Is a white rose worn upside down if the mother is dead?

Answer 1

The tradition of wearing flowers on Mother's Day to indicate whether your mother is living or gone varies by where you live. My mother is from Oklahoma and my father from Tennessee and both of them grew up with the tradition of wearing a red flower, often a rose but not necessarily, if your mother is living and a white flower if she is gone. In eastern Missouri and western Kansas where I have lived most of my life this tradition is not practiced at all in any form. I have never heard of wearing the white rose upside down but it wouldn't surprise me if this is done somewhere.