Why are flowers used as a mark of respect to the deceased and left on graves etc

Question:

Why are flowers used as a mark of respect to the deceased and left on graves etc? How did it begin?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: that custom goes so far back, it's lost in the mists of time. it's apparent that the "language of flowers" was in common usage in Shakespearean England, and Shakespeare"s frequent mentions, ex: (Romeo & Juliet :here's rosemary, that's for remembrance) were understood by everyone. Before that, they probably borrowed the practice from the Roman invasion, because ancient Rome and Greece also used greenery and flowers in their ceremonial rites. Victorian England had meanings for every flower and color of flower, so, when you received a bouquet, you also noted each flower's message. On a more practical note, flowers also mask the smell of a decaying body, remember there was no embalming back then. I think it's so engrained in us that we will continue the practice for centuries to come.