I just read a wonderful fiction novel called the Language of Flowers. So captivating was the storyline that I stayed up half the night and lounged in bed the following morning. Manuals and text books don’t invite this level of commitment very often but an enticing novel does, on occasion. I think Harry Potter might have been the last one that had me avidly finding quiet spots to read undisturbed, followed b y late nights and early mornings.
Being a plant person of course the language of flowers is intriguing, though it seems to have come about in Victorian times when lovers, and friends, could not speak as openly as they can today, somehow finding the exact flower to communicate your precise thoughts and desires seems rather appealing in today’s communication overloaded society.
I will admit to finding some of the associations annoying and difficult to understand – why is Lavender Mistrust? how can Sunflowers be False riches? and really a cactus…. ardent love? certainly not what it makes me think of….but it is a fascinating subject. As with all languages there are local ‘dialects’ whilst a Yellow rose signifies friendship in some parts it states, infidelity and jealously in others…better watch that you know the language of the sender and receiver in this case or things will most certainly go awry.
I can feel a project coming on – because I don’t have enough to do! – I’ve already listed the plants in my garden and their meanings and can feel an urge to keep on going… I might even post it sometime, pictures and descriptions and all…