Martha’s Musings: The Language Of Flowers

Editorial Assistant Martha Florence Introduces her new segment: Martha’s Musing where she ruminates on life’s big and small curiosities including the enchanting language of flowers

I feel I should begin by introducing this new segment—welcome to Martha’s Musings! In this little column I will muse, ponder and generally yap, and for this year’s fourth issue Symbols, I have a mini crash course on flowers and their many meanings. 

Flowers are heavy with symbolism. Roses are given to show love; lilies decorate coffins. But, not too long ago, flowers had their own rich language, and were a means to communicate without words. 

They’ve often been used in Shakespeare’s plays (Think Ophelia), in poetry, mythologies and folklore. Think of the laurel leaf in Ancient Greece to show victory, or the use of lilies in Le Morte d’Arthur. In the Victorian era, flowers were used to deliver coded, wordless messages. And while we still recognise some imagery (roses in The Bachelor, for instance—true love, abs and champagne), much of their language has been somewhat lost.

For a little revival, here are some flowers whose symbolism might surprise you. 

The Iris: the symbolism of irises changes with their rainbow of colours. Yellow is for passion; white is for purity. Blue shows faith and hope, and purple is used for royalty and wisdom. 

In Greek mythology, Iris, the goddess of the rainbow, carried messages between gods and mortals alike, and was also thought to accompany female souls to the Underworld. Today, she is remembered by planting purple irises on female graves in the hopes that their soul will be taken care of. In Egypt and India, irises had many medicinal uses, and their perfume was made into an offering for the gods. In Egypt they were also used to show power, as decoration for a Pharaoh’s sceptre. And later, in the Middle Ages, they were commonly seen in the fleur-de-lis symbol used by French royalty as a demonstration of might. Irises appeared on coins, shields and family insignia. 

The Violet: again, the symbolism of violets depends on the colour. This tends to be a common theme with all flowers of varying colours, like roses or peonies. But the violet’s most common symbolism across their colours is modesty, faithfulness and wisdom. 

In Christianity, violets were associated with the Virgin Mary, demonstrating her decorum and humility. In Ancient Greece, they were seen as a powerful symbol of love and fertility, and were used in love potions or to sweeten wine. Violets were associated with their goddess Persephone, and were a sure sign of spring. During the Middle Ages, violets were a popular medicinal plant, used to resolve headaches and skin conditions, and help cure insomnia. In Asia too, they were popular in medicine, and a common treatment for respiratory conditions. As they contain an organic compound called salicylic acid (similar to aspirin), they were probably quite effective treatments! In the Victorian Era, violets were often given to lovers to show everlasting devotion, and appear in a number of Shakespeare’s plays such as Hamlet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. 

The Sweet Pea: another multi-coloured flower! White is for innocence and new beginnings; pink is for gratitude and affection. Purple shows respect and charm, red shows passion, and blue for tranquillity and peace. 

These delicate flowers are named for their resemblance to pea plants, but unlike their green cousin they are toxic if ingested, so maybe keep them away from the spring salads. They are native to Southern Italy, and were supposedly a favourite of Princess Diana. John Keats was also a fan, and sweet peas appear in many of his poems. In the Victorian Era, they were given as thanks for hospitality or to show gratitude to a friend. In France, there’s a longstanding tradition of giving sweet peas to a bride on her wedding day, promising her luck in her marriage. 

Although now flowers are usually given with love, to congratulate, send well-wishes or sympathy, the Victorian Era flower language had blooms for all sorts of meanings, including not so favourable sentiments. A bunch of yellow carnations meant rejection. Geraniums communicated stupidity. Who knew the Victorians were such passive-aggressive divas? Honestly, I’m a fan. My ex-boss can expect a huge pot of geraniums, that’s all I’m saying. 

by Martha Florence