Flowers and Meanings

There are so many varieties of today’s flowers that their original meanings often get diluted and forgotten. During Victorian times, flowers had very special meanings and were a means of communication between families, friends, and couples, and often denoted a certain level of hierarchy among communities. If you were royalty you would display “royal” flowers and if you were a commoner you displayed “non-royal” flowers or no flowers at all.

Today, of course, we assign our own meanings to flowers based on memories, special events, feelings or personal sentiments in our lives. But for historic purposes, we’ve listed the basic meanings of many flowers below:

Alstroemeria means aspiring
Amaryllis means dramatic
Anemone means fragile
Apple Blossom means promise
Aster means contentment
Azalea means abundance
Baby’s Breath means festivity
Bachelor Buttom means anticipation
Begonia means deep thoughts
Black-Eyed Susan means encouragement
Camellia means graciousness
Carnation - Pink means gratitude
Carnation - Red means flashy
Carnation - Striped means refusal
Carnation - White means remembrance
Carnation - Yellow means cheerful
Chrysanthemum - Bronze means excitement
Chrysanthemum - White means truth
Chrysanthemum - Red means sharing
Chrysanthemum - Yellow means secret admirer
Cosmos means peaceful
Crocus means foresight
Daffodil means chivalry
Delphinium means boldness
Daisy means innocence
Freesia means spirited
Forget-Me-Not means remember me forever
Gardenia means joy
Geranium means comfort
Ginger means proud
Heather means solitude
Hibiscus means delicate beauty
Holly means domestic happiness
Hyacinth means sincerity
Hydrangea means perseverance
Iris means inspiration
Ivy means fidelity
Jasmine means grace and elegance
Larkspur means beautiful spirit
Lavender means distrust
Lilac means first love
Lily - Calla means regal
Lily - Casablanca means celebration
Lily - Day means enthusiasm
Lily - Stargazer means ambition
Lisianthus means calming
Magnolia means dignity
Marigold means desire for riches
Nasturtium means patriotism
Orange Blossom means fertility
Orchid means delicate beauty
Pansy means loving thoughts
Passion Flower means passion
Peony means healing
Poppy means consolation
Queen Anne’s Lace means delicate femininity
Ranunculus means radiant
Rhododendron means beware
Rose - Pink means friendship
Rose - Red means passionate love
Rose – Red and White means unity
Rose - White means purity
Rose - Yellow means zealous
Snapdragon means presumptuous
Star of Bethlehem means hope
Stephanotis means good luck
Statice means success
Sunflower means adoration
Sweetpea means shyness
Tuberose means pleasure
Tulip - Pink means caring
Tulip - Purple means royalty
Tulip - Red means declaration of love
Tulip - White means forgiveness
Tulip - Yellow means hopelessly in love
Violet means faithfulness
Wisteria means steadfast
Yarrow means good health
Zinnia means thoughts of friends

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