In the mid-seventeenth century, the wife of an English ambassador to Turkey, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, discovered the hidden language of flowers that Turks had used for many years and brought it to Europe. Mme. The flower name and meaning can be given detailedly through this site. The meaning of flower can be known very simply by choosing
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the correct flower. Charlotte de la Tour wrote the first flower dictionary in 1818 in Paris, entitled "Le Language des Fleurs¡¨. This created a lot of stir in Europe. Miss Corruthers of Inverness popularized it further through her book in 1879. Her book became the standard source for flower symbolism both in England and in the United States.
This language of flowers reached new heights during the Victorian era. Hundreds of publishers produced dozens of dictionaries explaining "Floriography" as "The Language of Flowers.¡¨ In a time when standards restricted courtship and emotional display, that the art of floriography reached wonderful heights. The meaning of flower can be expressed easily. Lovers expressed themselves without the fear of being overheard. Flowers offered them a silent language that allowed them to communicate many sentiments. Bouquets, nosegays and tussie-mussies (a knot of flowers) conveying secret messages of love, hate, disdain, appreciation were exchanged
The message didn't have to be conveyed through a live flower, necessarily. The meaning of flower is explained clearly in this site. There are many flowers which indicates different meaning of flower. Anything that carried the scent of a particular plant, like a handkerchief, carried the same message. Cards and even a personal gift such as a floral embroidered hanky revealed feelings also.
Not only was the type of flower important when interpreting meanings, but the color of
the flower and the way it was presented or worn, played a major part. Single meaning of flower could convey feelings just as strongly as an arrangement. Presenting these flowers to the receiver in the upright position is a friendly gesture. Given in an upside down position conveyed an opposite meaning. If the ribbon was tied to the left, the meaning referred to the giver; the right referred to the recipient. Flowers were used to answer questions also. If they were handed over with the right hand, the answer was "yes" and if given with the left hand, "no.¡¨