Floriography

Nowadays, picking flower arrangements is a no brainer. For lovelorn boys, it's always about the pinks and the reds, or how many dozen would it take to make her forgive their youthful retributions. No one wastes their time debating whether it screams pain or anguish, or if the collection of yellow carnations would symbolize their decrease in affection.

Though back in the day, the Victorian period had sought it firm that each and every flower has meaning and thought. Now, wouldn't that have been a pickle.

The deconstruction and construction of the meaning of flowers during that era was called floriography or florioLexicon. Floriography was their means of expressing coded message of affection, they even wrote a book about it at the time, Louise Cortambert (under the pseudonym, Madame Charlotte de la Tour) was the first of the women to write a complete flower dictionary that was later entitled Le Language des Fleurs.

It wasn't until more than 50 years later that a detailed book, complete with illustration was written and published. The Language of Flowers by Jean Marsh soon became the official source for the meaning of Victorian flowers.

Basing their origins on a multitude of categories, those days, flowers gain their notoriety with the help of scriptural, historical, botanical and literary elements. This meant that the way the bunches of peonies stood held meaning, or the way the colors were picked stood most important when it came to expressing someone's affection for their beloved.

It would be unfortunate to lose sight for a second. Imagine, sending a lush bouquet of red roses, but have a stray striped carnation on it, you basically sent your loved one a confused message of deep love and a refusal to be with her at the same time.

Even though all these things are a thing of the past, small fragments of the meaning of flowers are still carried on up until this day. As deep red roses still denote utmost love, white flowers carry on it's noted implication of purity and innocence, while yellow flowers remain to be used for simple tokens of friendship appreciation and respect.

To have a taste of the wonderfully complicated world of Victorian flowers and their meaning, here's a peek:

Aloe - Grief

Alstroemeria - Devotion; friendship

Alyssum - Worth beyond beauty

Ambrosia - Love returned

Aster - Love; daintiness

Azalea - Take care of yourself for me; fragile passion; temperance;
Chinese symbol of womanhood

Baby's Breath - Everlasting love; happiness; pure in heart

Begonia - Beware

Calendula - Joy

Carnation (in general) Bonds of affection; health and energy; fascination; alas for my poor heart

Chysanthemum (in general) - Cheerfulness; You're a wonderful friend

Daisy - Innocence; loyal love; purity; faith; cheer; simplicity

Iris - Faith; hope; wisdom and valour; my compliments; eloquence; message

Larkspur (pink) - Fickleness; levity

Lily (general) - Purity

Orange Blossom - Wisdom; purity; eternal love; your purity equals your loveliness

Orchid - Love; beauty; refinement; you flatter me

Queen Anne's Lace - Fantasy

Ranunculus - You are radiant with charms

Rose (red) - Love ; I love you

Tulip(general) - Fame; charity; declaration of love;

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