Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Flowers Guide

Writen by Joel S. Taylor

Flowers tend to be the gift of choice for many special occasions, including Mother's Day, Easter, and Valentine's Day. But did you know that flowers speak a language all their own? Every flower has a unique meaning based on its color and other distinguishing characteristics, so the next time you decide to buy a beautiful bouquet for someone you love, make sure the flowers you choose convey the right message.

Roses: Roses are the popular choice when it comes to flower selection. Modern cultivators of the rose tend to emphasize color and size more than any other aspect of the flower, whereas wild roses are often characterized by a strong, sweet scent.

For thousands of years, the rose has stood as a symbol for love and beauty. But the different rose colors also represent specific sentiments. For instance, red roses symbolize love, pink signify grace, and white convey innocence, purity, and secrecy. Yellow roses represent platonic love, and orange are symbolic of passion.

Lilies: Lilies are large-flowering and showy. They are often fragrant and come in a variety of colors including white, yellow, and red. Depending on the color, lilies can signify youthful innocence, purity, modesty, virginity, majesty, beauty, wealth, pride, and prosperity.

Tulips: Tulips are native to southern Europe, North Africa, and Asia. The European use of the word "tulip" was probably taken from the Persian word for turban, as flowers were often worn in the folds of a turban. Tulip meanings include: perfect lover, hopeless love, fame, love, and passion. They can say, "Believe me," "There is sunshine in your smile," and "I love you."

Iris: Deriving its name from the Latin word for rainbow, the iris is a flower that comes in many colors, as you might expect. Irises symbolize faith, wisdom, valor, promise, and hope. The fleur-de-lys also represents the Kings of France and is the official flower for the city of New Orleans.

Orchids: There are many varieties of orchids, more than any other plant family. Orchids were very popular and widely distributed in the 19th century, resulting in about 25, 000 varieties. Orchids represent love, beauty, refinement, and mature charm.

Daisies: Daisies have been admired by people for thousands of years, and used as decoration for just as much time. In ancient Greece and Egypt, this pretty flower inspired the local artists to create hairpins and ceramics decorated with its likeness. The daisy embodies notions of innocence, loyal love, purity, gentleness, and romance. It also sends the message, "I'll never tell" to someone whose secrets you have promised to keep.

Sunflowers: It's no surprise where the sunflower got its name – this flower always faces the sun. Originating in Central and South America, sunflowers were originally cultivated for practical uses, rather than for beauty. The sunflower has different meanings, depending on the culture. In China it is seen as a symbol of longevity, while Native Americans leave a bowl of sunflower seeds on the graves of their deceased loved ones as a sign of grief.

Carnations: Hailing from the Near East, carnations have been a part of human culture for the past 2000 years. The origins of the name are contested, but it is generally thought to derive from the Greek word "carnis"(flesh), perhaps referring to the original color for which this flower was known. Carnations are the perfect emblem of womanly love, devoted love, and admiration. Carnations say, "My heart aches for you," and "I'll never forget you," so if you send someone you love a bouquet of fresh carnations you've made the right choice.

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