The Language of Flowers
For hundreds of years giving flowers has been a way of communication. We can say and express many things without having to speak a word. Love, gratitude, sorrow, pride… these heartfelt feelings we all experience, shape us and our relationships.
Flowers are present in our lives, sometimes even without realising how much. Let’s think about our day to day and how many times we encounter them. Dandelions on the sidewalk, daffodils in parks, roses in front yards, magnolias hanging from their trees, wild thistles on the roadsides. We see them in teacher’s hands at the end of a school term, carried by brides in their most special day, in little girls heads as crowns, even in the button holes men wear flowers now. In mini bouquets in restaurant’s tables while we dine, in the counter at the coffee shop, we see them at hair salons and spas, big bouquets in front desks, in offices and banks, flowers on windows, on ceilings, on walls…fresh, preserved, dried…What about in our memory? Many of my childhood memories involve flowers, and if I close my eyes I still can see them clearly, the red poppies in my grandmother’s front lawn, the various shades of roses my mum planted in our backyard, the jacaranda brunches bloomed in the streets of my hometown. Even the fallen violet flowers of jacaranda laying on the side of the road were beautiful to look at, like clouds resting on the ground. The jasmine smell brings back the summer years and the lavender, the south of France.
Linked to our experiences and memories, flowers hold a particular meaning for each one of us. But they also have specific means attached, often based on the type of flower, and the colour, or both. This coded language is called FLORIOGRAPHY and has been practiced for centuries. The language of flowers was used to communicate and sometimes conceal specific messages. Studying the symbolism of flowers became a hobby during the 1800s. Many homes had guidebooks for decoding the “language,” although definitions changed depending on the source. Nearly every flower has multiple associations, registered in the hundreds of floral dictionaries, but a consensus of meaning for the most common blooms has emerged.
Listed bellow are some of my favourite flowers and their meanings:
ACACIA: friendship
ALLIUM: unity, humility, patience
AMARYLLIS: pride, timidity, splendid beauty
ANEMONE: protection
BABY’S BREATH: innocence, pure of heart
BELLS OF IRELAND: good luck
BIRD OF PARADISE: symbol of faithfulness
BROOM FLOWER: abundance, strength
CAMELLIA: gratitude, perfection
CHERRY BLOSSOM: education
CHRYSANTHEMUM WHITE: truth
DAHLIA: dignity, elegance
EUCALYPTUS: abundance, strength
FERN: fascination, sincerity, magic
FREESIA: innocence, friendship
GLADIOLUS: strength of character, generosity
HYACINTH BLUE: constancy
IRIS: faith, wisdom
LILY: purity, fertility
LOTUS: purity, rebirth
JASMINE WHITHE: amiability
LAVENDER: loyalty, love, devotion
MOSS: maternal love
OLIVE BRANCH: peace
ORCHID: love, beauty
PEONI: happy marriage, prosperity
POPPY RED: pleasure
RANUNCULUS: radiance, charming
SNOW PEA: blissful pleasure, good bye
SUNFLOWER: adoration, pride
TULIP: love, passion
Which ones are your favourite flowers and why??? What make them special to you? Do they spark off any of your senses? Is it perhaps their scent, or texture? Do you know their meaning?
I invite you all to explore online, through many of the articles about this fascinating way of communication.
As for me reading is one of life’s pleasures, I will share with you 2 novels that have been recommended to me recently by 2 of my beautiful friends, Thanks Daniela and Cecilia. These novels had inspired this first newsletter:
The Language of Flowers, Vannesa Diffenbaugh
Women Who Buy Flowers, Vanessa Montfort
I conclude by highlighting the most significant words of today’s message: giving, communication, flowers, pleasures, senses, explore, friends. Thanks for reading!
