Floriography is known as the language of flowers, an art that has survived across the years. It emerged nearly two centuries ago and is still widely used today. Flowers are characterized by their appearance, color, scent, and even the season they bloom. These are used to convey a message to the receiver, such as gratitude, love, condolences, or even good luck.

 

These 7 facts will tell you more about how floriography came to be and how it is used to this day.

7 Things You Didn’t Know About Floriography, the Language of Flowers

• Floriography was popularized in the Victorian era.

Queen Victoria, who ruled Great Britain from 1837 to 1901, was very interested in flowers. She and Prince Albert used flowers to convey their love. It was also a time when women were considered inferior to men, and therefore were discouraged to be outspoken.

 

Flowers became a cryptic, nonverbal way for women to communicate with each other, as well as the opposite sex. Although it was popularized in the Victorian Era, floriography was already a known practice in ancient cultures.

• You can tell how someone feels by the way they hold their flowers.

Back then, when you give someone a bouquet, the recipient typically holds it a certain way, which can tell you what they want to say. For example, if they hold the flower bouquet at heart level, it means they appreciate the gesture or person who gave it. If they hold it facing downwards, it means they did not like it.

• The tussie-mussie was like a letter made from flowers.

It was said that Queen Victoria liked carrying small bouquets called “tussie-mussies” everywhere she went. This quickly became a trend among the middle and upper-class Victorian people, who decorated these bouquets with embellishments and used different flowers.

 

The center flower served as the main message of the bouquet, while smaller surrounding flowers meant things that supported the centerpiece. They were secret messages that cannot be explicitly said in their rigid society, which is why it became popular with floriography enthusiasts.

• Floriography is widely used in film and literature.

Shakespeare used floriography in Hamlet, particularly in Act 4, Scene 5 where Ophelia experiences a madness, and begins naming plants that were used to ease inward pain. In modern film and literature, it is also used in scenes to foreshadow an event, or symbolize a character’s emotions. 

 

Other popular examples include the rose in Beauty and the Beast, tulips in The Handmaid’s Tale, and daisies and roses in The Great Gatsby.

• The first floriography book was published in the 1800s.

A French writer named Charlotte de la Tour wrote and published a book titled Le Langage des Fleurs in 1819, which contained a detailed symbolism of around 300 flowers. After its release during the Victorian era, several books about the language of flowers were published. Although flower meanings have evolved over the years, her 19th-century symbolisms are still referenced to this day.

• Floriography is used on birthdays.

Each month is characterized by a certain flower, which carries certain traits based on its appearance or color. It is said that a person born during a certain month would develop the same qualities as their birth flower. For example, January babies are associated with the pride and beauty of the carnation. 

• Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, revived floriography.

Well, not exactly, but her wedding sure did. When Kate Middleton was wed to Prince William, fans discussed the meaning of her wedding bouquet, and this revived modern-day passion for floriography. Before this, interest in the language of flowers waned for a while.

 

Kate’s wedding bouquet included myrtle, which meant fidelity and everlasting love; lily-of-the-valley, which meant happiness; a hyacinth that meant loveliness, and finally, the sweet william, which symbolized her spouse.

 

The language of flowers is essential for any florist or flower lover. The growth and revival of floriography continues to redefine the meaningful ways through which people use flowers to express emotions, intent, or messages.

 

ALSO READ: 5 Meaningful Flowers for New Moms

 

Which symbolic flowers best convey your emotions? Consult Flower Patch Shop for expert florist advice on which flowers, bouquets, baskets, or wreaths suit your message. Talk to us today.