Let's Get Romantic
Mandy Kirkby once said, “A flower is not a flower alone, a thousand thoughts invest in it”. For centuries Flowers have been adored, prized and cherished, on the surface they are colourful, fleeting and aromatic but there’s so much more to The Language of Flowers.
Over the past years many of us pared back our lives and invested more time than ever in our immediate surrounds, we’ve started to question meanings, honour the space we live in, and returned to simplicity when expressing ourselves to others.
What I’ve learnt is flowers can express our emotions even when we struggle to find the right words. I decided to express my emotions through flowers when I carefully selected each bud and bloom for my Mums funeral earlier this year.
We can turn to our botanical companions and talk a soft language of love and sometimes even be healed.
We wear flowers for tradition, in our hair, on our wedding day, to farewell a loved one and honour those lost in battle. These are all grand events however there are hundreds of meanings behind some of the simplest of blooms – even those you can find in your own gardens or surrounds.
Daffodils represent new beginnings, Violets for Modesty and Queen Ann Lace for sanctuary. In the Victorian era, it was common to believe that if you slept with Honey Suckle under your pillow you would dream of your one true love as it’s the flower for love and devotion.
Foxglove is associated with secrets and riddles, in British Folklore fairies live inside the blooms and children would play and peek inside the bloom hoping to see the naughty fairies and hear their riddle.
Sweet Pea has a meaning of gratitude, to thank a host for a wonderful time in their home. It serves as a symbol for hospitality by gifting the home with its light, bright sweetness.
What a wonderful idea for your next visit? Some of the social codes for flowers written during this period are also very saucy too! It’s not all stolen kisses and fairies if you catch my drift ;)
So, the next time you buy flowers for yourself (..and yes you DESERVE this simple pleasure) perhaps take a little time to either research your chosen bloom or randomly select and then discover its meaning – I love this idea!
Why don’t we try to bring this past custom back and become new-romantics in this time of upheaval?
Perhaps it’s time to talk a universal language, one of FLOWERS and LOVE.
