The month of May is notable for many things, including Mother’s Day, May Day, Cinco de Mayo, and Memorial Day. It also represents when flowers start to bloom where I live: tulips, lilacs, iris, geraniums, columbine, pansies, roses, peonies, bleeding heart, lily of the valley, and the beautiful magnolia blossoms. It’s like a parade of color and heady smells announcing the upcoming season. Is it my imagination, or do people smile more? Just the other day, a neighbor stopped me as I strolled by.
She waved, “Hey there. Come and see. My peonies have begun to bloom.”
I walked into her garden. “Oh, that color, it’s so …” I tried to find a word to describe the luscious pink hues that seemed to deepen in color with each petal. “Pink.” Oh well.
“Yes, they are remarkable. And look at these.” She proudly showed me her rose bushes and a patch of purple geraniums. We chatted for a bit about other things before I said goodbye. When I walked home, I realized I hadn’t seen her in a while, and I was suddenly glad the flowers had brought us together.
Flowers represent beauty, growth, new beginnings, and love. In Victorian times, flowers were used to send messages that couldn’t be spoken aloud, to communicate feelings, or to express emotions. That practice was called floriography, the language of flowers. Learning the special symbolism of each flower was practiced quite a lot during the 1800s. It even mattered how you delivered the flowers. The right hand meant yes. The left no. Red roses signified love. Dandelions happiness. Sunflowers long life. Daisies for purity. Honeysuckle for bonding. Myrtle prosperity. Sweet peas for thanking a host. Zinnias for friendship. A bouquet held upside-down signaled a lack of interest. A flower in your hair meant, “I’m not sure if I like you.” Flowers were not only used for romance. They could also convey hostility or challenge. Belvedere indicated, “Are you up for a fight?” Or Coltsfoot as a warning.
Floriography was so prevalent that wealthy Victorians would pay thousands of dollars for a rare orchid or even die in a duel fight for it. So-called well-bred women would spend most of their time tending their gardens of flowers. Cultivating special blooms. Collecting unique plants. Fascinating. People abandoned the practice of floriography around 1915, coinciding with World War 1. Even the very rich gave it up.
I don’t know if anyone thinks about the secret language of flowers anymore when they pick out a bouquet for a loved one or when they plant flowers in their garden. I certainly have not. But I learned that the pink peony symbolizes calmness and love, which makes me think I’ll share that with my neighbor. Better than just saying, “Pink,” don’t you think?
“Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food, and medicine to the mind.” Luther Burbank (botanist 1849 – 1926)
Enjoy the Passage of Time.
Sharon
© 2025. Sharon Kreider. All Rights Reserved.
