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15 Flowers and What They Symbolize
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Susan Martin
For centuries, people have placed great meaning on flowers and used them as a subtle way of communicating. Long before you could pick up your phone and text someone your thoughts, flowers were used as a unique unspoken “language”.
Today, we tend to assign our own meanings to specific flowers and their colors. You might send a bouquet of red roses to your longtime sweetheart, for example, but give a friend who is feeling down a bouquet of dahlias to cheer them up. Certain garden plants carry symbolism, too.
Before you gift someone flowers, consider this list of 15 common plants and the meaning attributed to them.
Daisies
These friendly blooms convey a meaning of youthfulness, innocence and purity, but also say, “I love you truly.” You might bring a bouquet of them when you visit a friend who has a new baby or give a bunch to your mother. Better yet, give them a perennial shasta daisy so they can enjoy them year after year in their own garden!
Coreopsis
These sunny yellow, red or bicolor blooms carry a meaning of “cheerfulness”, and it’s easy to see why. They dance in the wind atop wiry stems for months and never seem to have a bad day. Plant them near your patio or kitchen window where they’ll bring good cheer all summer long.
Hydrangea
When you give a bouquet of hydrangeas to someone today, it’s saying, “Thank you for understanding.” But this wasn’t always the case. Quite the opposite, in fact! Hydrangeas used to convey heartlessness and frigidity. Given how popular they are as garden plants, perhaps they should signify abundance and effusive love.
Lavender
Here is another flower whose meaning has shifted dramatically through the ages. Long ago, lavender symbolized distrust. Perhaps that’s because it was used to mask odors before it became commonplace to bathe and wash your clothing regularly. Today, lavender symbolizes quite the opposite: luxury, serenity and grace. Its calming fragrance is known to help people relax, and its edible flowers are a culinary delight.
Sunflowers
Gift a bouquet of sunflowers if you’re looking to express your adoration or wish someone lasting happiness. Skip the florist and plant Suncredible sunflowers instead. Each plant produces a hundred or more blooms throughout the summer and the more you pick, the more new blooms you’ll get.
Blue Salvia
Salvias come in shades of blue, white and pink, as well as both hardy and non-hardy forms. All make great garden and container plants, but gift a blue salvia if you’d like to say, “I’m thinking of you today.” Everyone loves blue flowers!
Dahlia
Perhaps because traditional dahlias grown from tubers need a long growing season before they bloom in late summer, they are known to mean “commitment” and “resilience”. Thankfully, our potted dahlias begin to bloom much earlier in the season, so you’ll be able to enjoy their gorgeous blooms all season.
Yarrow
You might be surprised to learn that yarrow symbolizes everlasting love. However, it makes sense once you realize just how long yarrow flowers last. Not only do the plants bloom for months in the garden, but they’ll last at least a week or more in a vase. Let the blooms dry, and they’ll last several years.
Geranium
Pure joy and folly is the meaning of brightly colored annual geraniums, known botanically as Pelargonium. Drop a pot of them by a friend’s house along with some cold lemonade on a summer day. Everyone loves these classic blooms!
Daylily
As the Chinese emblem for “mother”, these long-lived and reliable perennials would make a perfect gift for Mother’s Day. Let them multiply in her garden and then plant a division of them in your own yard. Bring a bright pink daylily like ‘Born to Run’ to a mom you know who is busy chasing her active toddler. She’ll appreciate the low maintenance, easy care nature of this durable perennial.
Lilacs
Lilacs have perfumed gardens around the world for centuries, so it’s no surprise that they’ve assumed meaning. Love – old love, new love, youthful love – is what lilacs convey. Since they are produced abundantly every spring, you’ll have plenty to make a big bouquet from your garden and gift it to someone special.
Ferns
The delicate, yet durable, nature of ferns is perhaps how they have come to be associated with magic and fascination through the years. At first glance, their lacy fronds might seem like they should be treated gingerly, but if you’ve observed how well they bounce back after a storm or hold up in a bouquet, you know they are much tougher than they appear. There is certainly something magical about ferns!
Black-Eyed Susan
Can you guess what this black-eyed flower symbolizes? We aren’t sure who Susan was, but she must have been one tough cookie. This flower carries a meaning of revenge-seeking and justice with it. If someone gifts you a bouquet or potted plant of black-eyed Susans, you might want to think twice!
Roses
This list wouldn’t be complete without roses since they are one of the most meaningful flowers. They are typically one of the higher priced flowers to purchase from a florist, so giving a bouquet of roses conveys a certain level of devotion and luxury. Gifting a rose bush allows the recipient to pick their own roses for years to come.
A rose’s color conveys additional meaning. For example:
- Red roses = I love you, romance
- Pink roses = Friendship, happiness
- White roses = Innocence, heavenly connotation
- Yellow roses = Jealousy, falling out of love
- Orange roses = Desire, enthusiasm
- Coral roses = Friendship, sympathy
Forsythia
Lastly, there is the forsythia. As one of the earliest plants to bloom in the garden each spring, we look forward to their brilliant yellow blooms as a sign that spring has arrived. Thus, forsythias convey a feeling of anticipation. They signify that a solemn time in the garden is coming to an end and new life is about to spring forth. We couldn’t think of a better plant to end our list than with the anticipation of the new year!
Looking for the flower of your birth month? Here’s the list:
Month |
Flower |
|
January
|
Carnation, Dianthus |
| February | Iris, Violet |
| March | Daffodil |
| April | Daisy, Peony |
| May | Lily, Lily of the Valley |
| June | Rose |
| July | Delphinium |
| August | Dahlia, Gladiolus |
| September | Aster, Forget-me-not |
| October | Calendula, Marigold |
| November | Chrysanthemum |
| December | Poinsettia, Holly, Paperwhite, Daffodil |
- Categories: Flowering Shrubs, Garden Perennials, Uncategorized
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