SPELLING BEE

By Bea Westerberg

A flower can speak

“February is a very hard month to love. That must be why they tucked in Valentine's Day”

How about that for another view of February? The other thing we do not usually see in February is a rain storm that could be a prize winner in July or so! Sylvia's windshield wipers had to work like crazy so I could see where I was going and many tons of snow must have been washed away. The ice that was left behind or newly formed had that beautiful glow to it which means “DANGER”. By the time you read this, it may be a record snowstorm and wishing it would be the rain instead! Is this why we stay in Minnesota?

To keep our mind off of the cold and snow, let's talk about meanings of flowers (other than roses). The concept of flower meanings became very strong in the Victorian time frame and most of the references were known to English “high class” people. There are books written just listing the flower meanings and also a lot of the romance novels taking place in that time period that involve “floriography”. That is the symbolic meanings of flowers or the language of flowers.

In this time period, those of title nobility considered themselves high upper class and everyone else of lower class, even those with new money. The lower classes were expected to do all the hard work. Another social thing at this time was that the entitled lady always had to marry a man with money and status. She never would work for her living or run a business so title and old money was critical. New money people would not really fit in the social ranks. In order to survive, some of the “lower class” ladies found that having knowledge of the flower language would permit them to work in flower shops where they would be paid and also gain a bit of respect from the upper class. If you were a man, having this information made it much easier to get a gardener position. The ladies of the day would have to have a proper statement in their landscapes.

Here is a small sample of the meanings of flowers that most of us know. CARNATIONS are a favorite for Mother's Day and show appreciation between a mother and child. Also can mean sympathy or condolence. TULIPS mean springtime and new beginnings. Red tulips say love and yellow tulips say happiness and cheerfulness. DAISIES say innocence and purity. They are also said to be a symbol of childhood or young love. SUNFLOWERS show happiness and positive thinking. They can also wish one good luck or fortune. SNAPDRAGONS say luxury, strength and grace. As expected, ORCHIDS give the message of rarity and excellent taste. They can also mean appreciation, love, or admiration. IRIS is the flower of February and shows faith, hope, wisdom and courage. DAFFODILS are the March flower and say new beginnings, hope, joy and happiness. The ASTER, that is named for the Greek word star, gives the message of brightness and cheerfulness. Note that in old Greek times they were burned to ward off snakes! MARIGOLDS are named after the Virgin Mary and are said to have supernatural powers and healing. (We know them best for keeping bugs at bay – sometimes). The LILAC, common to most of us, says first love. Also very common to us is the GLADIOLA. The Roman gladiators wore them for strength, victory and power in their fights. To me, this is known as the “funeral flower”as they are so common in funeral flower arrangements. Who would have known that the GERANIUM means silly and fun like. We sure have a lot of that being said as almost everyone has them in their gardens?

Almost all of the flower names have a Roman or Greek gods background. Their shape also has been a factor in their naming. Some flowers have also been assigned a month. On a cold night you can go to the internet to search for much more information.

While I can't send you, my LOYAL READERS, real ORCHIDS, I am sending you the sentiment of orchids as I appreciate you very much.

Bea Westerberg [email protected]