The Secret Language of Flowers

The Secret Language of Flowers

The secret language of flowers is an ancient tradition that dates back to antiquity, it was most widely used in the 19th century during Queen Victoria’s reign. The language, sometimes called floriography, is the arrangement of various flowers which are used to communicate certain sentiments and feelings, royalty often used the language to send coded messages to their secret lovers that they otherwise couldn’t speak. In modern day the use of floriography has nearly all but died except for roses which are still used to express feelings of love.

The use of the language was not just confined to certain flowers but also colour, size, quality, placement, quantity, scent, presentation and arrangement, furthermore accepting a flower with the right hand would mean ‘yes’ yet using the left hand would mean ‘no‘ also handing someone an inverted flower would have an opposite meaning such as an inverted red rose would be a message of dislike. Each individual flower has its own meaning yet when arranged with other flowers they convey a different message. Flowers were used to send many messages such as proposals, death threats, warnings of dangers, acceptance of offers and messages of love, just about any message you can think of there was a flower to convey the message.

The first book on floriography was written by a French women by the name of Madame Charlotte de la tour in 1819, the book tiled “Le language Des Fleur’ offered guidance on sending coded messages to lovers with the use of flowers. If you wish to send someone a positive message take the time to learn the language so you can properly express the sentiment. The language and the floral meanings differ slightly in each country, so be certain you check your country before sending a message to your lover.

The different colour roses each convey a different message, a red rose means ‘true love’ whereas a yellow rose means ‘I just want to be friends and have a fling’, a white rose means pure thoughts and intentions, while a white and pink rose means a proposal of marriage. You must be careful when sending flowers that you don’t send the wrong message, for instance sending an orange lily means ‘I hate you’ and a yellow carnation means ‘rejection’ so until your are familiar with the language you are best to just give red roses.

Different amounts of roses have different meanings also, a single red rose means true love, 15 roses is an apology, twenty five roses are perfect for valentines day, fifty is unconditional love, 108 roses means marriage and 999 roses means eternal love, so whatever the occasion there is a flower combination to express the feeling. You should decide first what kind of relationship you would like and where you would like it to go, then choose the flower that’s appropriate. If its true love send a red rose, if it’s a casual relationship a yellow rose, if you’re happy with the relationship use a white rose, if you got yourself into some trouble a red and white rose would be ideal, it expresses unity and a desire to end quarrels. If you wish to congratulate someone a yellow and red rose would be most suited. Now that you have the basics it’s time to choose the appropriate flower for your lover, below is a list a different flowers and their meanings.

Flowers And Secret Their Meanings