A Special Valentine’s Gift for You

Posted by Ana in Personal on Feb 10th, 2010 | 10 responses

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
This Valentines’ Day,
I’ll give flowers to you.

I would like to offer you a special Valentine’s gift. The gift of information and knowledge. They say that knowledge is power so let’s cheers to your empowerment! I am fairly confident that you have received or given flowers at some point in your life. Do you know what each flower means?

Traditionally, each flower had a meaning and symbolised your intentions. In the Victorian era the type of flower, its colour and whether the flowers were presented with the right or left hand (right for yes and left for no), all had a specific meaning. The language of flowers (sometimes called floriography) is not so common today.

There doesn’t appear to be a general consensus as to the exact ranking of flower popularity so here are 8 of the most appreciated in alphabetical order and their meanings.

Carnation

The most widely accepted meanings for Carnations are fascination and distinction. They are also a sign of affection, health and energy. The colour does make a difference.
Pink – I’ll never forget you. Red – Admiration, my heart aches.
White – Pure love, innocence. Yellow – Rejection and disdain.

Daisy

A Daisy stands for pure love, innocence, gentleness and is a classic symbol of beauty. It conveys loyal love and “I will never tell”. The Gerbera (large Daisy) specifically conveys cheerfulness.

Iris

The Iris symbolizes eloquence, faith and hope. The three points of the Iris are said to symbolize faith, wisdom and valor.
Purple – Wisdom and compliments. Blue – Faith and hope.
Yellow – Passion. White – Purity.

Lily

The Lily symbolizes purity, humility, sweetness, return to happiness and refined beauty.
White – Modesty and virginity.
Orange – Passion.
Yellow – Gaiety.

Orchid

With an exotic appearance, Orchids have come to represent rare and exotic beauty. The meanings of orchids include love, beauty, seduction, refinement, luxury and strength. It also symbolizes proud and glorious femininity.

Rose

Roses are the definitive symbol for love and appreciation. In terms of meaning the colour is absolutely important.
Red – Beauty, courage, love and romance, passion. A time-honoured way to say “I love you.”
Pink – Grace, elegance, admiration, appreciation as well as joyfulness.
Yellow – Warmth, happiness, joy, friendship and new beginnings.
White – Innocence, purity, honour, reverence and sincerity.
Orange – Desire, enthusiasm, passion and excitement.

Sunflower

Sunflowers’ meanings are best wishes, warmth, cheerfulness, sunny thoughts and adoration. They are also thought to be a sign of loyalty and longevity. Sunflowers are known as the emblem of spiritualism.

Tulip

Wildly popular throughout its history, tulips are a comfortable flower choice and one that expresses charity, fame, protection and perfect love.

Remember…

Include a note with your flowers (even if they are sent anonymously) to ensure the recipient can decipher their meaning.

Whatever your flower of choice and the message you wish to convey, the main thing is that they are given from the heart and with sincerity, otherwise these beautiful flowers are just plain plants.

Did you know that…

Roses are edible. They taste like green apples and strawberries and the darker the colour, the stronger the flavour.

Carnations petals are also edible and rather sweet. They have been used to make the French liqueur Chartreuse since the 17th century.

Tulip bulbs can be used in place of onions for cooking.

The Daisy got its name because the yellow centre resembled the sun. It was commonly known as the “day’s eye” and over time, was eventually called daisy.

The name orchid comes from the Greek word orchis, which means testicle. They’re named this because of the shape of their bulbous roots.

Sunflower stems were used to fill lifejackets before the advent of modern materials.

Prince Charles is paid one daffodil a year as rent for his lands on the Island of Scilly, off the coast of Cornwall.

Resources:
Photos provided by Flickr users kazandrew, Appy29, kkimpel, Property#1, the-icing-on-the-cake, TanWei and hz536n.

10 Responses to “A Special Valentine’s Gift for You”

Stefanie says:

February 10, 2010 at 2:03 pm

LOVE it Ana, great blog!

Reply
Ana @ Aim to Be says:

February 11, 2010 at 12:28 am

Thanks Stefanie. 🙂
I'm very pleased you like it. I hope you found it both interesting and useful…
Just out of curiosity, what are your favourite flowers?

Reply
Windy Heisner says:

July 10, 2010 at 5:04 am

I very much enjoyed your site. Awesome content. Please keep posting such excellent cotent.

Reply
Joesph Alexanian says:

August 6, 2010 at 5:38 pm

Thanks for publishing about this. There’s a lot of great tech info on the internet. You’ve got a lot of that info here on your website. I’m impressed – I try to keep a couple blogs somewhat current, but it’s a struggle sometimes. You’ve done a big job with this one. How do you do it?

Reply