Traditional Flower Meanings
ACACIA - Beauty in Retirement
ACORN - Nordic symbol of life and immortality
AGAPANTHIS - Secret Love
AMBROSIA - "Your love is returned"
ANEMONE - Sincerity; forsaken
ASTER - Symbol of love
AZALEA - "Take care of yourself" ; Chinese symbol for womanhood
BACHELOR'S BUTTON - Single blessedness; hope in solitude
BEGONIA - Beware
BOUQUET OF WITHERED FLOWERS - Rejected love
CACTUS - Endurance
CALLADIUM - Great joy and delight
CAMELLIA - Good luck gift for a man
CARNATION - Fascination; love
- Pink - "I'll never forget you"
- Red - "My heart aches for you"
- Solid - "Yes."
- Striped - "No, cannot be with you"; refusal
- White - Sweet and lovely; good luck gift
- Yellow - Rejection
CHRYSANTHEMUM (General) - "You are a wonderful friend";
this November bloomer symbolizes hope amid darkness
CROCUS - Gladness
DAFFODIL -Respect; "the sun always shines when I am with you"
DAHLIA - Instability, fickleness
DAISY - Loyal love; purity
FERN - Grace
FLEUR DE LIS - Flame; burning
FORGET-ME-NOT - True love; memories
FREESIA - Trust
GARDENIA - "You are lovely"; feminine grace
GERANIUM - Stupidity; folly
GERBERA DAISY - Purity
GLADIOLUS - "Give me a break!"; natural grace
HEATHER - Admiration
HYACINTH - "I am sorry, please forgive me"; sorrow (general)
HYDRANGEA - "Thank you for understanding"
IRIS - "Your friendship means a lot to me";
compliments; wisdom; faith and hope
JASMINE - Good luck, productivity
JONQUIL - "Love me"; sympathy
LILAC - Beauty
LILY (White) - Youthful innocence
- Calla - Beauty
- Day - Emblem for motherhood (China)
- Tiger - Prosperity
LOTUS - Estranged love
MAGNOLIA - Nobility, dignity
MARIGOLD - Grief
NARCISSUS - "Stay as sweet as you are"
ORCHID - Ecstasy At more than 25,000 species,
there are more kinds of orchid than any other flower.
ORCHID (Cattleya) - Maturity; charm
PALM LEAVES - Victory; success
PANSY - Merriment; unspoken communication between lovers
(from French pensee, meaning thought)
PEONY - Compassion, ability to keep a secret
PETUNIA - "Your presence soothes me"; resentment; anger
PINE - Hope pity
POPPY - Eternal sleep; oblivion
PRIMROSE - "I cannot live without you"
ROSE - Love
- Pink - Happiness
- Red - Passion; love
- White - Purity; innocence; love not just of the body, but of the soul
- White and Red - Unity
- Yellow - "I care"; friendship
- Single -"I still love you"
ROSEMARY - Remembrance
SNAPDRAGON - Strength
STEPHANOTIS - Happiness in marriage
SUNFLOWER - Pride; sunshine
SWEET PEA - "Goodbye and thank you for a lovely time";
departure; lasting pleasure or careless luxury
TULIP (General) - Perfect lover; luck; floral emblem of Holland
- Red - Declaration of love
- Yellow - "There is sunshine in your eyes";
declaration of utter and hopeless love
VIOLET - Virtue
VISCARIA - "Dance with me"
WINTERGRASS - Harmony
WISTERIA - Welcome
YARROW - Healing
ZINNIA (Mixed) - Thinking (in memory) of an absent friend
ZINNIA (Yellow) - Daily remembrance
