Floriography + The Secret Language of Flowers
This week I have a bonus newsletter for you all! All about Floriography and the secret language of flowers.
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Hello flower lovers,
I thought it would be fitting to give you an introduction to Floriography (AKA the secret language of flowers) as I feature this each week in the flower newsletter.
My introduction to floriography would have been ANZAC day as a kid (in Australia we have a day of remembrance for those who have served and died in wars and conflict. ANZAC stands for Australia and New Zealand Army Corp). I didn’t know it at the time, but the rosemary people would pin to their shirts and the poppies placed on plaques to symbolize remembrance, was actually floriography. I guess I generally knew that red roses were for love and lavender could represent peace, but I didn’t know that many, perhaps all, flowers had a symbolic meaning attached and people actually used to use the flowers to convey messages to each other.
A few years ago, maybe 5, I picked up a novel that based it’s storyline on the language of flowers and I became kind of obsessed with it. I started creating art that had specific flowers intertwined so that the painting would convey a message and looking into the plants I grew in my garden and what they meant. I poured over floriography books and enjoyed learning about the meanings behind flowers I loved, and being introduced to all new varieties based on the meanings I was looking up.
Floriography has been around a very long time though, much earlier than my introduction! It’s roots are believed to be in Persia and Turkey around the 17th Century where flower symbolism was used in everything from ceremonies and celebrations, to textiles and ceramics. Flower symbolism and metaphor was also popular in poetry, and widely used by poets such as Rumi.
In the rose garden of mystery, You are a beautiful rose. And I am the gardener. Watering you, I am absorbed in my task. Pruning, I am lost in thought. Yet, as I tend to you, I am also tended to. As I nurture you, I am also nurtured. For in this garden, The gardener and the rose are one. - Author unknown
Floriography eventually and inevitably spread to nearby regions but became really popular during the early Victorian era in England after Lady Mary Wortley Montagu popularised it. Lady Mary Wortley Montagu's husband, Edward Wortley Montagu, served as the British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire in the early 18th century. During her time in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul), Lady Mary immersed herself in Ottoman culture, becoming particularly fascinated by the art of communicating through flowers, which was prevalent in Turkish society. She wrote extensively about this language of flowers and shared it in letters home to friends and family. Many of her letters were eventually published in the 19th Century and this caught traction amongst the people of England, whom many had never heard of using flowers as another way of communicating. Her writings on floriography laid a lot of the groundwork for what would become floriography in the Western World. Many books were written following this to be used as guides to the language of flowers, and sending secret messages as bouquets became incredibly popular.
The tradition eventually died down by the late Victorian era, when people didn’t need to be so discreet about conversing with each other. But it has since sparked in popularity again in modern times. Many artists and poets incorporate flower symbolism into their work, and brides today create their bouquets based on floriography. It’s used less as a way of conversing with people now, and more symbolically. You can find many books that detail the meanings of flowers and, of course, you can learn more about it here at The Flower Journal. in my weekly newsletter.
Just for fun, here are some examples of bouquets of flowers you could combine to convey the following messages.
I'm sorry and well wishes:
White Hyacinth: Apology
Pink Carnation: I'll never forget you
White Tulip: Forgiveness
Yellow Rose: Friendship
I love you but it must be kept secret:
Red Rose: Love
White Jasmine: Sweet love
Myrtle: Love, secrecy
Pink Camellia: Longing for you
I wish you good fortune and a happy life:
Lily of the Valley: Happiness, good luck
Sweet Pea: Pleasure, good-bye
Alstroemeria: Prosperity, fortune
Lavender: Good luck, devotion
Feel better soon:
Daffodil: Rebirth, new beginnings
Sunflower: Adoration, healing
White Heather: Protection, wishes come true
Prefer to listen to this newsletter? No worries!
Did you know about floriography before today?
Have you used floriography before?
Tell us about it in the comments below!
Loved reading this! I'm such a floriography nerd. Really looking forward to reading more of your writing.
What was the novel you mentioned at the beginning that used floriography? I'd love to read it.