• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

By Root 112 0

only red roses were sent on Valentine’s Day, and quite horrified at the modern belief that the showier and more expensive the flower, the stronger the feeling conveyed. The classic Victorian Valentine bouquet was sweet and simple: moss roses (more likely to be pink or white, not red), forget-me-nots, violets and pinks. The message was reinforced by the addition of a sprig of fern (sincerity). The bouquet spoke of love, but also paid a compliment to the recipient’s character. On the surface it was a modest-looking posy, but one that contained within it a wealth of meanings.

Using a wider and more varied language of flowers will require putting aside a few received opinions as to what constitutes an effective bouquet or display (size really doesn’t matter, for instance). It will also mean calling more upon garden and wild flowers, herbs and tree blossoms, where the oldest, sweetest and most interesting meanings reside, but the result will convey so much more than the average florist’s arrangement, and the recipient is assured of something heartfelt and considered, and nothing short of truly original.

There are no set rules stipulating which flowers must go together, and some of the meanings are open to interpretation; therefore no combination of flowers can be truly wrong. What follow are some suggestions to help the novice interpreter.

Courtship

THE FIRST BOUQUET

a bunch of tulips (declaration of love)

moss rose (confession of love) and iris (message)

pansy (think of me) and cyclamen (timid hope)

THE FIRST ROMANCE

lilac (first emotions of love), white rose (a heart unacquainted with love) and sweet pea (delicate pleasures)

white carnation (sweet and lovely), larkspur (lightness) and pale peach rose (modesty)

A GENTLE BOUQUET

pink (pure love), gentian (intrinsic worth) and daphne (I would not have you otherwise)

violet (modest worth), pink rose (grace) and forget-me-not (forget me not)

gardenia (refinement), burgundy rose (unconscious beauty) and fern (sincerity)

A PASSIONATE BOUQUET

Use rich colours with bold shapes. The darker the colour, the stronger the passion.

a mixture of coloured roses: orange (fascination), red (love), purple (enchantment)

bird of paradise (magnificence), bougainvillea (passion) and lily (majesty)

jonquil (desire), tuberose (dangerous pleasures) and nasturtium (impetuous love)

REBUFFS AND RESPONSES

goldenrod (careful encouragement), marjoram (blushes) and aster (patience)

hydrangea (dispassion) and candytuft (indifference)

yellow carnation (disdain), rhododendron (beware) and snapdragon (presumption)

FOR AN ABSENT LOVER

alstroemeria (devotion), dogwood (love undiminished by adversity) and Carolina jasmine (separation)

pansy (think of me), wallflower (fidelity in adversity) and bluebell (constancy)

zinnia (I mourn your absence), aster (patience), ivy (fidelity) and Indian jasmine (attachment)

TO END THE AFFAIR

a bunch of anemones (forsaken)

azalea (fragile and ephemeral passion) and cherry blossom (impermanence)

striped carnation (I cannot be with you) and basil (hate)

columbine (desertion) and Michaelmas daisy (farewell)

Weddings

A POSY FOR A YOUNG BRIDE

pink (pure love), rosemary (remembrance) and stephanotis (happiness in marriage)

lily of the valley (return of happiness), myrtle (love) and orange blossom (your purity equals your loveliness)

pale peach rose (modesty), pink rose (grace), calla lily (modesty) and stock (you will always be beautiful to me)

white hyacinth (beauty), blue hyacinth (constancy) and crocus (youthful gladness)

A POSY FOR AN OLDER BRIDE

gardenia (refinement) and lily (majesty)

myrtle (love), orchid (refined beauty) and stephanotis (happiness in marriage)

red rose in full bloom (love), ranunculus (you are radiant with charms) and lily of the valley (return of happiness)

A COUNTRY FLOWERS POSY

celandine (joys to come), crocus (youthful gladness) and daffodil (new beginnings)

corn (riches) and everlasting pea (lasting pleasure)

honesty (honesty), pansy (think of me) and speedwell (fidelity)

DECORATING