Flower Meanings: The Language of Flowers
What Does Each Flower Symbolize?
May 4, 2022
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 or 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.”
Flowery Language of the Victorian Era
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 were 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.
What Does Each Flower Mean?
See our list 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:
https://www.almanac.com/flower-meanings-language-flowers
Well, I’m getting an asparagus crop, so to speak. It’s beyond anemic and not even as good as last year. Not sure why. It could be from the mouse tunneling damaging the roots.
What would be good for fertilizing and boosting the asparagus?
We have a VERY early least date of frost this year. I put my tomatoes in by May 10, which I think sets a record for early. They are nice and big already.
I have lots of plants left over and we’re doing a community wide yard sale this weekend so I’ll be selling the left over plants there.
Speaking of buying plants, I checked a couple places for pepper plants, like Lowe’s and some garden centers. What ridiculous prices. Lowe’s didn’t even have the 6 packs. They had individual plants for $4 each!!!!!! $4 for one tomato, one cucumber, one squash, whatever. And they were pathetic looking things.
And it wasn’t just veggies that were over priced. Flowers are, too.
I started my own seeds and after seeing the prices on these plants, realized that I saved a FORTUNE starting my own. Probably hundreds of dollars with the number of plants I have started.
We’re in for a blistering hot weekend so I got out the floating row covers and covered my lettuce and cabbage plants. I made tunnels with turkey wire, similar to what Pete did, and they are working out well. It was so easy to put the floating row covers over them and clothespin them on.
My potatoes are in but getting a slow start. Carrots are coming up. I started some beans and butternut squash in containers and will get those in when they are big enough.
It’s hard to believe that the garden is well under way already. It seems like I’m late getting some stuff in but actually some years, I’m just hoping to get started by this time.
I’m getting my herbs planted, and my garlic is well over a foot high already. That crop is doing well.
I am a cake decorator and used flower meanings while I was working on cakes. My favorites? Violets (faithfulness) and dogwood (love undiminished by adversity).
We had violets on our wedding cake, even before I knew about flower language. Apparently they were prophetic. We have been married for 51 years!
My wife has a coupe of Sun Gold tomatoes ready to pick, and my cabbage is just about ready.
Another week or 10 days for the apricots.
Greetings from the Big Valley, zone 9b.
More rain here in the Ozarks and this one is bringing in a cold front. Lettuce, peas and brassicas will love it. Maters and peppers not so much. Low of 47 tonight. Lost electric a couple of times in the past few days. Was windy the first time but yesterday just rainy. Unhealthy trees getting waterlogged and falling over. Happens every Spring.
Pee on your plants: human urine can be used as an effective and sustainable fertilizer
https://freerepublic.com/focus/news/4065190/posts?page=1
My son recently purchased 18 acres in east Texas.
I have been watching gardening/off grid/homesteading videos like a loon!
Even to water glassing eggs!
Looking forward to moving there in a few years. He's already started a well.
First time I’ve heard of this ..... :-) Basil is one of my very favorite herbs & the only way I knew to preserve it prior to seeing this method was to make pesto. I love pesto, but sometimes you just want ‘basil’. A jar of this would make a unique homemade gift, too (always looking for ideas!).
https://melissaknorris.com/howtopreservebasilinsalt/
Excerpt (introduction to article):
How to Preserve Fresh Basil in Salt
Salt has been used for centuries to dry and preserve foods. It pulls out the moisture from herb leaves and preserves the original flavor. Salt also inhibits the growth of microorganisms by drawing water out of microbial cells through osmosis. Concentrations of salt up to 20% are required to kill most species of unwanted bacteria.
This preservation method works best on certain moist and tender herbs that are hard to dry. Herbs like basil and cilantro, that either mold before they are dry, or that dry to a flavorless leaf that does not resemble the freshness you are looking for.
In all cases, start this project with freshly picked herbs that have been cleaned and thoroughly dried. Store your finished herbal mixture in a clean glass container with a tight fitting lid. When using, always use a fresh, clean spoon to reduce introducing contaminates into your herbed salt.
What kind of salt?
I recommend either sea salt or kosher salt, but canning & pickling salt will work too. These are considered food grade and are courser than regular table salt. Using table salt is acceptable, but it should not contain iodine, which will darken the herb leaves.
Here’s the best answer I could find from the Penn State Extension office:
“Table salt is used for baking, cooking and normal table use. However, it is not recommended for canning recipes because the calcium silicate may cause clouding or settle to the bottom of jar. Furthermore, the iodide may discolor some foods. Neither of these effects makes the food harmful to eat. However, the visual quality of the product is adversely affected.
Canning and pickling salts do not contain potassium iodide, dextrose or calcium silicate and thus can be used for cooking, baking, canning, pickling as well as for the table. Because anti-caking agents are not added, it may form lumps in humid weather or if exposed to moisture and should be stored in an air-tight container or re-sealable plastic bag. Kosher salt is usually pure salt and thus is also appropriate for pickling and canning. However, check the label to make sure it does not contain additives.”
http://extension.psu.edu/food/preservation/faq/canning-and-pickling-salt
Fired up the wood stove yesterday and again this morning. 45 degrees out there.
I was able to get the last of my tomato plants in the ground earlier in the week. In hopes of saving a bit of floor space, I'm going to espalier the romas on a cattle panel rather than caging them in a two-panel teepee as I've done in the past. The slicer varieties are caged as always. I need to find some wheat straw to mulch all of them. I skipped that last year and regretted doing so. Saves a lot of time weeding when you make it so the weeds can't sprout.
I've used up all of the drip tape that I bought a few years ago. I like the stuff, but it's somewhat of a nuisance to install just to be ripped out and tossed at the end of the growing season, so I'm switching over to soaker hose this time. Those are a lot less work to put down, and they ought to last for a good long time as long as I don't leave them out over winter.
The mediterranean herbs seem to be very happy with the conditions in the greenhouse. Several varieties of basil are ready for harvest, the oregano is ready to be stuck in the dirt in one of Mrs. Augie's flower beds, as is the fennel. The brandywine tomato that I thought had croaked snapped out of its funk and has taken off nicely, so I need to figure out a place to put him soon.
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The Victory Garden.
Don’t just Consume, Produce. Our parents did it, and so can we.
“If people let government decide which food they eat and medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny”
Thomas Jefferson
Are vidalia onions a good storage onion?