by Art Gib

Many people know that different colors of roses have different meanings, but what you may not now is that individual flowers symbolize different things as well. If you are a romantic at heart and want to give a gift of flowers with real meaning, you need to learn a little bit more about the symbolism behind the bloom.

Attributing different meanings to various types of flowers has its root in Elizabethan times, but it was during the Victorian era that the practice really took off in popularity. In those days, men and women had to be extremely careful in their interactions with one another. Etiquette didn't allow a man to express himself to a woman openly, so he used the highly romantic (yet supremely stealthy) method of using flowers and colors to indicate his feelings and level of devotion.

This cloak and dagger game involved elaborate planning, and could be used for showing love and also for expressing contempt, depending on what kind of bloom was chosen. Even the positioning of the bouquet when it was received was important: if a woman received a red rose upside down, for example, it represented a rejection.

Nowadays, couples can revive this charming tradition during courtship, and even incorporate it as part of their wedding day ritual. Here are some different flowers and what they represent.

– Apple Blossom represents \"better things to come.\" Because of this particular meaning, the apple blossom has been a popular choice for European weddings for hundreds of years. Traditional brides can also carry sprigs of orange blossom to represent purity if they wish. Orange blossoms are also beautifully fragrant and a very original choice nowadays.

– In the language of flowers, bright red carnations represent admiration, dark red mean deep love, white mean good luck, and striped varieties represent regret that a love cannot be shared. Pink carnations have come to symbolize a mother's enduring love and are a most appropriate choice to give to a mother who has lost a child.

– The happy daisy has come to represent child-like innocence. But heartbroken Victorian young ladies used them to pluck petals to determine if their young man might still love them or not: a practice still in wide use today!

– Daffodils signify regard, ivy is eternal fidelity, honeysuckle is generosity, iris is warm affection, lilacs are for innocence, and lily of the valley symbolizes a return of happiness.

The list of flowers and their meanings goes on and on; it's a fun thing to look into more deeply if you really want to send your beloved a special message in a vase.