The last couple of days I’ve looked at the origins of St. Valentine’s Day and the history of chocolate which is such a popular gift item for Valentine’s. Today, the natural complement to chocolate is flowers. The earliest cultures known to mankind used flowers as gifts and symbols of meaning for messages the gift was sending.

The most common reason to give flowers is to express romantic love which is one reason that flowers is such a popular gift item for Valentine’s Day. Flowers can be used given for any occasion. A single flower, a bouquet or a floral arrangement can express joy, romance, passion, appreciation or sympathy in a way that is difficult to match with any other gift.

Giving Flowers For Valentine’s Day his practice first become popular in the 17th century. Roses quickly became the blossom of choice for Valentine’s Day as it represents love in all its forms. The rose is reputed to be the favourite flower of Venus the goddess of marriage and motherhood in Roman mythology.One of the most popular choices for giving on Valentine’s Day is the “signature rose” which is one single (long stem) rose framed with baby’s breath. You can say anything you want with flowers when you know the ‘language’ that the different types of flowers ’speak’.

Let’s look at the meanings of flowers starting with the romantic flowers that would be most appropriate for Valentine’s Day giving. Be careful of your colour choices. As you see by this list, some colours send a negative message:

Red — passionate love
White — charm & innocence; purity, remembrance
Pink — to my friend, happiness, young love
Bridal — happy love
China — your beauty is always new
Crimson – mourning
Lavender — our love is pure
Red & White - unity
Red leaved – hope, wishes for prosperity
Yellow — please love me, jealousy, friendship
Red Rosebud — you are young and lovely

Baby’s Breath — mine is sincere love
Daisy — innocence; I’ll never tell; aspiration, affection

Tulip

Red — you are a perfect lover; declaration of love
Variegated — you have beautiful eyes
Yellow — I am hopelessly in love

Lily

Arum — ardour
Day – coquetry, flirtation
Water — silence; purity of heart
White — you are sweet; your are pure
Yellow — Thank you
Lily of the Valley - humility

Carnation

Deep Red – my heart aches for you; I admire you
Pink – I’ll never forget you
Solid Colour — yes
Striped — I’m sorry, I must say no
White – Our love is pure; good luck
Yellow – you disappointment, rejection

Orchid — you are delicate; posses a refined beauty
Lilac

Purple — feeling the first emotions of love
White — promising love, youthful innocence; modest and pure emotions

Sunflower — adoration; proud to be with/know you
Acacia

Pink or Rose — platonic love, desire to please, elegance
Yellow – a secret love

Amaranth

Globe — undying love
Cockscomb — affection

Ambrosia — mutual love
Amethyst – undying love; admiration
Anemone — perseverance, affection, confidence
Armoise – marital fidelity, health
Aster – trustful love
Azalea — joy of loving; temperance; take care of yourself
Bluebell – constant, everlasting love
Camelia — admiration; perfect in every way
Camomile — affection
Centaury - new love
Chevrefeuille – secret love, bonds
Chrysanthemum

Red — love
Spider — let’s elope
White — I tell the truth
Yellow — I feel slighted

Clover

Purple — providence
White – think of me

Cornflower — timid love, timidity
Daffodil — the only one for me, my regards
Dogwood — our love will endure adversity, durability
Forget me Not — true love; faithful memory; don’t forget me
Geranium — feeling of love
Glycine — Tenderness
Iris — love and tenderness; good news
Ivy — wedded love; fidelity
Jonquil - your affections are returned
Lemon Blossoms — true and faithful love
Lotus Flower — love even though estranged
Primrose — young love; can’t live without you
Tuberose — forbidden pleasure; dangerous love
Veronique — fidelity
Violet

Blue — faithfulness
Purple — you occupy my thoughts

Adonide — unhappy love affair
Agerate — confidence
Amaryllis — splendid beauty; with pride
Angelica — you are my inspiration
Anise – promise
Anthemis — finished love, rupture
Apple Blossom — I prefer you, I wish you good fortune
Asphodel yellow — courtship abandoned
Begonia — fanciful, imaginative nature, beware
Bell Flower — (small white) — gratitude
Buttercup — childishness, ingratitude
Colchique — jealousy
Crocus — concern
Cyclamen — jealousy, beauty
Dahlia — recognition
Fern — sincerity
Hibiscus & Flower-of-an-Hour — delicate beauty
Jasmine — cheerful & graceful
Laurel – glory
Mistletoe — I surmount difficulties
Myrtle — heartfelt love, joy
Orange Blossoms — loveliness equals purity; marriage
Pansy — thinking of you; remembering you
Periwinkle

Blue – first stage of friendship
White — pleasures of memory

Petunia — don’t despair
Queen Anne’s Lace — I fantasize about you
Sweet Pea — delicate pleasure
Wormwood — bitterness
Zinnia – thinking of you; remembering you daily

I certainly hope that you can find yours or the person you want to send flowers to favourites on the list and that the meaning is what you are trying to convey. I know most people likely wouldn’t know what the flower means but it would be nice to be able to tell them.

So, flowers and chocolate and a nice card, and you’ll be able to say “From Your Valentine” with confidence on Valentine’s Day.