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Speak Softly: The Language of Flowers

the gardener — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 02:00:33 +0000

Tussie Mussies, those dainty old fashioned bouquets, were once a domain of theLanguage of Flowers. In Victorian times the choice and arrangement of flowers became an intriguing way to use a symbolic code to relay silent messages. The origination of the Victorian enthusiasm for attribution of meaning to flowers began with Lady Mary Wortley Montague, wife of the British ambassador to Constantinople. Renewed interest has been stirred up with the recent royal marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton, when she chose a bridal bouquet redolent with fragrance of lily of the valley and symbolic meaning, drawn from the pages of traditional language of flowers.

The press release from the Royal Palace:

“The bouquet is a shield-shaped wired bouquet of myrtle, lily-of-the-valley, sweet William and hyacinth. The bouquet was designed by Shane Connolly and draws on the traditions of flowers of significance for the Royal Family, the Middleton family and on the Language of Flowers”

What is the ‘Language of Flowers’?

Undoubtedly the idea is older than the known history of it, but our present idea of the language of flowers in the symbolic sense comes from the Victorian age. It was then that

The wife of the eighteenth century British Ambassador to Constantinople,Lady Mary Wortley Montague, took note of a curious custom in the harem, and wrote of it in letters back to England. The secret language of the women included many token items, besides flowers, but the idea of a secret code between lovers caught the imagination of Europeans. From France came the lists of flowers and their purported meanings, and by the middle of the nineteenth century the practice had reached a height.

It seems that a number of European fads in floriography flourished beginning in the seventeenth century: Sweden, after the return of Charles II of Sweden from his exile in Turkey, in France, and later in England.

French Language…

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Adjusted for culture and custom, the meanings of flowers may vary, according to the source. There are some that remain perennial in meaning, and those are the ones most usually combined in modern flower arrangements for weddings and other occasions.

What are some of the more well-known meanings?

These are from one source, some others flower meanings may be found, here. Flower dictionaries were written to track the meanings of flowers, called floriography.

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The pink carnation became the symbol of a mother’s undying love, and in 1907 was chosen by Ann Jarvis as the emblem of Mother’s Day

Arbor vitae…Unchanging friendship.
Camellia, white…Loveliness.
Candytuft…Indifference.
Carnation,deep red …Alas! for my poor heart.
Carnation, white…Disdain.
China aster…Variety.
Clover,four leaf…Be mine/lucky
Clover, white…Think of me.
Columbine…Folly.
Daisy…Childhood innocence.
Daylily…Coquetry
Dried leaves…Sadness.
Deadly nightshade…Falsehood.
Fern…Fascination.
Forget-me-not…True love. Forget me not.
Fuchsia,red … Taste.
G,red…Consolation.
Geranium, rosepink…Preference.
Goldenrod …Be cautious.
Heliotrope…Devotion.
Honeysuckle…Love, sweet and secret.
Hyacinth,white…Unobtrusive loveliness.
Ivy…Fidelity.
Lily, white…Sweetness.
Lily, yellow…Gaiety.
Lily of the Valley…Return of happiness.
Mignonette…Your qualities surpass your charms.
Monkshead… Danger is near.
Myrtle…Love.
Orange blossoms…Chastity.
Pansy…Thoughts.
Passion flower…Faith.
Peach blossom…I am your captive.
Pear…Affection.
Primrose…Inconstancy.
Quaking grass…Agitation.
Rose…Love.
Rose, dark red…Bashful shame.
Rose, yellow…Jealousy.
Rose, white…I am worthy of you.
Rosebud,Moss…Confession of love.
Shamrock…Lightheartedness.
Straw…Agreement.
Straw, broken…Broken agreement.
Sweet pea…Depart.
Tuberose…Dangerous pleasures.
Verbena…Pray for me.

“Belladonna: In Italian, a beautiful lady; in English a deadly poison.”
- Ambrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary

More Meanings
Meanings from a book of 1885, and older, collated and extensive.

Who might be interested in the Language of flowers?

For those hallmark high points of our lives, which we often commemorate with flowers and symbolic meaning, weddings, funerals, important anniversaries and births, the language of flowers may add to our appreciation of the thoughts relayed. A bride may chose flowers meaningful to her, a family may wish to have a casket arrangement which holds meaning in their grief, and good wishes for the birth of a new baby may be incorporated into a bouquet of flowers.

Anytime we wish to add a shade of meaning to flowers we give to someone, we can consider the time honored meanings of the blooms we choose.

The inclusion of a note explaining the meanings can share the symbolic thoughts with others.

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On a Cold Winter’s Night: Indoor Bulbs

the gardener — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 03:04:51 +0000

It is so hard for a gardener to lock up the growing season for winter, even when the platoons of garden catalogs begin marching in from the mailbox. Although houseplants offer a bit of green, the indoor flower displays from forced bulbs create the effect of springtime on the window sill.

My first introduction to these flowering delights began when my aunt, with whom I was staying, brought a bowl filled with smooth white stones and dotted with narcissus bulbs to me for my bedroom window. She had a way of living that celebrated in daily ways, and that made her a very charming person. With a little regular water, her gift of bulbs shot up and flowered into delicate, scented paperwhites. I had not yet begun to garden, but I was forever in the grasp of the demure sight of winter blooming bulbs from that point on.

In later years I would experience the growing of bold burst of amaryllis, quaint scenes of combined spring bulb gardens-in-a pot, and the dark winter nights would never be the same. A winter bulb garden, indoors, can give a completely warm and hopeful view on long winter months with its short days and little sunshine. Besides – like fruits of summer on a Valentine dessert, there is something special and exotic about the forced blooms that deck the interior rooms while the bluster of winter blows just outside the curtained pane.

Some of the best plants to force for winter bloom:

Amaryllis

Hippeastrum

A few easy to order kits from Amazon:

How To Grow: If you order a kit, nothing could be simpler. Just follow the directions on setting the bulb within the moistened growing medium in the pot. set in a sunny spot and let it grow. If you are potting up your own, use a premixed potting compost (soiless mix). Let the bulb sit for a day on a water-filled jar where just the bottom of the bulb barely touches the water. Plant with the top part of the bulb above the soil line. White Flower Farm has thorough instructions. They like a warm sunny location, 65-75° F.

You can also plant in water and pebbles, as with the Paperwhites.

If you wish to replant the following year, leave the foliage and remove the flower stem, be sure to pot in nutritious potting soil, set in a sunny window and keep it watered when dry (allow top of soil to dry out briefly). Come spring, you can pop it into the garden to grow and gain strength for the coming year. an out of the way place in the vegetable garden is perfect. At the time you lift dahlias in the fall, lift the Amaryllis, cut off foliage, and set in a dark place for 8-10 weeks; after which you repeat the forcing process.

It could be better to simply buy new bulbs each year.

Paperwhites

Narcissus tazetta

Here is the very simplest way to pot up your paperwhite bulbs. Again, White Flower Farm provides the most detailed directions for your paperwhite pots.

choose a watertight container or pot with saucer
put layer of pebbles or river rocks 2 to 4 inches deep
place the bulbs in with some stone, but leaving upper part of bulb exposed
pour water to the level of the root at base of bulbs
place somewhere cool and after rooted well, in a sunny spot
enjoy

When grown this way you can’t expect a repeat show, so toss away your spent bulbs; just think of them as a very long lasting floral arrangement. They do not survive our cold climate winters here in Ohio, either. I have tried the variety ‘Ziva’ and was very pleased with them. Try giving them a nip of alcohol to keep them from flopping over.

Dutch Bulb Gardens

Tulips, daffodils, crocus, hyacinths

The easiest alternative is to buy bulbs already prepared for you, since Dutch bulbs usually require a time of cold storage before they will bloom.

Certain varieties, especially of tulips, will be better to force for indoor bloom than others. Old list often included the single early types for forcing. the University of Missouri has an excellent page on recommended varieties and procedures for creating your own indoor Dutch Garden. some varieties may be hard to find, nowadays.

Forcing Indoor Bulbs
Tulips: Bellona -pure yellow, Couleur Cardinal -dark red, Gudoshnik- orange streaked yellow, Kansas -white.

Hyacinths: Anne Marie -pink, L’Innocence -white, Delft Blue.

Crocus: Use any of the “Dutch” varieties, rather than the snow crocus.