Has it ever crossed your mind why we give roses on Valentine’s Day or lilies at funerals? Flowers are more than beautiful plants, they are like messengers that have been conveying feelings and emotions without speaking a single word, all this for centuries. This way of communication is called floriography or in simple terms, language of flowers.
Every flower has its own meaning, from the colour, number, shape or even the way it is arranged in bouquets. This practice has been going on since the Victorian era. Now you may be wondering why. It is because in that time period, public confessions were like a commoner in a noble ball, not very welcomed. So, as a solution, people exchanged bouquets of flowers, arranged in patterns than looked normal but were hiding secret messages. Taking my favourite flowers into example, gerberas. The colour and number can make the bouquets meaning change. Three (3) red gerberas mean love and affection while four (4) yellow gerberas could mean peace and stability.
On the topic of colour of flowers, different colours represent different emotions. Red represents love and passion, yellow represents loyalty and happiness, white with purity, pink meaning admiration, and purple with royalty or elegance. Sunflowers stand for loyalty as they are always facing the sun while white lilies stand for peace. Roses especially red, often represent love. That’s why roses are often given on Valentine's Day.
In conclusion, flowers may seem silent, but each of them has their own unique story to tell. From the variation of colours, shapes and sizes, we can see how flowers aren’t just plants for décor. They can symbolize something far more than expected.
So, I hope this essay increases your love for flowers as much as it did to mine.