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Flowers and their meanings

"Floriography", the language of flowers, has been a part of social custom for centuries. The origin of the language of flowers pre-dates Victorian times, as flowers have always had religious mythological and symbolic meanings. Victorian women elaborated on floriography, expressing their feelings within the boundaries of a strict etiquette.

Many sentiments that they could not show could be communicated this way. If the flowers were presented upright, they had a positive meaning, however if they were presented upside down, their meaning was the opposite.

More information and many more examples can be found in the book "The Language of Flowers" written originally by a Victorian lady, Miss Corruthers of Inverness, in 1879. The original flower dictionary was written in 1819 in Paris and was an overnight sensation.

Types of fowers and their meaning