Which florist for sending flowers abroad, overseas or internationally?
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The secret meanings and symbolism of beautiful flowers historically and today
Today when people give and receive flowers, whether they are picking a garden posy for a friend’s windowsill, or actually going so far as sending flowers abroad, the main considerations we generally make are attractiveness and price. If the recipient is fond of a particular flower, we might make an effort to pick that type, but we know that most everyone appreciates beautiful flowers. However, it has not always been so simple! Throughout history, and in different cultures, but particularly during the reign of Queen Victoria of England (the 1837-1901 era known as the Victorian Era), choice of flowers for a recipient would have conveyed secret meanings as complex as love itself. This practice even has a name: “floriography”!
Beautiful flowers like red roses convey a message which is as mysterious as it is alluring
Remnants of this tradition remain, however, as with many trends which had their heyday somewhere in the distant past. Who can resist a bunch of simple red roses, when saying “I love you”? This is the classic “I love you” flower… but in Victorian times it was not to be confused with the deep red rose which carried the meaning of “bashful”, dark crimson which meant “mourning”, or burgundy (“unconscious beauty”)…!
We today may find this flower language fussy and complicated, but during the Era, floriography dictionaries were produced to help budding floriographers communicate their heartfelt emotions. Of course, it might have produced incredible confusion had the giver and the receiver read two different versions of the dictionary!
Despite being beautiful flowers, orange liles can communicate much passion - passionate desire, or passionate hatred!
At funerals today, for instance, the beautiful flowers lilies are commonly displayed and given. A lily is generally interpreted to mean “innocence” and in Christian symbolism this is to honour the innocence which has been restored to a person’s soul after death. Also, the white stargazer lily has been been a symbol of sympathy.
Not all flower meanings are about love or even about serious events, either. During the Victorian Era, for instance, flowers were used everywhere. Women wore them in their hair; pinned them to bosoms and affixed them to the tiers of their flounces and skirts, threaded them into men’s lapels; draped them around the backs of chairs and set them on tables; adorned table settings and dining rooms with garlands; and dried or pressed them to add them to writing stationery and preserved arrangements.
Because historically, it was not so easy for people to say what was on their minds, this language of flowers quickly flourished as an acceptable way for people to
The Japanese Cherry Blossom (Sakura) originally symbolised the Buddhist concept of the transient and ephemeral nature of life. Today it is celebreated in Japan during "Hanami" and seems to be more about eating, drinking and being merry while enjoying spring!
communicate with each other. With the careful use of beautiful flowers, lovers were able to woo, entertain, encourage, discourage, declare adoration, reject, or even make the Victorian equivalent of suggestive remarks!
Friends, especially female friends, were able to give each other messages of sisterly affection, comfort, merriment, or even provocation. For instance, giving the flower verbena might have meant “pray for me”; artimesia meant “don’t be discouraged”, and believe it or not, turnip meant “charity”! Zinnias conveyed the remembrance of an absent friend, the pussy willow stood for motherhood, love-in-a-mist meant “you puzzle me”, and an orange lily expressed a strong passion – whether a happy one or a hateful one!
The Japanese also have an ancient flower language which is called hanakotoba. Hanakotoba still makes its appearance in popular culture today, including in anime and television. There is also a Turkish method of communication called “Salem”, or the language of objects, with which flowers and other objects can be used to give a message without the need for literacy. When we send beautiful flowers today, especially when we send flowers abroad, it is nice to go that extra mile to make sure that the message you are trying to convey is fully realised in your thoughtful gift. So, when obtaining or buying beautiful flowers, or when sending flowers abroad, why not check out the hidden or secret meanings of flowers, and tie your offering in with your most heartfelt meanings?
The myths and legends of beautiful flowers
Narcissus - one of the most beautiful flowers with a legend behind it
For as long as the world has existed, people of all cultures have appreciated exquisite and amazing flowers, and cultivated stories alongside the flowers that they collected and cultivated. Look into any fable or fairy tale, myth or legend and find stories built around the motif of a beautiful flower. Some of the mythical flowers have been attributed magical qualities; some dangerous, some poisonous, some endowing the beholder special powers, some granting the finder his heart’s desire. Some flowers were even said to grow from the pain or death of a notable person or figure…
Such are flowers, that we surround ourselves with them at times of great happiness and celebration and also at times of great sorrow, pain or grief. Their beauty and heavenly scents, and their powers to woo, or even to poison have long had a place in human history. They grow wild in every continent, and we have also cultivated countless species for our own enjoyment and gain. Flowers, and their myths and legends, will always have their place with us.
The larkspur, for instance, is a beautiful flower which is part of a legend to do with the Battle of Troy. The story has it that a warrior named Ajax was supposed to retrieve the armour of the slain Achilles as a high honour. However, he was unable to receive this honour, and killed himself in despair. Where the blood of Ajax fell, there a small blue Larkspur flower grew.
The daffodil (whose scientific name is narcissus), the bright, popular and cheerful springtime flower whose leaves and flowers determinedly crack through the frozen earth and bring us hope of warmer weather, is part of ancient Greek mythology. The story involves a beautiful youth who was unable to love anyone, and whose habit of encouraging, then spurning, potential lovers would eventually destroy him. Narcissus, the youth, was cursed by the gods to find his own reflection to be the most enchanting love-object he had ever seen, and finally he did fall in love – with the reflection! However, the reflection was never to return his love, and he wasted away by the water’s side, in grief that his love would remain forever unrequited. And where he died, a flower grew in its place.
Larkspur - a beautiful flower grew from Ajax's despair
Also consider the mysterious flower, the iris. It flowers in many colours – irises can be found in every “common” flower colour, and even in iridescent blues and deep purples. The iris’s uncommon three-pointed and symmetrical yet also feminine shape has made it a memorable and popular find throughout the ages, also serving as a motif in depicted form. This flower was said by the Greeks to me a messenger of the gods. This exotic flower was painted by the Egyptians within a 1479 BC temple. Louis VII used it in his banner crusade. It was a symbol of hope and power, and was also used by the Romans, Moors and those of the Victorian Era. Irises tolerate a wide range of growing conditions and can be found from the high alps of Europe to the hot desserts of Africa, the woodlands of America and the valleys of Asia.
So next time you give a flower, whether it’s a single stem, a posy, an informal bunch or a professional bouquet, remember you are following in the traditions of many men and women before you, who used flowers to honour the meaningful and important moments in their lives.