Index
Vocabulary of Flowers A-I
Vocabulary of Flowers J-Z
Admired for their beauty and cherished as gifts, flowers are a delight. Used to celebrate all the happenings of life--birth, death, weddings, harvests; given as tokens of affection, of remembrance, of comfort; used in church, in medicine, in courts of law; borne into battles and honored as currency, flowers have a universal appeal.
Over time, many plants and flowers acquired particular meanings (for example, ivy signified fidelity, and the pansy, remembrance) and a 'language' of sentiments arose. This language of flowers was pursued with a vengeance during the Victorian era, and developed into an extremely complex one, with dozens of dictionaries published to guide both the giver and recipient.
Very popular at this time was the tussie-mussie, or nosegay, the equivalent of today's greeting card--a discreet messenger for the daring or the shy. Every sentiment could be expressed, from devotion to disdain, simply by the flowers chosen to create it. Called the 'language of the love affair', tussie-mussies gave eloquent voice to every aspect of romantic love.
Today, a return to natural, herbal comforts has brought a flourish of gardening, with the old herbs and flowers having pride of place, even in the smallest of gardens. The art of the gentle tussie-mussie has been revived, with many how-to books and classes available to those wishing to learn. One excellent book , simply titled Tussie-Mussies, by Geraldine Adamich Laufer, gives complete instructions for creating many different nosegays, the fascinating history behind them, and a dictionary of flowers and their sentiments.
Here is a listing of some popular flowers and the sentiment most commonly ascribed to each, provided for your interest and enjoyment.
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