Say it with Flowers

Invoke the romance of secret messages from a bygone era.

The language of flowers, or floriography as it’s sometimes called, is a beautiful, romantic and secretive way of communicating heartfelt emotions through the use of flowers. For thousands of years, cultures throughout Europe, Asia and the Middle East have attributed meaning to each species of flower, used to represent emotions such as love.

During the 19th century in Victorian England, gifts of blooms and “talking bouquets” called nosegays or tussie-mussies were exchanged, giving the sender a way to express feelings that could not be spoken aloud in Victorian society. In addition to a growing interest in botany, Victorians used floral dictionaries as a source to confirm a flower’s meaning. Routledge’s edition of The Language of Flowers, first published in 1884, continues to be reprinted to this day.

Floriography became popular in the United States around 1830, attracting the attention of celebrated women writers, editors and magazines of the day, such as Ladies’ Magazine. Several poems were written exploring the language of flowers, including Lucy Hooper’s The Lady’s Book of Flowers and Poetry, first published in 1841.

Renewed Fascination. Most recently, California native Vanessa Diffenbaugh authored the New York Times bestseller, The Language of Flowers, a moving début novel introducing readers to a young woman “whose gift for [the language of] flowers helps her change the lives of others even as she struggles to overcome her own troubled past” in the foster care system. Vanessa’s book includes a flower dictionary; other comprehensive dictionaries include:

● Language of Flowers by Kate Greenaway

● The Floral Offering: A Token of Affection and Esteem Comprising the Language and Poetry of Flowers by Henrietta Dumont

● The Language and Sentiment of Flowers by James D. McCabe, among others

Visit Our Clip Art Gallery. Pictured here are just a few of the 60 images of flowers in our gallery, in color or black and white. With hundreds and hundreds of images to illustrate your personalized plaques and gifts, a visit to our clip art gallery could be an inspiration.

All PlaqueMaker orders include one piece of artwork at no cost to you; design with additional images for only $10 per piece. Call one of our customer service specialists at 866-880-9617 if you have any questions or need help designing your pieces.

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