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Discover the language of flowers with the Almanac’s complete chart of Flower Meanings. When selecting flowers—for a Mother’s Day bouquet, for your garden, or even for a tattoo, know their meaning.
The History of Flower Meanings
The language of flowers has been recognized for centuries in many countries throughout Europe and Asia. They even play a large role in William Shakespeare’s works. Mythologies, folklore, sonnets, and plays of the ancient Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, and Chinese are peppered with flower and plant symbolism—and for good reason.
Whether you’re giving flowers to a mother for Mother’s Day, a friend on their birthday or a beloved on Valentine’s Day, nearly every sentiment imaginable can be expressed with flowers. The orange blossom, for instance, means chastity, purity, and loveliness, while the red chrysanthemum means “I love you.”
Learning the special symbolism of flowers became a popular pastime during the 1800s. Nearly all Victorian homes had, alongside the Bible, guidebooks for deciphering the “language,” although definitions shifted depending on the source.
Following the protocol of Victorian-era etiquette, flowers were primarily used to deliver messages that couldn’t be spoken aloud. In a sort of silent dialogue, flowers could be used to answer “yes” or “no” questions. A “yes” answer came in the form of flowers handed over with the right hand; if the left hand was used, the answer was “no.”
Plants could also express aversive feelings, such as the “conceit” of pomegranate or the “bitterness” of aloe. Similarly, if given a rose declaring “devotion” or an apple blossom showing “preference,” one might return to the suitor a yellow carnation to express “disdain.”
How flowers were presented and in what condition was important. If the flowers were given upside down, then the idea being conveyed was the opposite of what was traditionally meant. How the ribbon was tied said something, too: Tied to the left, the flowers’ symbolism applied to the giver, whereas tied to the right, the sentiment was in reference to the recipient. And, of course, a wilted bouquet delivered an obvious message!
More examples of plants and their associated human qualities during the Victorian era include bluebells and kindness, peonies and bashfulness, rosemary and remembrance, and tulips and passion. The meanings and traditions associated with flowers have certainly changed over time, and different cultures assign varying ideas to the same species, but the fascination with “perfumed words” persists just the same.
Flower Symbolism Chart
See our chart below for meanings of herbs, flowers, and other plants. (Please note: Our chart below reflects mainly Victorian flower language.)
Click on linked plant names for a photo and growing guide.
Flowers provide an incredibly nuanced form of communication. Some plants, including roses, poppies, and lilies, could express a wide range of emotions based on their color alone.
Take, for instance, all of the different meanings attributed to variously colored carnations: Pink meant “I’ll never forget you”; red said “my heart aches for you”; purple conveyed capriciousness; white was for “the sweet and lovely”; and yellow expressed romantic rejection.
Pink carnations say “I’ll never forget you,” a sweet sentiment any time of year!
Likewise, a white violet meant “innocence,” while a purple violet said that the bouquet giver’s “thoughts were occupied with love.” A red rose was used to openly express feelings of love, while a red tulip was a confession of love. The calla lily was interpreted to mean “magnificent beauty,” and a clover said, “think of me.”
Unsurprisingly, the color of the rose plays a huge role. Red roses symbolize love and desire, but roses come in a variety of colors, and each has its own meaning.
White rose: purity, innocence, reverence, a new beginning, a fresh start.
Red rose: love; I love you.
Deep, dark crimson rose: mourning.
Pink rose: grace, happiness, gentleness.
Yellow rose: jealousy, infidelity.
Orange rose: desire and enthusiasm.
Lavender rose: love at first sight.
Coral rose: friendship, modesty, sympathy.
Red roses mean “I love you,” making them ideal for Valentine’s Day (or any day, really!).
What Wedding Flowers Mean
One tradition is to select the flowers of a wedding bouquet based on plant symbolism. As an example, look to the royal flower bouquet in the wedding of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, to Kate Middleton (now Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge). Her all-white bouquet had lily-of-the-valley (representing trustworthiness, purity), sweet William (gallantry), hyacinth (loveliness), myrtle (love in marriage), and ivy (continuity). Altogether, these flowers’ meanings reveal the hope of a loving, everlasting marriage.
The groom, too, wore a flower that appeared in the bridal bouquet in his button-hole. This stems from the Medieval tradition of wearing his Lady’s colors as a declaration of his love.
One fun modern idea is to give each bridesmaid a bouquet featuring a signature flower whose meaning suits her personality.
There is a language, little known, Lovers claim it as their own. Its symbols smile upon the land, Wrought by nature’s wondrous hand; And in their silent beauty speak, Of life and joy, to those who seek For Love Divine and sunny hours In the language of the flowers. –The Language of Flowers, London, 1875
Rudbekias are my favorite perennial in the garden and in the vase. The only variety I don't like is goldstrum; i fail to see why it is so often recommended. it is a short plant with small flowers with short stems, only suitable for the smallest of vases and lost in a big bouquet. I also like the wild black eyed susans , second only to the wild white daisies, if anything. Every summer, we visited my grandparents at their motel in the Adirondack mo9untains and both white and black-eyed daisies lined every path and road along with the wild berries that we picked for dinner We ate many of them while we were out picking. Somehow managed to bring home enough for dessert for the family most of the time but we ate more than we brought home in the bowl. The white daisies and black eyed susans cheer me every Spring when I drive out in the country and remind me of easier times as a kid when we were happy to have wildflowers to pick for a vase on the kitchen table.When they moved the house to a new location to make room for a swimming pool for the motel they rolled it on big logs cut in their own woods and the vase of flowers on the kitchen table did not spill. It was one small detail of a fascinating experience of watching part of the house move from one spot to a new one. They felt they needed the pool to stay in business in a tourist area. Theyspent every summer there running the motel until it became too hard for them to manage it and they stayed in Brooklyn all year. Welived on a farm near Philadlepia so had our own wildflowers to pickand a big vegetable garden and apple, sour pie cherries, pear and peach trees instead of wild berries and a large strawberry patch to weed.
There are no set meanings for different flowers; meanings differ widely, not only from gardener to gardener but from family to family, culture to culture, and historical period to another. The most important guideline for choosing your flower would for me be, "What has this flower meant to me? Or to my grandmother?" For me, flowers expressive of innocent gratitude between close female family members might include pansies aka violas ("pansy" comes from French pensée, "thought"); daisies (including single or double chrysanthemums), lavender (cleansing), rosemary ("remembrance"), and single-flowered roses rather than the double t-roses form. I don't know if any of that helps. (Did your grandmother prefer a particular perfume? What flower might spring from, or be suggested by, that?
It is true, ascribed to flowers are different meanings. The ones ascribed during Victorian times are often the dominant ones known historically. As well secret meanings have been orally transmitted, sometimes penned in private diaries for believed ones to hold to heart and pass down to their kin.
Happy Mother's Day Dear One. We shall prevail. Mother's seed the world's most profound gardens and shall be honored in future time. Aloha nui v'shalom, RL
I've actually seen that recently too, the yellow rose seems to mean either depending on the culture, as most things like this do. i personally assign the definition found here, that is infidelity, jealousy, etc., because there are 3 other flowers that mean friendship: arborvitae, ivy, and coral rose
The traditional purple iris tends to symbolize royalty and wisdom. The symbolism depends on the culture. In Greek culture, Iris was the goddess of the rainbow and the messenger of the Olympian Gods. She is also known as one of the goddesses of the sea and the sky.
To my family, my wife's family, and everyone else I know, the yellow rose means friendship and cheerfulness. It is used when the receiver is not your love or significant other or if you want to cheer someone up or wish them a "get well." How horrible to say such a beautiful flower means jealousy or infidelity!!!! :-( I STRONGLY disagree!
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