatey went out and got a few funeral bouquets of flowers and anonymously layed them at her door. During the week I could hear passing neighbors make kind comments about the flowers, and one neighbor even taped a card on the door that said "thank you to whoever put the flowers by the door". the woman who passed away lived alone but her mother and son and other relatives have been by her condo - but they have not moved her flowers, and the funeral and wake was yesterday. The roses, lilies, orchids, haliconians, sunflowers and chrysanthimums are withering from lack of water. I do not know what the proper etiquette is here. Should I quiety take them away now, or should they be left there for the family to take away (if and when they return)? What is the most appropriate action? Thanks for any advice.

• Answer:

  I would leave them for the family, seeing as by placing the flowers they have really in a way been given as a gift to the family so it's up to them how long they want the flowers to remain there. Only if the flowers are seriously withered or decomposed would I consider removing them. It's a tricky one, but i'd maybe leave it another couple of days. The family have been too busy with other arrangements and their own grief to think about the flowers most likely and like you, they probably don't know the etiquette here either, they wont want to remove the flowers in case it seems rude of them to do so, and you don't want to remove them in case it's not your place or inappropriate.