Planning on giving a loved one flowers during this time of year? Flowers hold the power to communicate silent messages of love, hope, and forgiveness. A simple bouquet of flowers can express more than a thousand words. Bearing this in mind, picking the right flower to give can be a little daunting if you don’t know the meaning of each flower. I mean, imagine giving someone yellow roses, which symbolize jealousy, when you intended to shower them with the passion of red roses.
Communicating through flowers was popularized during the Victorian Era to deliver messages that couldn’t be said out loud in a sort of silent language. Needed an answer to a yes or no question? That could all be answered, depending on the way you handed over a flower. Flowers handed over with the right hand meant “yes”; if the left hand was used, the answer was “no.” The way they were presented and their conditions also had their own symbolism. If the flowers were given upside down, prepare yourself, because they meant the opposite of the traditional meaning. For instance, the opposite of a red rose would be hatred. And let’s not forget about the ribbon. Tied to the left, the flower’s symbolism applied to the giver; but if tied to the right, the message was aimed towards the receiver. To give you an idea, yellow roses with a ribbon tied to the left would symbolize that the giver is jealous; but if tied to the right, the giver is trying to imply that the receiver is jealous of them.
Another crucial detail in the language of flowers is the relation that the color has with the type of flower. As you probably expected, roses are one of the flowers whose meaning can change drastically depending on their color.
| Red rose | “I love you” |
| Pink rose | perfect happiness; “please believe me” |
| Dark crimson rose | mourning |
| White rose | innocence, secrecy, and silence; “I am worthy of you” |
| Yellow rose | jealousy, decrease of love |
| Blue rose | unattainable, unrequited love |
As you can see, the Victorian flower language has many meanings and traditions associated with flowers. To make it easier for you, I have compiled a list of popular flowers and their meanings. For more information, you can check out almanac.com.
| Anemone | forsaken |
| Baby’s breath | everlasting love |
| Daisy | innocence, loyal love |
| Dandelion | faithfulness, happiness |
| Hyacinth | rashness |
| Lavender | distrust |
| Poppy | oblivion, imagination |
| Sunflower (tall) | arrogance |
| Tulip | perfect lover, declaration of love |
All of us deserve to be given flowers to commemorate life’s moments. If you decide to be more intentional with the next flowers you give, let yourself be guided by the flower dictionary. Remember, “petals may wither, but the message they carry remains forever.”