What Your Gift of Flowers is Really Saying

Birthdays, weddings, graduations, and funerals... Whichever the occasion, flowers are one gift you can’t go wrong with. However, to be able to select the most suitable ones and get the message across, one needs to get acquainted with their meanings. In other words, you have to be able to understand the language of flowers and what your choice of flowers represents.

From the celebration of love and friendship to offering support in the moments of sickness or grief, a carefully curated selection of flowers speaks volumes. Here are a couple of factors you need to keep in mind when selecting floral arrangements.

The meaning behind colors

Red is universally deemed to be romantic, hence the custom of giving red roses to a loved one, especially for special occasions such as Valentine’s day. Red also has a special meaning in Chinese culture. Representing the element of fire, red is considered a symbol of joy, happiness, and good luck.

Traditionally worn by Chinese brides, it also celebrates vitality and fertility and is said to ward off evil. Flowers in dark red shade are a symbol of immortality, while orange and yellow are connected with feelings of joy. Pink is a soft color associated with youth and admiration, making it the perfect choice for events that celebrate new beginnings like weddings. Purple stands for humility and modesty, blue symbolizes achievement (great for graduations), while white flowers make the perfect gift in the Arab world, especially for births and engagements. While white represents good health and angels in Peru, it’s a color that is associated with mourning and death in Asian countries.

The meaning behind types of flowers

Tulips and roses are typically seen as perfect flowers for the declaration of love. However, yellow roses are often seen as symbols of jealousy or infidelity, so you want to be careful with your choice of rose colors. Daisy is also associated with feelings of love, and so are baby’s breath, gardenia, jasmine, and pink camellia. While gerbera daisy, coreopsis, chrysanthemum, and lily express cheerfulness, lilacs, and crocus represent youthfulness. Bluebell, fern, violet, and sweet woodruff symbolize modesty and humility, while geranium and ivy represent continuity and friendship. Cyclamen is a great choice for resignations and good-byes, rosemary symbolizes remembrance, while goldenrod is associated with encouragement and good fortune.

On the other hand, flowers like yellow carnation express rejection, yellow hyacinth and marigold symbolize jealousy, while tansy is usually associated with negative thoughts. Purple hyacinth represents sorrow, willow expresses sadness, and red poppies are seen as a symbol of consolation.

Flowers for different occasions

For birthdays, look no further than lilies, roses, and orchids – they represent youth, positivity, and beauty, making them the perfect gift for a woman you love. Pink and red hues are something you can’t go wrong with.

Wedding bouquets and floral arrangements usually match the color scheme of the wedding. They can also be selected according to what’s trending at that certain moment. Some choose to follow the customs of the country they live in, while others decide to go with what’s popular.

However, when it comes to funerals, you want to stick to tradition and avoid sending inappropriate flowers. Coffin flowers are usually bought by the family of the deceased, while funeral flowers are designed to create dramatic tributes (e.g. chrysanthemum, lily, carnation). Sympathy flowers are usually smaller, and they’re sent to the deceased’s loved ones. Funeral personalization is very important among Australians, which is why many of them choose to work with the Donvale Flower Gallery team and design custom flower assortments. This helps them add personal touches and create unique memorial services. On the other hand, in Germany, white flowers are considered funeral flowers, and they’re solely reserved for such occasions. They’re also sent as sympathy flowers to express condolences.

The importance of numbers

The number of flowers we should select also varies from country to country. In other words, what might have a positive connotation in one culture may have a different interpretation in another.

In some parts of the world, people choose to give an odd number of flowers (Greeks and eastern Europeans). In Brazil, it’s preferable to give just one flower on romantic occasions such as dates, while floral arrangements with 12 flowers are associated with passion. Italians rely on rich bouquets of red roses to express love, and in Korea, you can expect to get the same number of roses for your birthday as there are candles on your birthday cake.

As you can see, there is a lot to learn when it comes to gift-giving, especially if the gifts are bouquets and floral arrangements. With these tips in mind, you’ll be able to come up with the right gift every time, no matter the occasion.