The natural world is brimming with a hidden glint of romance, a beauty all its own that is waiting to be delighted in. This wonderful allure derives not only from the world’s intrinsic beauty, but also from thousands of years of human history, throughout which the world has been enriched by traditions, symbols, and stories. In a world full of faded, if not completely lost, traditions, a little consideration has the potential to transform the seemingly ordinary into something more. One way to pull back the veil and reignite the romance of living is through floriography, or the language of flowers.

Though largely associated with the Victorian Era, using floral symbolism as a means of communication has been an age-old practice across cultures, some of which still survive today, though perhaps unknowingly. After all, how many partners give their loved one red roses on an especially romantic occasion? More than a few, you may confidently suppose. But this latent symbolism enduring in our society today shouldn’t be exclusive to roses. Within the floral world there lies a language of beauty and meaning waiting to be rediscovered and incorporated into the everyday.

Though flowers have held significance for ages, today we’ll only be touching on floriography in classical antiquity, the literary sphere, and the Victorian era.

For the Romans and the Greeks, flora and fauna were closely intertwined with mythology, playing key roles in their storytelling culture. Daisies, for example, embodied innocence, childhood, and purity. This significance is revealed in the story of Belides, a nymph who transformed into a daisy to safeguard her innocence from the threatening god of the seasons, Vertumnus. In Greek mythology, the anemone is tied to the sorrows of forsaken love because a crimson anemone grew from Aphrodite’s mournful tears over the death of her love, Adonis. These myths only represent an abundance of similar tales in which floral symbolism is closely weaved into the narrative, a practice that would continue centuries upon centuries into the future.

In the Elizabethan Era, an author of some literary fame was also employing floral symbolism in his literary works. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Ophelia carries a bouquet of rosemary, pansies, fennel, rue, columbines, and daisies. Respectively, these flowers and plants are emblems of memory, thoughts, strength, disdain, folly, and innocence, all central themes and elements explored in the tragedy. Ophelia further adds after describing the contents of the bouquet and their meanings, “I would give you some violets, but they withered all when my father died.” Violets were known to signify modesty. While casual readers may have missed this detail, Shakespeare gifted an added layer of insight to those informed in the ways of flowers.

Ophelia, Sir John Everett Millais, 1851. 

Floral symbolism can also be found in the work of Charlotte Brontë. Her well-beloved novel Jane Eyre begins with a few chapters detailing the miseries and few joys of her early years. In one such scene that takes place at the beginning of spring, Jane spies crocuses and snowdrops “peep[ing] out amongst the leaves.” The former represents youth and gladness, while the latter shines forth as a message of hope. Coupled with the coming of spring, these flowers serve to herald to the reader good things to come, even if trials must be faced first. Similarly to Shakespeare, Brontë rewarded her readers’ attentiveness with hidden layers of detail that solidified the themes of her work.

All this hidden meaning reached a trend-like level of popularity in Victorian England, which eventually spread to the Americas. Lady Mary Worley Montagu, the wife of the British ambassador to Turkey, encountered on her journeys with her husband a practice called Salem, in which the women of Turkish harems assigned hidden meanings to flowers and other accessories as a means of communication. From Lady Montagu’s letters, Victorian men and women learned of the practice and were wholeheartedly captivated by it.

Flower dictionaries began popping up faster than weeds, and between 1827 and 1923, around 89 dictionaries like this one were published. Each book was filled to the brim with information on how to craft and decipher enigmatic floral arrangements that could carry tidings of romance or friendship, fondness or even bitter hatred. Mysterious arrangements could be sent to the intended recipient, or simply worn in small nosegays, or “tussie-mussies,” on one’s person. 

In an era known for its strict social etiquette, flowers offered a thrilling medium for honest, clandestine, and uncensored communication. The appeal of such a simultaneously secret and open practice is evident, but why should we care today? Should we consider it a remnant of the past, as others surely did after the bleak reality of World War I caused the fad to fade? I think not. Instead, I believe that the language of flowers can offer the same element of excitement, loveliness, and even entertainment to us today as it did then.

Cultivating a knowledge of the history and meaning behind the everyday objects that surround us enriches our lives with beauty and significance. It connects us with the world that came before us and roots us through intentionally living in the present. Flowers, though a beauty appreciated by many, can be forgotten in the hustle and bustle of everyday life or seen as an unnecessary luxury. By appreciating not only their loveliness but purposefully acknowledging the emotions and virtues they can symbolize, we give them the chance to take on a subtle shade of complexity that adds depth and care to our communication. And it’s this added attention to detail that allows us to further embrace the hidden romance of our everyday world. No longer are flowers merely pretty things, but also reminders of courage, joy, remembrance, and love.

Floriography elevates the details of our daily lives from ordinary to expressive.

Floriography isn’t just for adding romance in the couple-y sort of way, though. Everyone is invited to enjoy it. Who doesn’t love a bouquet of flowers? Send a bouquet to your best friend, to your sister, to your boyfriend, or simply buy a lovely bouquet to spruce up your kitchen table or office space and bring a little added joy and contentment to your everyday spaces. If you are unable to incorporate fresh flowers into your everyday life, look for them in art and fashion, adorning your home and body with layers of subtle meaning. Giving a floral greeting card to someone for a special occasion or no occasion at all? Read on to find out which flowers best represent true friendship, love, and care.

The book Floriography by Jessica Roux provides a thorough introduction to the meanings of flowers, including notes on their history and beautifully detailed botanical illustrations. Take a look at The Lady’s Book of Flowers and Poetry, published in 1868, for a more extensive collection of flower meanings and poetry.

The following are our favorites, in no particular order:

Love (white for innocent love, pink for new romance, red for passion).

Devotion and love.

Elegance and beauty.

Condolences.

Valor, wisdom, and faith.

Fidelity and attachment.

Bashfulness.

Boastfulness and heartlessness (due to its large abundant blooms).

Everlasting friendship.

Eternal sleep.

A warning, or to repay a favor.

Grief.

Unrequited love.

Distrust.

First love and remembrance.