Flowers 4

Fragrant and beautiful flowers have been a source of great pleasure to people all over the world for centuries. As a gift from one person to another, they speak their own language – called floriography. Although we still recognize that gifts of some flowers carry a message, many meanings have now been lost. However, during the reign of Great Britain’s Queen Victoria between 1837 and 1901, the language of flowers had such significance that dictionaries were written to explain it. To give a gift of roses was not necessarily a sign of devotion. Each variety and colour had its own meaning. Red roses signified true love, whilst yellow meant only friendship or even dying love. Black could even mean hatred. Even the way in which flowers were presented had a meaning; a flower given in the right hand was positive but proffered in the left was not. It was quite a dilemma for lovers, as not all floriography dictionaries were exactly the same, leaving the interpretation somewhat open and causing messages to be misunderstood.
Almost everyone has heard the slogan “Say it with flowers”, reputed to have been coined for the Society of American Florists by Patrick F. O’Keefe, who was president of the P.F. O’Keefe Advertising Agency, Inc. in Boston, USA. The slogan has helped sell millions of flowers for countless occasions all over the world, although these days “saying it with flowers” usually includes writing an accompanying card with a clear meaning.