A flower says more than a thousand words – the language of flowers

Much of this comes from a time when communication had to adhere to social customs. If the gentleman couldn't personally appear before his lady, he would use flowers to convey his messages. Some of these symbols have carried over into modern times. The most famous example is, of course, the red rose, which is exclusively reserved for one's partner. Today, flowers still hold a similar significance on certain days: After all, who would pass up the chance to present flowers to their chosen one on Valentine's Day?

At the beginning of the 18th century, the origins of the language of flowers became known through letters from the Orient. It wasn't until the mid-19th century that people in this region began to assign specific meanings to selected flowers. Before that, colorful bouquets from one's own garden were typically given as gifts. With this shift, poets and painters also took notice of the "flowery language" and incorporated it into their works.

Oh, how beautiful it must have been – a language where one didn’t need to read between the lines. Not quite! In the early days of the language of flowers, men had to pay attention to every single nuance to ensure the right message was sent. The placement and color of the ribbon were just as important as the age of the flowers. For example, it was customary for a gentleman to send a bouquet of flowers to his lady for a shared ball, and the way she wore it would convey her response.

The subtle meanings of flowers are no longer in fashion today. What would it matter if the sender of the bouquet knows the language of flowers, but the recipient does not? However, what a man really needs to pay attention to is the preferences of his chosen one. If a man knows the preferences of his lady, he can select flowers in a way that personally symbolizes affection. Red roses are an exception, as they are widely recognized as the flower of love and are only given between lovers.