‘Flowers are love's truest language’ Park Benjamin Sr
Floriography, commonly called "the language of flowers", became popular in the Victorian era as a means of communication in which various flowers and floral arrangements were used to send coded messages, often of a romantic nature!
Whilst the language of flowers started in Constantinople in the 1600s, it was brought to England in 1716 by Lady Mary Wortley Montague, who had spent time in Turkey with her husband. The interest then moved to France where the book "Le Language des Fleurs" was printed with over 800 floral signs.
Today, flowers still speak a thousand words, and what better way to say a thousand words on Valentine’s Day, then by sending flowers?
On Valentine’s Day, flowers play a significant role in expressing love, passion, friendship, or even secret messages. I have looked at some popular Valentine’s flowers and their meanings, just so we are sure we are sending the right message if we choose to send flowers or even advise our romantic customer!
Classic Valentine’s Day flowers and their meanings….
Red Roses: the ultimate symbol of love and romance. Red roses signify deep passion and devotion.
Pink Roses: mean admiration, sweetness, and gratitude. Perfect for a budding romance.
White Roses: symbolize purity, innocence, and new beginnings — ideal for engagements.
Yellow Roses: traditionally associated with friendship and joy. They celebrate platonic relationships.
Orange Roses: convey enthusiasm, desire, and fascination.
Lavender Roses: represent enchantment and love at first sight.
Other popular romantic flowers and their meanings
Tulips: symbolize perfect love. Red tulips are the most romantic.
Lilies: white lilies express purity and refined beauty, while pink lilies symbolize prosperity.
Orchids: represent exotic beauty and luxury—a sophisticated choice for Valentine’s Day.
Red carnations: symbolise admiration and deep love.
White carnations: pure love and good luck.
Sunflowers: symbolise loyalty, longevity, and adoration.
Iris: signify faith, hope, and wisdom and are often chosen to express deep admiration.
Peonies: (costly at this time of year, but some customers will pay the high price)
represent romance, prosperity, and good fortune, often associated with a happy marriage.
Eucalyptus: symbol of strength, protection and abundance.
Mixing flowers can create layered meanings. For example, pairing red roses with white roses and branches of eucalyptus, can symbolize unity, everlasting love and protection.
Stand out from the competition at Valentine's Day
It’s always good to stand out from your competitors, so why not focus on the language of flowers and colour for something a bit different to promote your business?
Social Media is an ideal platform to showcase your expertise. Promote your ideas for sending Valentine's floral gifts by teasing your customers/audience with your knowledge of the language of flowers. They may well buy-in to sending a bouquet with a hidden meaning, which can only be deciphered by using the language of flowers, which you can include in your bouquet packaging and presentation
When promoting your Valentine's product collection, include a couple of bouquets that have meanings and name them. Get people talking about you and your business. Call your local paper and let them know what you are promoting and they may be up for reporting on you; it’s a win-win situation, you get free advertising in a local paper and a huge readership gets to know about you. I have used this tactic for promotion in the past and it never failed me!
Just think………what a way to grab attention for your florist business!
The flowers you choose can tell a deeply personal story, making Valentine’s Day gifts even more meaningful, so think about the language of flowers not just for Valentines, but every day of every week.
For fun: What is the secret message of my choice of Valentine bouquet, containing red roses, lavender roses, peonies, purple tulips and eucalyptus?
Answers on a postcard!
With over 35 years’ experience, Karen Barnes is one of the UK’s leading consultants to the floral industry and an expert in product development, future trends & colours, and floral photography design & planning. She’s an interior floral designer, high profile wedding and event floral planner, and prominent international competition judge.
From teaching on a one-to-one basis to coaching small, intimate classes and larger teams, Karen can encourage, motivate and mentor your next step in the florist industry. Sharing her vast experience, Karen can help you expand your knowledge and creativity.
