If you buy flowers/toys/presents for graves, what happens to them?

[Zippedydoobaah]

This is a genuine question and I realize it's maybe very sensitive for those who do this, so no judgement please.
I follow a few Irish Travellers and it seems it's a very big part of their culture to visit graves and decorate them for their loved one's birthday/Christmas/Easter etc. These aren't a token bunch of flowers and a small gift, a lot of money must be spent on flowers, wreaths, toys for children. It doesn't seem the case that they leave them there for a few days and then remove them, I've seen ones who have bought a lot of toys for children for Christmas for example and they are still at the grave now. Are they just left there permanently? Again, I'm not talking about a small outdoor toy, I mean dolls and accessories, electric cars and bigger items that in all honesty I would have assumed could have been stolen from a graveyard The same with the bouquets of flowers, they are massive, loads of them and are usually very beautiful.
The only reason I mentioned ethnicity is because I've never seen this done before on this scale. Maybe it's more of a thing in Ireland? If so, does everything just get left at the grave until it's no good?

Burial Grounds are maintained by the Local Authority or the Diocese, they all have regulations, some allow flowers only and instruct their grounds staff to remove other items, some allow toys and other tributes as long as they are not glass. In our local burial ground, the graves belonging to the travelling community are heavily decorated, with tributes removed by family members after a few weeks or by the grounds staff so that they can maintain the area, ie strimm the grass.

Maybe it's more of a thing in Ireland?

It’s not a general thing in Ireland OP.
Mostly people leave flowers, plants, gravelights/canfles, maybe a plaque with a verse (either religious or saying how much they’re missed). Christmas wreaths at Christmas sometimes.

Leaving more than that is Traveller culture but not Irish culture in general in my experience. Traveller graves are typically more highly decorated.

My uncle is from Travellers his child died early 20s, when he was tending the grave the local council asked him to remove some items as they were inappropriate and encroaching on other plots, so I guess it is different from place to place, but i think in.the main the items stay and families upkeep them.

Fwiw we are not in Ireland.

Regarding the flowers, if it's an expensive bouquet thing do you just leave them there until they die?

Yes a few of them have said they've had complaints from council about the height/weight of headstone, but never mentioned anything about the stuff.

Yes, but if a grave is visited regularly by family members they’ll be removed when they wilt and become unsightly. Care of individual plots is considered the responsibility of the family really.

I am being vague because there waa a bit of a hoha before my uncle moved the stuff !
Maybe things can probably stay because they are not doing any harm really and family can sort it out if the graves get messy,

I get they are doing no harm, I'm more thinking from a waste perspective. If the toys are left out in the rain they will get destroyed...maybe they'll just buy new stuff to replace them. I understand in their culture they believe the dead are with them so perhaps don't see it as a waste. My family are not grave people at all, everyone gets cremated and don't visit the tree at all, so this is not something I'm used to at all.

Different traditions I guess, it must be symbolic for families.

Their religion (Catholicism) is very important to many Irish travellers. More important these days than it is to the general Irish population.
That’s my impression anyway. (I’m Irish in Ireland, but not a traveller.) In many ways the traveller culture is more conservative really.

Just to add that it wouldn’t be that common to leave hugely expensive bouquets on a grave as a rule when visiting. Wreaths, yes at the time of burial of course, but mostly after that it would be a simple bunch of flowers in a jug of water, or a potted plant. Mostly plants really as they last better. Also wreaths at Christmas perhaps as I mentioned upthread. That’s just my family though and we’re Irish but not travellers. I do know Traveller graves are more highly decorated and often have elaborate headstones too.