The fascinating language of flowers

The well-known custom of offering flowers as a gift dates back to ancient times and has been carried on in the Middle Ages, forming part in almost all important celebrations. To  this day, the practice is considered as one of the best ways to express feelings such as gratitude, friendly affection or passionate love. At first glance, it appears that there’s no difficulty in composing a bouquet at a flower shop or picking a ready-made one in the supermarket, yet the most significant aspect that makes the custom so special and intimate, the meaning behind the different flowers and their colours, is almost at all times forgotten. Here’s a brief guide to the hidden symbolism of flowers in order to help you make your future gifts even more memorable and meaningful.

The most popular kind of flowers traditionally offered as a present are undoubtedly roses. There’s plenty of various cultivars available at most flower shops in all colours and shades you could imagine. Most customers opt for the conventional red roses, although, taking into account their symbolic meaning, it might not always be suitable for the occasion. In the general meaning, deep red roses represent passionate romantic love and yearning for one’s lover, therefore it may not be advisable to prepare such a gift for a co-worker or a family member. Under such circumstances it is better to choose pink ones which express happiness and friendly affection, while leaving the scarlet ones for more intimate occasions. However, it is also important not to go overboard with the intensity of the colour, as we must  keep in mind that deep crimson roses are a symbol of mourning. 

Not only roses vary in symbolic meanings based on their colour. Another example of  such difference is present in case of equally recognized hyacinths. While blue ones are attributed to consistency of feelings and white ones are associated with loveliness as well as spiritual connection, yellow ones symbolize jealousy and purple stand for sorrow. These subtleties of shades play a significant role when it comes to tulips as well. Here, the yellow ones remarkably don’t follow the trend of being associated with jealousy, but rather with feelings of happiness and excitement, while the red ones traditionally symbolize a love confession.

Other flowers with fascinating meanings hidden behind them include lilies, conventional symbols of feminine beauty, as well as gardenias which represent yearning for one’s loved one in secret. Lavender is surprisingly attributed to distrust, while lily-of-the-valley and gerberas are considered two of the commonly recognized symbols of purity and innocence. Moreover, violets represent loyalty and faithfulness while hibiscus stands for delicacy. Not only do these flowers enchant with their enticing colours and dreamlike scents, but also provide an excellent opportunity for expressing the emotions that are difficult to put into words thanks to their unique yet precise symbolic meanings.