At that time of Victorian era, messages were popularly conveyed using flowers, with secret lovers sending seemingly innocent bouquets to each other to convey their feelings.
The language of flowers
Most of us understand what a rose means, but different types and colors carry different meanings
- Black: You are my obsession
- Champagne (ivory): You are tender and loving
- Orange: You are my secret love
- Pink: Brilliant complexion; glow of your smile; perfect happiness
- Red: Passionate love; I love you
- White: I am worthy of you; spiritual love; innocence and purity; secrecy and silence
- White and red: We are inseparable
- White and red mixed: Unity; Floral emblem of England
- White, dried: Death is preferable to loss of virtue
- Yellow: Friendship; Jealousy; I am not worthy
- Dark crimson: Mourning
- Thornless: Love at first sight
What do groups of roses mean?
- 1 blooming red rose: Love at first sight, or I still love you
- 1 rose, any colour: Gratitude or simplicity
- 2 roses: Mutual feelings
- 3 roses: I love you
- 7 roses: I’m infatuated with you
- 9 roses: We’ll be together forever
- 10 roses: You are perfect
- 11 roses: You are my treasured one
- 12 roses: Be mine
- 13 roses: Friends forever
- 15 roses: I’m truly sorry
- 24 roses: Forever yours
- 25 roses: Congratulations
- 50 roses: Unconditional love
- 99 roses: I will love you all the days of my life
- 108 roses: Will you marry me?
- 999 roses: I love you till the end of time
- Anemone: Forsaken
- Aster: Symbol of love
- Bluebell: Constancy
- Broom: Humility
- Carnation, pink: I’ll never forget you
- Carnation, red: My poor heart aches for you
- Carnation, striped: Refusal
- Chrysanthemum: Love
- Clover, four-leaved: Be mine
- Daffodil: Regard
- Daisy: Innocence, newborn, I share your sentiment
- Fern: Sincerity
- Forget-me-not: True love
- Gardenia: Ecstasy
- Geranium: You are childish
- Honeysuckle: Bonds of love
- Heather: Admiration
- Hyacinth: I am sorry, Please forgive me
- Ivy: Fidelity, friendship, marriage
- Jasmine: Grace
