Wednesday, March 15, 2023

Flowers the Language of Love

By Kimberly Grist

Spring is often associated with beautiful gardens and green landscapes. However, my personal favorite is the sunny yellow Daffodil. According to the languageofflowers.com, the Daffodil's meaning is "Regard, Unrequited Love, You're the Only One; The Sun is Always Shining When I'm with You."



Flowers and their Meanings

Learning the special symbolism of flowers was popular during the 1800s. Nearly all Victorian homes had, alongside the Bible, guidebooks for deciphering the "language of flowers."
During the Victorian era, flowers were used to deliver messages that would be considered inappropriate if spoken aloud.
The condition of the flowers, along with the presentation, was key. A bouquet given upside-down could be used to express the opposite meaning. For example, an inverted rose would symbolize rejection.


Nearly every feeling imaginable can be expressed with flowers. The orange blossom, for instance, means chastity, purity, and loveliness, while the red chrysanthemum means "I love you."


Other examples include bluebells and kindness, peonies and bashfulness, rosemary and remembrance. One I would never have guessed, tulips and passion. Carnations signify purity, faith, love, beauty, and charity and are the most gifted flower at Mother's Day, even today.


Thank Goodness for Friends

In my new release, A Match for Gabe, my hero needs help to understand the language of love. "Never made sense to me why anyone would pick the fool things when they're just going to wilt. They last longer in the field, right where God planted them." Fortunately, he has a friend that provides the appropriate instruction.


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Carrie Ann Dixon's impulsive nature has cost her a teaching position. Destitute, she seeks the help of a matchmaker requesting someone who embraces adventure and is enthusiastic about building a romantic relationship.

Gabe Russell, former soldier and regimented rancher, isn't looking for love. Instead, he needs a cook, housekeeper, and babysitter for his four younger siblings. Hence, his request to the matchmaker includes, "My desired match should be a no-nonsense, hard-working woman who knows the importance of following a schedule.

Connect with Kimberly:
Fans of historical romance set in the late 19th -Century will enjoy stories combining, History, Humor, and Romance, emphasizing Faith, Friends, and Good, Clean Fun.

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/kimberly-grist

4 comments:

  1. Thank you for posting today, and especially such a happy subject as flowers. We just experienced the Nor'easter yesterday, thankfully we didn't get much snow. Some places in New England got 3 feet!!! Thus why I want to hear about flowers today!!

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  2. The groundhog really let me down this year. We got an unexpected freeze in the south. My grandfather had a beautiful rose garden, so I'm always reminded of his advice. "When you get a few days of pretty weather in January and February, you're going to be tempted to go ahead and prune. But don't do it. It's beast to wait until Easter."

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  3. Thank you for the information about flowers. My mom, an avid gardener, could name probably every plant & tree in the south, until she had dementia. After that, she couldn't name a one. I am right there with you & this cold snap of the south. It was so warm I took my plants outside, only to now bring them back in. I do think my aloes are dead though. Such a shame as they were my MIL.

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  4. Very interesting, Kimberly. As a historical fiction writer, I never thought to use flowers for subtext but now I will. Thank you for this very informative piece! :)

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