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I have always felt that flowers have a language all of their own and a meaning beyond their purely visual appeal. If you stop to think about it, you will realise that you only send red roses to someone you love, red being, dare I say it, an expression of ‘passion’. Let’s face facts, you would not send a bunch of daffodils to someone you were courting. Without realising it consciously, we often choose flowers that are traditionally associated with certain intentions or feelings. If you’re like me, you think about the flowers to the point of being a little annoying. Standing in a florist for twenty minutes imagining what the recipient of the flowers will think is probably a bit much. For this reason I went in search of the true meanings of flowers and I have to confess that it proved a lot harder than I first thought. If you jump on the internet to do a little research I guarantee you’ll be stuck there for the next few days sorting through a mountain of information. Flowers are special and, like music, can set the mood or ruin the atmosphere of any occasion. There are times for big and bright arrangements just as there are times for small and soft bouquets, so be careful and give it a little thought. When I was investigating flowers for this article I spoke to a number of florists. They told me that quite often people ring up and want to arrange to send flowers to a funeral for example. The customers have no idea what they are going to send so it becomes the florist’s job to point them in the right direction. It’s okay to have aesthetically pleasing arrangements, however a little knowledge of the meaning of flowers can make all the difference. When sending flowers, think about the person you are sending them to and also about the message you are trying to convey. Ideally, if you send the right flowers for the right reason you almost don’t need to send a card with them. Flowers can brighten a room and fill it with a smell that makes you feel good, even warm. They can remind you of someone or something and for all of these reasons I say again, be careful when choosing your flowers. To assist through the potential pitfalls of flower selection I have compiled a quick guide. Below is an alphabetised list of flowers and their symbolic meanings taken from; The language of flowers, published by Nelson & Sons, Edinburgh, 1872.
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