The Meaning of Flowers

Flowers always accompany an emotion: receiving or offering them is a simple gesture but full of meanings. Each flower has its own unique and deep meaning. Color, perfume, shape, enrich the symbolic value of an important moment or a special gift that conveys love, friendship, gratitude, affection.

In these pages, Interflora wants to offer some suggestions to help you know the meanings of flowers and colors and to be able to communicate your own emotions on every occasion in the best way.

Names and meanings of flowers

Each flower has thousands of meanings

Once upon a time, flowers were the messengers of love, hope, desire, forgiveness, or messages of farewell, communicating emotions and thoughts in a silent and secretive but effective way.

Nowadays we can communicate more easily with our loved ones and we often look for small things in the little things to impress and excite. A flower can be the right choice for a special occasion.

In this section, Interflora offers some tips for understanding the language of flowers from the writer Louise Cortambert. Under the pseudonym Madame Charlotte de Latour, in 1819, she published the bestseller "The Language of Flowers" in which she also analyzed the influences of popular culture that accompanied the meaning of each flower over time.

When giving a flower, it is good to take into account both its appearance (closed, open) and its color, number (even - death, odd - life), season, and also the person to whom you give it. Here is a short guide to the most common flowers and their meaning!

The rose, the flower of love par excellence, is the symbol of passion, of fire, both because of its shape and because of its thorns. The red of roses means violent passion, pink means sincere love, yellow is also offered with meanings of jealousy or infidelity, while the white of roses means sincere affection, elegance and admiration. It is suitable for any occasion, depending on the color.

Lily signifies innocence and harmony in love. It is also an ideal flower to express your unconditional appreciation and affection for your mother, grandmother or dear acquaintances. Not offered to co-workers or strangers!

Carnation expresses joy, fascination, and friendship. A white carnation symbolizes friendship, a pink carnation signifies romance, while a red carnation is associated with passion. However, it is also a flower suitable for co-workers, teachers, or acquaintances. Lately, however, it is a flower especially associated with death, which is why many crowns and wreaths contain it.

Narcissus, although par excellence is yellow, a symbol of jealousy, is considered the flower of respect and is offered to all admired people, in front of whom you want to leave a good, serious impression, with nothing to hide. It is dedicated to loved ones, but also to close acquaintances.

Daisy, due to its open, equidistant petals, is a symbol of the search for love and emotional insecurity. Offering a bouquet of daisies can mean the desire to find out the feelings of the recipient towards you. It is suitable for couples.

Colors, the most important asset

Most specialists say that the most important aspect when giving a flower is the combination of occasion/color. Thus, it is essential to know what each color means when we choose to give flowers:

White - cleanliness, innocence or purity (onomastics, forgiveness, wedding);

Blue - seriousness, faith, trust, or sadness (religious holidays, funerals);

Yellow - jealousy, but also greatness, grandeur, "gold" (holidays, socializing visits);

Orange - power, vanity, warmth (socializing visits, seasonal holidays);

Red - passion, freedom, power, burning love. Dark red also means seriousness and dexterity, while light red symbolizes will and independence (declarations of love, onomastics).

Pink - friendship, youth, tender affection (onomastics, socializing visits, premieres);

Violet - luxury, victory, sumptuousness (premieres, namesakes, various holidays).