Flowers and Their Meanings: The Secret Language and History of Over 600 Blooms

by Karen Azoulay

Uncover the secret meanings behind your bouquets and floral arrangements with this stunningly illustrated exploration of the Victorian language of flowers, including the multicultural history, rituals, and mythology behind over 600 flowers, herbs, and trees.

In the Victorian language of flowers, hundreds of blooms were ascribed specific meanings based on folklore, science, and ancient history. Page through this botanical encyclopedia to learn each flower's Victorian meaning (ranunculus, for example, boldly states, "I am dazzled by your charms," while marigold represents despair), common names, and cultural history. There is also an index of the flowers grouped by theme, should you want to challenge your local florist to create a coded message for a loved one.

The study of floriography can be used by readers to decode hidden messages in beloved novels like The Age of Innocence or speculate as to why two canary-yellow roses—which signify jealousy and infidelity—were featured in Diana Spencer's wedding bouquet. You might share some honeysuckle (meaning "bonds of love") with a friend or partner as a gesture of commitment. Or perhaps you'll choose a celebratory bouquet of angelica ("inspiration") and purple columbine ("resolved to win") for a friend who has triumphed over something difficult.

Karen Azoulay pairs nineteenth century botanical drawings with electric photography, creating a one-of-a-kind flower dictionary with a contemporary, artful feel. With a foreword by Kate Bolick and a helpful sentiment-based index, Flowers and Their Meanings is both a beautiful volume and a practical guide to incorporating the language of flowers into your own life.

Genres: Nonfiction, Plants, Gardening, Reference, Nature, Science Nature, Education

248 pages, Hardcover

Published March 21, 2023

Reviews

[Hannah Degn · Rating 5 out of 5]

a lovely Christmas present

[Isabel clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO GOOD AND INSIGHTFUL the introduction essays are so insightful & the entries about the flower meanings are succinct but still fun and thoughtful. Looooved reading this

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a gorgeous book about the language of flowers, not just from the Victorian tradition, but also including interpretation from cultures around the world. In addition to the dictionary portion of the book, there are passages detailing related historical figures and practices. My favorite aspect is the visual imagery: the author merges botanical illustrations with silvery photographed features of several subjects to create hypnotizing collages.

[Ainee Beland · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the lost world of floriography, we learn that in the nineteenth century, hundreds of blooms were plucked to create sentimental bouquets exchanged by lovers and friends. A simple clutch of flowers could begin a clandestine love affair or declare an emotional war…and such; prepare yourself for a visual feast that illuminates global rituals, mythologies, and the hidden meaning nested in your favorite flowers.

What did I like about this book?
I liked that because this was a dictionary of plants that allowed me to look up the picture of the black-eyed Susan plant I had taken while out one day. The book reported this much on.
“Black-Eyed Susan—Justice -- also known as Rudbeckia; A member of the sunflower family; this golden bloom with its signature dark, domed center has been used in various traditional medicines. Ooze collected from the roots has been used by the Anigiduwagi (Cherokee) as a remedy for earaches. The tender leaves of sochan, an edible cousin of the black-eyed Susan, are an important green featured in Cherokee cuisine.”

“Balm in Gilead—cure—relief; also known as Judea, Balm of Mecca; Named after the region where it was first produced, balm of Gilead was historically treasured as a rare botanical perfume and medicinal ointment. Although most commonly associated with Commiphora gileadensis, the Arabian balsam tree, the true botanical source of this oil—which was highly venerated by Jewish, Christian, and Muslim people—is debated to this day.”

I selected this one because it is the title of a book written by the famed author Sarah Lawrence Lightfoot—Balm in Gilead —about her mother’s journey to becoming a distinguished child psychoanalyst back in the day. It was a book that I owned and read when I was much younger.

I enjoyed reading the section: Women and Flowers, as there are many examples of women from the early twentieth century who used botanical knowledge—accessible to them through their mothers, grandmothers, and larger community—to help them become trailblazers.

One such example that I would not have imagined was Harriet Tubman, revered as a heroic abolitionist. Tubman was both a naturalist and a herbalist. During her thirteen missions to help free seventy enslaved people through the Underground Railroad, she used botanical knowledge to read the landscape, quiet babies, find food, relieve pain, and clean wounds. Herbal practices were strictly outlawed on plantations in fear that this knowledge would empower the enslaved people with the ability to poison their tormentors (and rightly they should, I am thinking.) This wisdom had been covertly passed down by Tubman’s grandmother.

This is another lovely book for those in the field of floristry, creating bouquets and whatnot to do with flowers.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was *just* entertaining enough to complete and only mildly informative, but could've been infinitely more extensive and original in content. I personally wasn't a fan of the woke virtue-signalling...but then, for a book to appeal to the masses, it should forego *all* biases, including the author's...and some of the entries were inaccurate. Also a few misspellings. Changing names so American readers could recognise the references was unnecessary (not to mention patronising), especially when European/UK names weren't listed or were listed incorrectly. I noticed a few flowers that weren't labelled, but using common-sense to rule out all other possibilities remedied that error, so I guess it balanced out. All-in-all, the book seems to be pieced together more out of childhood nostalgia than an actual desire to deep-dive into Flower Lore/Meanings, i.e. the flowers chosen seemed to be either standard garden findings or significant specifically to the author. Definitely felt like a book that anyone could've compiled, and I wasn't especially impressed by her "art".

Happily, my favourite flower was included, but that neither salvages nor recommends this book.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books that while reading...you keep uttering...."I didn't know that" over and over again....Velcro was invented because Swiss engineer George de Mestral got the idea from Burdock burrs sticking to his socks while walking his dog; Coco Chanel loved the Camellia flower because it has no scent so it didn't interfere with her perfumes; frayed Dogwood twigs were used as toothbrushes; Hollyhocks are nicknamed the "outhouse flower" because they were planted to hide the outhouse; the weight of a seed from the Locust tree gave us the measurement "carat" in gemology; Rhubarb has been used medicinally for more than 5,000 years and in 17th century England it was twice as expensive as opium. What makes this book so intriguing and readable is that the author not only tells us about the "language" of each flower but a bit about it's history as well. Great read.

[Rowan's Bookshelf (Carleigh) · Rating 4 out of 5]

In addition to the dictionary (which has wonderful illustrations and detailed meanings) I thoroughly enjoyed the 30ish pages of botanist history in this. A quick but informative look into why and how western society came to assign language to flowers, involving colonialism, societal misogyny, technological advancements, and even religious influences. I did wish there were citations within these histories, or a more detailed Further Reading, but I loved this way more than I expected as history enthusiast.

[Lowardy · Rating 3 out of 5]

6/10

My second book for this research project started off strong with the essays and I appreciated the folklore touches, however it seemed that a few flowers got special treatment (longer stories, different colours having different meanings), while other flowers were not even named in the illustration (I also didn't understand why some pages had an eye, a mouth or a full feminine face with the flowers - and no, they were not related to females-turned-into-plants).

There were references at the end though, so that could be helpful.

[Meri Elena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each plant lists the typical floriography message associated with it, followed by a short paragraph of basic information and fun facts. Certain plants with lots of historical/cultural significance get a full spread as well. It's amazing how much info is packed into these little entries. I cannot express the delight I felt upon discovering watermelon vampires. And the illustrations are beautiful, too.

[Steffanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book!

[Natalie P · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful book and I love the concept!

[Molly O’Regan · Rating 4 out of 5]

for those who love floriography, this one’s a banger!

[Nia · Rating 4 out of 5]

| Favorite Quote | Lily of the Valley - Return of Happiness

| My Review | A beautiful book, perfect for your coffee table or a gift for the floral fans in your life!

[Micah Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

very fun

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated encyclopedia of plants, each one given a paragraph touching on biology, name meaning, mythos and symbology.

[Tess Durrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! It was a very thorough overview of “The Secret Language and History of Over 600 Blooms”. The beginning is the history, which gives reference to most continents, then it digs into the individual blooms and the lore surrounding them. Finally at the end it has a mood index with related flowers. Fascinating and extremely well written, it was exactly what I wanted from the book.

[Heidi Awerkamp · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the way the book was laid out with the history of communicating using flowers and then so many different flowers and their meanings. I enjoyed the book.