language of flowers

For example,Roses have different meanings depending on their colour and style: everybody knows that red roses convey passion, love, strength, congratulations. Yellow roses mean friendship (or jealousy),contentment and good luck, but did you know that white roses symbolises purity, siincerity, loyalty, silence, or innocence? Unopened white rosebuds mean a virginal girl, or a heart, which ignores love: and dead white roses were often used in funeral wreaths for young people, meaning ‘It is better to die than to lose innocence’.

Orange roses display fascination, enthusiasm and pride, while Pink roses have different meanings. Pink denotes joy, beauty, affection with Light Pink stands for grace and gentleness. Dark Pink roses have the meanings of gratitude and/or thankfulness.

tulips, with their disarmingly open cups, denote honesty. Violets, being timid little flowers that hide away at the base of forest trees, are the perfect symbol for modesty and shyness. The stately sunflower, or sun-follower, which can also signify pride or haughtiness, has been traditionally given the meaning ‘my eyes see only you’, for its devotion ion following the sun.

Orange blossom has been worn by brides ever since Jupiter gave an orange to his bride, Juno, in Roman times. The long-lasting aromatic rosemary is for remembrance and good faith, another symbol beloved of the ancient Romans.

The stalwart oak means bravery, strength and protection; conversely, morning glory, which opens only for a short time early in the day, is the perfect embodiment of coquetry and teasing.

Laurel is a familiar symbol of achievement and glory- we even speak of someone ‘resting on their laurels’ instead of stirring themselves to fresh conquests. Lily of the valley, another spring flower, means hope, or the return of happiness; and anyone who had ever tried to remove the tenacious honeysuckle from the side of their house will understand why it is held to mean steadfastness, the chains of love.

Iris is the messenger, meaning ‘I have a message for you’; jonquils convey desire; and the gorgeous but lethally poisonous datura flower unsurprisingly represents disguise, or deceitful charms.

The carnation, which has been bred into striped, feathered and bold-coloured patterns but always tends back towards its original pure white, has come to mean a strong and pure love that does not waver; yellow carnations used to be a sign of disdain.

The poppy, which grew so plentifully in the war-torn fields of France, means consolation, because of its narcotic properties, poppy also symbolises sleep, dreams and fantasy.

And what could be a better symbol for innocence than a simple daisy?

Have some fun putting together meaningful bouquets.