Flower Talk!

Q. Which of the following would have made a better gift for a young lady during the Victorian era?

A. The cactus. According to most resources, giving someone a cactus conveyed the meaning of, "warmth." Sunflower, however, meant either, "haughtiness," or "false riches." Interestingly, in the Society of American Florists Flower Meanings List, sunflower is assigned the meaning, "adoration." In the Victorian era (when the whole language of flowers was invented), this applied only to the dwarf sunflower.

With today's popularity of sunflowers in fabric prints, and even in wedding bouquets, this is very interesting. It raises the question, should flower meanings be able to change when said flower comes into fashion? How flexible is any language? How much more so one so recently invented by a number of people who often had conflicting "word" meanings to begin with?

Learn more about Victorian Etiquette:
flower meanings
wax seal etiquette
writing the Victorian love letter

If you enjoy this topic . . .

Resources

If you would like to immerse yourself in the Victorian era, start with Victorian People and Ideas.

Learn more about the marriage that shaped a century in We Two: Victoria and Albert.

Delve into Victoria's obsession with jewelry in Scottish Jewellery: A Victorian Passion, Baker's Encyclopedia of Hatpins and Hatpin Holders, and Victorian Jewelry: Unexplored Treasures.

Try a little flower talk yourself with Tussie-Mussies: The Victorian Art of Expressing Yourself in the Language of Flowers.

Apply flower meanings to full-sized arrangements in The Secret Language of Flowers: Rediscovering Traditional Meanings.

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