Flower Catalog

I am about to go out on the limb here by claiming that everybody, regardless of their culture, ethnicity, age, gender, economic status and educational or professional achievements, loves flowers.  True, we all have our particular favorites and attribute different meanings to some; but overall, we all love flowers as they are nature’s most colorful and fragrant adornments.  Throughout our known history, humans have ascribed much importance to flowers and they have always used them as decorative motifs, painted them in still-lives, shaped them into jewelry, carved them into precious stones and depicted them in poetry.  Flowers have also had significant affects on mythology: the Roman goddess of flowers, gardens and the spring season is named Flora; the Greek goddess of flowers, the spring season and nature is called Chloris; and in the Hindu mythology, the lotus flower has spiritual implications as many stories speak of it and Vishnu, one of their three major gods, is often depicted standing upright on its crown.

Assigning important meanings to flowers is known as fluorography and it has been widely practiced around the world.  Among the Western cultures just about every flower bears a meaning and I will name you my personal favorites:

• Roses are sorted by color and, by the way, they are edible and taste like strawberries and green apples …
  …Red symbolizes romantic love, beauty, courage, passion and they say, “I love you” better than anything else.
  …Yellow symbolizes joy, happiness, friendship, a new beginning and they say, “Remember me.”
  …White symbolizes purity, innocence, humility, sincerity, unity and youthfulness.
  …Pink symbolizes elegance, gracefulness, appreciation and they say, “Thank you.”
  …Peach symbolizes desire, anticipation, optimism and they say, “Let’s get together.”
  …Coral symbolizes longing.
  …Orange symbolizes enthusiasm and yearning.
  …Lavender symbolizes love at first sight.
• Poppies are symbolic of solace at times of bereavement.  Hence, in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, red poppies are worn to honor soldiers who have died on the battle fields.
• In remembrance of the resurrection and life after death, irises and lilies have been used at burial sites, at funeral processions and at funeral parlors.  Because of their shapes, irises and lilies have also been symbolic of the stars and the sun.  In addition, lilies are sorted by their types and colors as …
  …Calla lilies symbolize beauty.
  …White lilies symbolize the pleasure of being with someone special.
  …Tiger lilies symbolize wealth and pride.
  …Yellow lilies symbolize the feeling of lighthearted joy.
  …Lilies of the Valley symbolize sweetness and humility.
• Daisies symbolize innocence, purity, loyal love and gentleness.
• Lilacs symbolize first or new love.
• Tulips are sorted by color …
  …Red symbolizes declaration of love and says, “Believe in me.”
  …Yellow symbolizes hopeless love.
  …Variegated says, “You have beautiful eyes.”
• Orchids symbolize beauty and refinement.

With such a tremendous variety of flowers stating so many wonderful things, you might want to browse through a few Flower Catalogs and order some for all those special people in your life as they are appropriate for everyone and for any occasion.  To get you started, I collected a few websites you might wish to browse through:  Phillip’s 1-800 Florals; Garden Crossings; and ProFlowers.