So, you want to buy flowers for your darling heart. What do you ask for?
Well, there are a number of options depending on your beloved’s preference. (And what’s in your purse/wallet.)
The most traditional option is a ‘bouquet’.
This is a group of blooms which have been fastened in a thoughtful way to make them look attractive, so they can be given as a gift.
A ‘posy’ is similar, but generally smaller and contain ‘country’ flowers such as violets and aromatic asters, which are old-fashioned and sweet-smelling.
It harks back to the Victorian era, when flowers had their own language of ‘secret meanings’, known as floriography. Perfect for expressing yourself in the emotionally repressed society of the time.
For example, the aforementioned violets symbolised faithfulness, while yellow roses suggested joy and white roses purity. Thorn Apple meant that you were dreaming about someone.
So if you wanted to tell a beau - or potential beau - that they make you happy and you’ll stay faithful and pure for them…and that you’re dreaming about them on a nightly basis, a combination of violets, yellow and white roses and Thorn Apple was absolutely perfect.
You get the idea.
Incidentally, ‘Posy’ is also a girl’s name, albeit a relatively rare one.
Flowers are often sold in a florist’s shop in a ‘bunch’, consisting of one, or sometimes two or three types of different flower. These lack the complexity and refinement of a bouquet.
They are less often bought for other people and more often bought for yourself or to make your home look appealing.
A ‘stem’, finally, is a single flower. (Sometimes referred to a ‘single stem’ to be clear, but this is really tautology.)
The most common variety is a rose and a single red rose features in many a romantic film as a gesture of (usually) the hero's esteem.
Ideal if you’re out of money but in a romantic mood.
After all, the size isn’t everything.
To use a popular English proverb: “It’s the thought that counts.”
So, you want to buy flowers for your darling heart. What do you ask for?
Well, there are a number of options depending on your beloved’s preference. (And what’s in your purse/wallet.)
The most traditional option is a ‘bouquet’.
This is a group of blooms which have been fastened in a thoughtful way to make them look attractive, so they can be given as a gift.
A ‘posy’ is similar, but generally smaller and contain ‘country’ flowers such as violets and aromatic asters, which are old-fashioned and sweet-smelling.
It harks back to the Victorian era, when flowers had their own language of ‘secret meanings’, known as floriography. Perfect for expressing yourself in the emotionally repressed society of the time.
For example, the aforementioned violets symbolised faithfulness, while yellow roses suggested joy and white roses purity. Thorn Apple meant that you were dreaming about someone.
So if you wanted to tell a beau - or potential beau - that they make you happy and you’ll stay faithful and pure for them…and that you’re dreaming about them on a nightly basis, a combination of violets, yellow and white roses and Thorn Apple was absolutely perfect.
You get the idea.
Incidentally, ‘Posy’ is also a girl’s name, albeit a relatively rare one.
Flowers are often sold in a florist’s shop in a ‘bunch’, consisting of one, or sometimes two or three types of different flower. These lack the complexity and refinement of a bouquet.
They are less often bought for other people and more often bought for yourself or to make your home look appealing.
A ‘stem’, finally, is a single flower. (Sometimes referred to a ‘single stem’ to be clear, but this is really tautology.)
The most common variety is a rose and a single red rose features in many a romantic film as a gesture of (usually) the hero's esteem.
Ideal if you’re out of money but in a romantic mood.
After all, the size isn’t everything.
To use a popular English proverb: “It’s the thought that counts.”
