Did you know that the first flowers (and flowering plants) appeared on planet Earth 130 million years ago? Before flowers appeared the Earth looked like a serene Japanese garden, green, lush, and peaceful. After flowers, it looked like an English garden, full of bright color, variety, and butterflies and honeybees.
Without flowers and their food-giving nature, humans would not be on this planet. That shows you the paramount importance of flowers not only now but in the past as well. That’s why the meaning of flowers was so carefully curated and shared among communities of humans.
Even now, when we have a special occasion, instead of giving the leaves or roots of a plant, we give a flower bouquet. Let’s keep reading to learn more about the symbolic meaning of flowers.
Roses
Roses hold a special meaning in every human’s heart and that’s why every rose color has a different symbolic meaning for humans. Some of these are:
- Red roses (Valentine’s Day is a prime example) – love, courage, respect
- White roses – peace, purity, secrecy
- Yellow roses – gladness, joy, freedom
- Pink/peach roses – gratitude, appreciation, sympathy, admiration
- Red and white roses together – unity
- Two roses together – engagement
Every time you have a special occasion that calls for flowers, you could always use a certain colored rose to represent what’s in your heart. If you are not good at expressing yourself verbally, roses (and other flowers) can help you express what’s difficult to put into words. Use this bounty of flowers that’s been bestowed upon us by nature to your advantage.
Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemums were first cultivated in China centuries ago. The name is derived from the Greek words “chrysos” meaning gold, and “anthemon” meaning flower coined by Karl Linnaeus, the father of modern taxonomy.
These beautiful flowers come in a wide variety of colors just like roses, and each color has its special spiritual meaning. Also, each culture in the world and different periods across human history had different symbolic meanings assigned to chrysanthemums, making it a complex item to study.
In general, chrysanthemums (also called ‘mums’) signify joy, beauty, and long life. They are usually given in Asian cultures during life or rebirth situations, like baby showers or birthdays.
- Red chrysanthemums – love, deep passion
- Yellow chrysanthemums – neglected love or sorrow
- White chrysanthemums – loyalty, honesty
- Violet chrysanthemums – a wish to get well
Chrysanthemums are as diverse as roses when it comes to spiritual or symbolic meanings.
Marigolds
Due to the bright, vibrant, fiery colors of marigolds, they symbolize positive emotions and energy. We associate the bright yellow, red, and orange hues of marigolds with optimism, joy, happiness, good luck, and the warmth of the sun.
Even though marigolds have a few negative associations with them like jealousy, mourning, grief, and despair, they are mostly linked to positive and happy emotions. If you would like to have a burst of positivity in your daily routine, then having marigolds in your apartment or house is a great idea.
Interestingly enough, marigolds are used a lot in the Mexican and Spanish celebration of ‘Day of the Dead’. These bright and yellow flowers (and their fragrance particularly) are thought to attract souls to the altar, which gives death a positive and happy meaning rather than a sad bitterness.
Gardenias
In Victorian times, if you had a secret or untold love for someone and didn’t want them to know, you would give them gardenias to signify your love for them. They are also used to convey the loveliness of a person to them. Because of its white color, it also signifies purity and clarity.
Some other symbolic meanings of gardenias are:
- Trust
- Hope
- Dreams
- Intuition
- Innocence
- Protection
- Renewal
- Alignment
- Friendship
- Self-reflection
If you wish to enhance any of these qualities within yourself or your relationship, use gardenias to do so.
Primrose
The first flower to bloom in the spring is the primrose, which gives it the symbolic meaning of renewal and youth. It also symbolizes young love or not being able to live without your lover.
- Lilac-tinted primroses – confidence
- Red primroses – unappreciated merit
- Blue and purple primroses – trust, royalty, divine energy
- Yellow primroses – boiling energy and emotions
As with the other flowers, primroses are ingrained with deep meaning, and it changes from culture to culture and era to era.
Tulips
When you think of tulips in the modern era, the first thing that probably comes to your mind is the lush colorful tulip fields of the Netherlands. There are so many different colors and varieties of tulips and all of them invoke joy in the heart.
They are classic flowers that have been loved for centuries by humans and symbolize a deep and perfect love. If you have an unconditional, and deep love for someone, it would be ideal to give tulips to them.
- Yellow tulips – cheerfulness and hope, good luck and prosperity
- Red tulips – eternal love and passion
- Pink tulips – affection, care, good wishes
- Purple tulips – royalty, elegance, fabulousness
You probably didn’t know this but tulip petals are edible and can be used to replace onions in many recipes or even to make wine. If you are interested in purchasing some sola wood flowers for your beloved, or a special occasion, visit Luv Sola Flowers today!
Symbolic Meaning of Flowers Is Varied and Personal
Even though marigolds might mean one thing in a cultural format, the meaning of flowers is unique and personal to each individual. For example, you might have a negative association with primroses because of some reason from your past.
That’s why you need to think both about symbolic and personal meanings when it comes to flowers. It can be a complicated story with many different endings.
If you loved this article, we would like to invite you to check out other related articles on the spiritual meaning of flowers on our website.
