Floriography; the language of flowers

Ever heard of the language of flowers? Floriography is the art of communicating through (an arrangement of) flowers. It dictates that every flower has a symbolic meaning, thus, by arranging a bouquet using perfectly picked flowers, you could send a (hopelessly romantic) message to someone without saying a single word. Curious about where, who and how floriography was used? Continue reading to learn more!

Roses are red…
… and they represent your love for someone. One of the most cliché examples of the language of flowers, but also one of the most known. Like the red rose, there are a lot of flowers that have a strong symbolic meaning. This language grew in popularity when Kate Greenaway wrote about “the Language of flowers” in her book in 1884, and when Louise Cortambert wrote “Le Langage des Fleurs” during the Victorian era (1820-1880). But the true origin of this art-like form of communication lies in China and was brought over to Europe thanks to king Charles the 2^nd.

Secret messages
People of the Victorian era had a growing interest in botany, and by extension in flowers and their (symbolic) meanings which enticed people to use floriography to convey messages between one another that were not meant to be made public. This secret way of communication however, wasn’t popular for very long and quickly died down.

Geisha; masters of art

Not only did western people use flowers and flower arranging as a secret form of communication; Geisha (meaning artist) from Japan created their own version of floriography. ‘Ikebana’, derived from Japan’s own language of flowers called ‘Hanakotoba’ is an artform; dating back to the Heian period when flowers were arranged for altars and offerings. Geisha have very strict rules when it comes to Ikebana; the complexity of this artform is so extreme, that there are a few who can call themselves masters.

In modern day Floriography is making its comeback into the media, because of the royal English weddings. Both Princess Kate Middleton and Duchess Meghan Markle chose to have bouquets which were built around the language of flowers. The ideal time for you to get inspired by this blog and find out more about this subject yourself! Let us know when we can be of any assistance; we’d be happy to share our knowledge around this subject with our loyal followers.