The Language of Flowers

The language of flowers was used by the ancient Greeks, Egyptians, India and China, and became popular in the 19th C. It was formalized as a system of communication in the early 18th C by the English author Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, who was living with her ambassador husband in Turkey, and discovered their meanings thru ancient texts.
It was popular amongst lovers as a safe way of passing messages, simply by creating a bouquet of flowers, with each flower having a different meaning, and so contained a message.
Generally, white flowers indicated innocence or secrecy, Red for love or passion, and yellow for warnings and jealousy. The more intense the colour is, the stronger the emotion behind the message.

There are two meanings behind each flower, the first is the general sentiment, the second being the actual message.

FLOWER MEANINGS

ACACIA: friendship ' I value our friendship'
ANEMONES: anticipation ' I hope to see you soon'
APPLE: admiration 'You are beautiful'
AZALEA: caution 'We must be careful'

BEGONIA: warning 'We are being watched'
BLUEBELL constancy 'I am faithful to you always'
BROOM/GORSE devotion ' My aim is to make you happy for teh rest of your life'
BUTTERCUPS riches 'All I have, I share with you'

CAMELLIA: courage 'Be strong'
CAMPION: love after dark ' Meet me at dusk'
CARNATION:PINK: encouragement ' Thank you for your gift/message, it is most welcome'
CARNATION:RED: intense love ' I miss you so much, I have to see you soon'
CARNATION;WHITE: affection ' I am very fond of you'
CARNATION:YELLOW: disdain ' You disappoint me, I have lost any feelings for you'
CARNATIONS:STRIPED: refusal ' I don’t want to see you again'
CHERRY: growth ' May our love blossom'
CHRYSANTHEMUM:BROWN: friendship ' Let us be friends'
CHRYSANTHEMUM:RED: passion ' I love and want you'
CHRYSANTHEMUM:YELLOW: discouragement ' I am not available to you'
CHRYSANTHEMUM:WHITE: truth ' I will never lie to you'
CLOVER fortune 'Good luck'
CORNFLOWER: delicacy ' Be gentle with me'
CROCUS: youth 'You make me feel young'
CYCLAMEN: protection ' You are safe with me'

DAFFODIL: regrets ' I'm sorry, can we try again?'
DAHLIA: instability 'Your indecisiveness makes me uncertain '
DAISY: innocence 'You are my first love'
DANDELION: the oracle ' the future is ours'

FORGET-ME-NOT: remembrance ' Please don’t forget me'

GERANIUM:DARK: melancholy 'I'm sad'
GERANIUM:PINK: uncertainty ' Please explain your intentions'
GERANIUM:RED: choice 'I choose you'
Grasses submission ' I accept the way things have to be'

HAREBELL: hope ' I hope you change your mind'
HIBISCUS: gentle beauty ' Your nature is matched by your beauty'
HOLLYHOCK: fertility ' May our love bear fruit'
HOLLYHOCK:WHITE: ambition ' I will succeed'
HONEYSUCKLE: commitment 'Accept this as a token of love'
HYACINTH lost love ' I regret our separation'

IRIS: communication ' I need to see you, I have a message'

JASMINE dreams/reunion 'I dream of you constantly'

LAVENDER: love returned ' I love you too'
LILAC: the first stirrings of love ' You interest and excite me'
LILY: purity ' My love for you is pure and spiritual'
LILY OF THE VALLEY: return of happiness ' I have to go away, but I will be back as fast as I can'

MARIGOLD: unhappiness ' your jealousy is destroying our relationship'
MIMOSA: sensitivity ' I understand'

ORCHIDS: abundance 'You will want for nothing'

PANSIES: fond memories 'Remember the happy times we spent together'
PASSION FLOWER: spiritual love 'We are twin souls'
PEONY: forgiveness 'forgive me'
POPPY: sleep 'Life will seem better in the morning'

ROSE:PINK: shyness ' I am afraid to show my feelings'
ROSE:RED: love 'I love you with all my heart'
ROSE:WHITE: silence 'Our love must be a secret'
ROSE:YELLOW: envy ' I am jealous'
ROSE:WILD: distant admiration 'I love you from afar'

SNAPDRAGON: rejection 'You mean nothing to me'
SNOWDROPS: consolation 'We have each other'
STAR OF BETHLEHEM: mending quarrels ' Can we forget our argument?'
SUNFLOWER: obsession with money 'You cant buy my love'

TULIPS: MIXED COLOURS: beauty 'You eyes hold my soul'
TULIP:RED: declaration of love 'I want to tell the whole world I love you'
TULIP:YELLOW: unrequited love 'Don't you care about me?'

VIOLET: trust 'I will not betray you'

WALLFLOWER: faithfulness in misfortune 'I will love you in bad times and good'

YLANG-YLANG: euphoria 'I am intoxicated with joy'