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Sunday, July 8, 2012

The Language of Flowers And The Message They Send

I recently finished a novel, The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh and besides being a great read, I came away with a much different perspective on flowers and what they symbolize. Back in Victorian times, each flower had a specific word or phrase attached to it that described the message that each flower was to convey.  In the back of the book, there was a dictionary describing the different varieties of flowers and their symbolic meaning.  I thought it would be fun to share with you a bit of what some of these flowers mean.

Hydrangeas ~Dispassion
Image via Pinterest ~  Originally pinned by Theresa Bueno

Lily of the Valley ~ Return of Happiness
Image via  Pinterest ~ Originally Pinned by Sofia S.
Iris ~ Message
Image via Pinterest ~ Originally pinned by Laura Todd
Sweet Pea ~ Delicate Pleasures
Image via Pinterest ~ Originally Pinned by Cindy Burton
Gardenia ~ Refinement
Image via Pinterest ~ Originally Pinned by Alana Foa'i-Auimat
Honeysuckle ~ Devotion
Image via Pinterest ~ Originally Pinned by Carla Griffin
Baby Breath ~ Everlasting love
Image via Pinterest ~ Originally pinned by Lynn Hsieh
Marigold ~ Grief
Image via Pinterest ~  Originally pinned by Anna Rapson
Pink Roses ~ Grace
Image via Pinterest ~ Originally Pinned by Jeanie Gaudioso

Bougainvillea ~ Passion
Image via Pinterest ~ Originally Pinned by Joane Luesse

Basil ~ Hate
Images via Pinterest ~ Originally Pinned by Sharon Dodd

Star Of Bethlehem ~ Purity
Images via Pinterest ~ Originally Pinned by Charissa Belle
Rosemary ~ Remembrance
Image via Pinterest ~ Originally Pinned by Brianne Probasco

Sunflower ~ False Riches
Image via Pinterest ~ Originally pinned by Laura Bailey



Whatever message you are trying to convey be it an expression of love, grief, sadness, or happiness it can be sent by the type of flowers you choose. It has given me a whole new perspective on how I look at flowers and the message I want to send.  So, be it a bouquet of a variety or a single stemmed flower, you can be sending the wrong message based on what flowers you send.  Gee, I wonder how many mixed messages I have sent over the years!  HA

16 comments:

  1. Beautiful flowers, the garden fence with the with flowers is unique.

    Greetings,
    Filip

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  2. What an interesting post. I knew there was a meaning with every flower but didn't know what it was. Thank you for explaning.

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  3. That is marvelous...really enjoyed this!! I will have to look up this book. I'd like to read it. I love lilies and peonies. Baby's breath has always been wonderful too, it's nice to read it means something so wonderful as well!! Loved this!! Hope you have a marvelous week petal!! xx

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  4. It's very interesting! Thank you for sharing! My favorits are white roses but I like also pink roses and sunflowers. Does it tell something about me? :) ;)

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  5. That's brilliant Kris - my fav is and have always been Lily of the valley and I also adore baby's breath - :O)
    Thanks for sharing these - very interesting :) Have a great day.
    Ax

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  6. This is very interesting, Kris. I think the only flowers I've sent through the years are roses and carnations. I wonder what carnations mean? I love the Star of Bethlehem....very pretty. I'm glad the pink roses mean Grace because they are a favorite of mine. Thanks for sharing a bit of what the flowers mean.
    ~Sheri at Red Rose Alley

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  7. Oh goodness, my Mr loves herbs and cooks with them all the time ... so what did I buy him just a couple of weeks ago ... a new Basil plant - whoops!!! M x

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  8. Your post is very interesting, dear Kris! I have never heard or read about it before. Thus I have learned something new about flower. I love Hydrangea, Lily of the valey and also Baby Breath (Baby Breath...oh it is really a sweet name) We in German call it Schleierkraut.
    For cooking I also love Basil and Rosemary very much. Especially for Italian cuisine. Thanks for your lovely post.
    Have a beautiful day.
    Warm regards,
    Lucia

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  9. How interesting! I still have all of the lillies of the valley and hydrangea that my mom planted. The lillies never lost long enough.

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  10. how fabulous, i love that kind of stuff. i wonder what ponies mean... i’ll go look it up :)
    hope you are well and happy, i have been travelling so it was hard to visit as much as i like too ...

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  11. Kris, Thank you for sharing this .. something in your post ,that I shared with my daughter Jen ... touched her very much. You see 6 years ago my husband,Jens father committed suicide. She was 14 then ... the one thing she remembers vividly from that day is that our Irises bloomed early. Since then iris has been her favorite flower and makes her think of her dad. Every year when they bloom, she feel like he is letting her know he is with her. I'm glad iris is one of the flowers you chose to share. :)
    Francine

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  12. Kris, this is all very interesting. I knew flowers had meanings associated with them, but I'd never be able to remember them!

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  13. It does seem that, over the years, giving flowers based on what they truly mean has been lost! But hey, I'll take them no matter what:)

    Interesting history though!

    Thank you so much for all your visits to my blog, during our move it's been so nice to see such familiar and friendly faces:)

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  14. Very interesting - of most I had no clue at all. I think I must have been giving away mixed messages all my life, haha! :-D

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  15. The basil and marigold were great surprises to me. Do you know how they got these associations?

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  16. I had no clue about most of those flowers. Thanks for the info!

    Dee

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