Language of Flowers: Antiquated Floral Folklore

-Gill Saunders, The Country Flowers of a Victorian Lady

Flower symbolism has been a popular hobby for many centuries. In 1716 Lady Mary Wortley Montagu traveled to the Middle East along with her husband who was then the English ambassador to Turkey. Lady Montagu discovered the practice of the Turkish secret flower language and brought back her knowledge of this interesting form of communication to her English countrymen. The first European flower dictionary to be published was written in France in 1818 by Madame Charlotte de la Tour and was titled "Le Language des Fleurs."

Floriography otherwise known as the language of flowers reached its height of popularity during the Victorian Era of the 1900's. The Victorian Era occurred during the rule of Queen Victoria of England from 1837 to 1901 and many dictionaries on the symbolism and meanings of flowers were published during this time.

Tussie Mussie
A tussie mussie, which means sweet posey, was a small bundle or bouquet of flowers which was used during the Middle Ages and Renaissance throughout Europe. Tussie mussies were originally made of a variety of herbs chosen for their supposed medicinal virtues. These small herb bouquets were carried around by individuals and were thought to help prevent disease such as the plague from spreading to the individual carrying the herbs. In addition, the tussie mussies would help to cover up unpleasant odors due to unhygienic living conditions prevalent during this time period.

In previous eras social etiquette did not allow for the public expression of love and affection so a language of love using flowers, plants and herbs developed. A variety of small bouquets, nosegays and tussie-mussies were given to loved ones and potential suitors to convey a variety of secret messages. During the Victorian Era tussie mussies were used to convey secret messages to loved ones and were often enclosed within a lace doily and tied together with a satin ribbon. If there were any inverted flowers present in the bouquet that particular flower would be interpreted as having the opposite of the usual meaning.

Creating Flower Messages
A variety of instructions for making tussie-mussies can be found in various publications such as Maggie Oster's book Gifts and Crafts from the Garden. One of my favorite herb books Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs even contains a section on creating crafts from herbs including how to make a tussie-mussie along with a table of the language of herbs and flowers.

You may want to investigate the meanings of the flowers and herbs growing in your own garden if you are interested in creating your own flower messages. Tussie-mussies and small bouquets can be made from either fresh or dried floral material. The fresh material is more aromatic but you may like to use dried flowers for a longer lasting effect. You can sprinkle a few drops of your favorite essential oil onto the dried flowers if desired. A variety of silk and satin ribbons and paper doilies can be found at craft and hobby stores. You could even use silk flowers to create a floral greeting that will last indefinitely.

The Flowers
The following list of flower symbolism was taken from the 1879 book Flower Lore; The Teachings of Flowers Historical, Legendary, Poetical and Symbolical by Miss Carruthers of Inverness, Scotland.

Aloe - superstition
Anemone - brevity, expectation
Camellia - excellence, loveliness
Carnation - admiration
Clover - fertility
Crocus - youthful gladness
Daffodil - regard
Daisy - innocence
Dandelion - oracle
Fennel - strength, worthiness
Fern - fascination
Forget-me-not - forget-me-not
Grass - usefulness
Heather - solitude
Holly - good wishes
Iris - hope
Ivy - fidelity
Lavender - distrust
Lily of the valley - return of happiness
Marigold - cares, sorrow
Mistletoe - surmounting difficulties
Myrtle - love
Narcissus - egotism, selfishness
Olive - peace, security
Pansy - thought
Parsley - feasting, death
Poppy - consolation, sleep
Rose - beauty, love
Rosemary - remembrance
Sage - domestic virtues
Sunflower - pride, riches
Sweet pea - departure
Tulip - ardent love
Violet - steadfastness
Zinnia - thoughts of absent friends

Literary References
"The sweet forget-me-nots
That grow for happy lovers."

-Alfred Lord Tennyson, The Brook

A variety of authors such as Alfred Lord Tennyson, William Blake, John Keats, William Wordsworth, Robert Herrick and William Shakespeare among others included many references to flower symbolism in their various writings.

Who can forget the famous lines uttered by Juliet in Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet: "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." And in the play Hamlet Ophelia mentions: "There's rosemary, that's for remembrance; pray, love, remember: and there is pansies, that's for thought." Additional flower symbolism can be found in Shakespeare's writings such as his plays Cymbeline, A Midsummer-Night's Dream, The Winter's Tale and in his poem Venus and Adonis.

In Conclusion
Today the language of flowers is alive and well. Giving bouquets of flowers on major holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries is a common method of expressing affection to your loved ones. If you don't have a garden of your own, florist shops and nursery centers can supply you with a variety of flowers to make into your own unique flower messages to share with your friends and families.

Resources
Clark, William George (ed.). The Unabridged William Shakespeare. Philadelphia, PA: Courage Books, 1989.

Gordon, Lesley. Green Magic; Flowers, Plants and Herbs in Lore and Legend. New York, NY: The Viking Press, 1977.

Robinson, Fanny. The Country Flowers of a Victorian Lady. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers, 1999.