While sending someone flowers will surely brighten their day, sometimes you want to be a little more specific with the message you send. Maybe you’ve thought to yourself, “What do flowers represent?” Well, that’s where flower meanings and symbolism comes in! Rather than pick out a bouquet and call it good, take a moment to think about the meaning behind each flower.
Each type and color of flower has a unique meaning, whether that’s friendship, passion, forgiveness, or sympathy. By learning a bit more about the symbolism of different flowers, you can send a flower arrangement that matches the message you’re aiming to send.
What Do Flowers Symbolize?
With their colorful and beautiful blooms, flower meanings are often synonymous with joy and pleasure. However, different types and colors of flowers bring unique meanings. Some flowers are seen as symbols of friendship and purity, while others are tied to forgiveness and death.
Flower Symbolism and Meaning by Color
Along with learning about the meaning and symbolism of dahlias and the meaning behind tulips, it’s helpful to learn the symbolism of different colors! That way, you can select the perfect types and colors of flowers.
What Do Red Flowers Symbolize?
If you’re thinking red roses symbolize love, you’re right! However, red flowers don’t just symbolize any type of love…they are symbols of passionate love and romance. So if you’re looking to show someone how you feel, consider ordering a red roses delivery. Along with being linked to passion, red flowers can also be used as symbols of courage and respect.
What Do Pink Flowers Symbolize?
While pink flowers are also symbols of love, they relate to the type of loyal love between parents and children or best friends, rather than passionate love. Pink flowers are also seen as symbols of happiness and gracefulness.
What Do Orange Flowers Symbolize?
With warm and bright hues, orange flowers are seen as symbols of excitement and energy. If you’re looking to pick up someone’s spirits when they’re feeling down, a bouquet of orange flowers may do the trick.
What Do Yellow Flowers Symbolize?
Take one look at a group of bright sunflower bouquets or an arrangement of yellow gerbera daisies, and it’s no surprise yellow flowers are symbols of joy and cheerfulness. And since they’re also tied to friendship, they’re a great way to brighten a friend’s day.
What Do Green Flowers Symbolize?
While green flowers aren’t quite as common as red or yellow blooms, that doesn’t mean they’re any less spectacular. These serene blooms are seen as symbols of resilience, growth, and good health. That means green bouquets make great gifts when someone is going through a big change like moving into a new home or graduating from school.
What Do Blue Flowers Symbolize?
Although they’re rare, blue flowers are symbols of peace, tranquility, and calmness. Some types of blue flowers to look out for include hydrangeas (learn more about hydrangea symbolism) and cornflowers.
What Do Purple Flowers Symbolize?
Due to its once rare and expensive nature, purple is still seen as a symbol of royalty. And it’s no different with purple flowers! Lavender blooms like roses and alstroemeria are also seen as symbols of elegance and admiration.
What Do White Flowers Symbolize?
While color is nice, it doesn’t replace the simple beauty of white flowers. You may already know that white represents purity…and it’s no different when it comes to flowers. All types of white flowers are tied to meanings of humility, purity, and innocence.
The Meaning Symbolism of Popular Flowers
Just as each color brings a specific meaning, so does each type of flower! Check out the symbolism behind some of the most popular flowers. You can use these flower meanings for selecting your next centerpiece or even if you’re considering getting a flower tattoo.
Chrysanthemum Symbolism
Whether you call them chrysanthemums or just mums, these flowers are a must-have. In China, chrysanthemums are tied to long life and rebirth. However, in some European countries, mums are seen as symbols of respect for the dead, so they’re typically used as memorial flowers.
Orchid Flower Symbolism
As one of the most popular flowering houseplants, orchids are stunning additions to homes, offices, and other places that need a boost. But have you ever thought about orchid symbolism? While their meaning does vary from place to place, orchids are often seen as symbols of fertility, love, and sexuality.
Daisy Symbolism
Since there are so many different types and colors of daisies, it’s hard to narrow their symbolism down to a few things. Plus, daisy meaning varies depending on if you’re looking at Norse, Celtic, or Roman mythology! With that said, daisy meaning and symbolism often relates to purity, happiness, and new beginnings. And if you look at the meaning during the Victorian era, you’ll find these little flowers related to simple love and loyalty.
Which Flowers Represent Love?
As you’ve probably noticed every Valentine’s Day, the flower most commonly associated with love is the red rose, but it’s not the only one. Carnations are also renowned symbols of love, with pink signifying love towards a female partner or mother and white symbolizing pure love. There are plenty of others of course:
- Rose – All colors, but especially red
- Pink Carnation
- White Carnation
- Red Chrysanthemum
- Forget-me-not
- Heliotrope
- Gardenia
Which Flowers Represent Friendship?
Sending a bouquet to a special friend in your life is a pretty and thoughtful way of brightening up their day. Friends can mean so much to us but finding ways to show them how much we care can actually be quite difficult. Never fear, include these flowers in a Bouq you order for them and they’ll get the message (provided they also know the symbolic meaning of flowers!):
- Yellow Rose
- Arborvitae
- Alstroemeria
- Geranium
- Iris
- Ivy
Which Flowers Represent Strength?
Whether it’s for someone recovering from an illness or otherwise going through tough times, a bouquet of flowers can really help make the process just that little bit more joyful. This is especially true if you include flowers which are used to symbolize strength, such as:
- Snapdragon
- Gladiolus
- Orchid
- Oak Leaf
- Fennel
Which Flowers Represent Beauty?
All flowers are beautiful in their own special way and everyone has their own personal favorites. Even on their own they naturally represent beauty however they are arranged, but some special flowers also carry historic connotations and become especially prized for their meanings of beauty.
- Oleander
- Amaryllis
- Cherry Blossom
- Daisy
- Hibiscus
- Calla Lily
- Lady’s Slipper
Which Flowers Represent Happiness?
Of course, a spectacular bouquet is going to bring joy to pretty much anyone’s day, that’s what they do. With such delight in their colors and pleasure in their petals, it’s no surprise that many flowers also carry symbolic meanings of happiness.
- Anthurium
- Daffodil
- Lily of the Valley
- Red and Yellow Roses
- Gerbera
Which Flowers Represent Good Fortune?
There are many special occasions when you might want to wish someone good fortune, like at the start of a new job or at their graduation. You can make that bouquet even more meaningful by adding some of the following flowers thought to bring fortune:
- Goldenrod
- Apple Blossom
- Sweet Pea
- Sunflower
Which Flowers Represent Sympathy?
The passing of a loved one and funerals are some of the most difficult times of people’s lives. Flowers are a thoughtful and traditional gift to try and ease the pain of the deceased’s family and friends. When wishing to express your condolences and choose a bouquet that will represent your feelings, the following flowers are good to include:
- Statice
- Lily
- Rose – White and Coral
- Orchid
- Chrysanthemum
- Gladiolus
Which Flowers Represent Thoughtfulness?
Reminding someone, with a beautiful bouquet of flowers, that they are on your mind and that you’re thinking of them is a very nice thing to do. It takes on a whole new dimension of thoughtfulness when you include flowers which specifically imply thoughtfulness though, that’s taking things to Matrix-level of messages-inside-messages.
- Pansy
- Sunflower
- Freesia
- Orchid
- Hydrangea
- Zinnia
Send a Thoughtful Message with Flowers
If you’re planning on purchasing a bouquet and want it to have an even deeper meaning beyond the beautiful arrangement itself, then our artisan florists can provide exactly what you want. The symbolic meaning of flowers is something that gives our Bouqs an extra dimension. Flower symbolism is important when gifting an arrangement to someone, so don’t hesitate to get in touch if you want to learn more about picking out the perfect bouquet.
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