Flower Meanings | What Do Flowers Symbolize (2024)

Agapanthus

Agapanthus, also known as the “African lily," is associated with love and comes in colors like blue, purple, and white. Its name derives from the word “love" in ancient Greek, making it the perfect gift for a special person in your life.

Allium

The allium is a flower that starts as a bulb and grows into many blooms all clustered together, making it a perfect symbol of unity.

Almond blossom

The beautiful white almond blossom is a resilient flower that symbolizes fertility and love in many cultures. In fact, ancient Romans used almond blossoms to create fertility amulets.

Photo credit: "Creative Commons Almond blossoms" by Renee Grayson is licensed under CC BY 2.0 / Cropped from original

Alstroemeria

With their vibrant and colorful flowers, alstroemeriasymbolize mutual support and friendship. If you're looking for a gift for your BFF, give them a bouquet of these flowers!

Alyssum

Sending someone alyssum meant you were complimenting their worth as a person and their kindness, according tofloriography. These colorful flowers — available in shades of white, purple, red, pink, orange, and yellow — are still the perfect way to light up your loved one's life.

Photo credit: "Creative Commons Lobularia maritima - Sweet Alyssum" by Seán A. O'Hara is licensed under CC BY 2.0 / Cropped from original

Amaryllis

Amaryllis is awinter flowerthat is known for its vibrant red shade, representing love and attraction. These beauties also come in white, orange, pink, purple, and yellow, and symbolize sorrow, positive energy, friendship, spirituality, and good luck, respectively.

Photo credit: JonRichfield, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Anemone

The anemone is a flower with a rich history. In mythology, it came from Aphrodite's tears mourning her love, Adonis. Today, it is a symbol of protection and anticipation since many believed an anemone closing its petals signaled impending rain.

Aster

Although asters have different meanings depending on the type, these flowers are most commonly associated patience, elegance, and daintiness.

Astilbe

Astilbe, a mainstay of summer gardens, symbolizes patience in general, but different colors have different meanings. Lavender astilbe represents feminine beauty and serenity, red represents strong love, and peach represents friendship and gratitude. Regardless of the color, these flowers are the perfect gift for someone you love and admire.

Azalea

Beloved around the world,azaleassymbolize temperance and prudence, making them the perfect flower to show your admiration for the steadfast people in your life.

Bellflower

The beautiful bloom of the bellflower can brighten your garden or even your kitchen counter. However, if you want to send a message, make sure you pick the right color. Blue bellflowers symbolize tranquility and calmness, cream represents peace, purple means royalty, magenta symbolizes romantic love, and pink is a sign of platonic love.

Black-eyed Susan

Black-eyed Susans are unique flowers that can survive harsh conditions, such as drought and freezing temperatures. Like other flowers, they have different meanings depending on their color. Their most common color combination is yellow and black, with the yellow representing friendship and the black symbolizing positive change. They're the perfect gift for a friend going through hard times.

Brunia

This silver shrub is a common guest atweddings, featured inbrides' bouquetsall over the world. The brunia represents chivalry, making it the perfect plant to celebrate a couple's first step into married life.

Buttercup

Buttercup flowers are primarily yellow and symbolize youthfulness and good health. But this flower comes in a rainbow of colors with various meanings: Pink symbolizes romance, green represents rebirth, red stands for passion, and orange conveys friendship.

Camellia

Need a flower to declare your love and affection? The camellia might be just what you're looking for. Red camellias symbolize desire, pink camellias show longing, and white camellias represent platonic love and friendship.

Carnation

Carnationsare said to symbolize both beauty and pride. However, a carnation's meaning can also be broken down by color. A pink carnation, for instance, represents gratitude or the love of a woman, whereas white carnations often symbolize remembrance or pure love.

Celosia

Celosia is an ornamental plant known for its vibrant shades, including red, orange, white, yellow, pink, purple, orange, and green. The flower, which gets its name from the Greek wordkeleos,symbolizes boldness and determination.

Chrysanthemum

Chrysanthemums, ormums, have avariety of meaningsdepending on their location and color. (They hold great significance particularly inChinaandJapan.) In the United States, they represent happiness, friendship, and well-being. Red chrysanthemums mean passion, orange symbolize excitement, and yellow stand for celebration.

Cornflower

In Victorian times, eligible bachelors would wear cornflowers to show they wished to marry. Today, the flower is commonly used in weddings and represents hope, fertility, fidelity, and love.

Crocus

Need a fresh start? Consider the crocus, a symbol of rebirth and new beginnings since it blooms in early spring.

Daffodil

The daffodil has a few meanings, including chivalry and new beginnings, and is generally associated with the start of spring.

Daisy

The iconicdaisyhas been admired for ages. The Victorians believed this classic bloom represented loyalty and innocence. Today, the daisy stands for purity and joy.

Dahlia

What flower is prettier than the dahlia? These beauties have a variety of meanings depending on their color. Red dahlias symbolize perseverance, pink mean feminine beauty and kindness, purple indicates respect, white represents innocence and purity, and green embodies change. However, don't give anyone a black dahlia — those are an omen of bad luck!

Dianthus

Dianthus, also known as "pinks," is the emblem of love, passion, and gratitude. The ancient Greeks even referred to it as "The Flower of the Gods" because of its beauty. Today, people send dianthus to show how much they appreciate people in their lives.

Dusty miller

The dusty miller, a silvery shrub, is an intriguing plant that has been used for centuries for medicinal purposes, and can thrive through the toughest of droughts. It symbolizes purity and new harvest, making it a great fit for a fall garden or bouquet.

Eryngium

The distinctive, spiky eryngium symbolizes independence and attraction. If you want to give a flower to someone unique in your life, give them this one-of-a-kind bloom!

Freesia

The sweet-smelling freesia is known for its fragrance and bold shades, each of which has a unique meaning. For example, red freesia is the embodiment of love, whereas pink stands for motherly love and purple strength. No matter the color, freesia is a perfect gift for a special someone.

Gardenia

Gardeniassymbolize secret love, making them the go-to flower for those who want to anonymously share their feelings of affection with somebody. Additionally, gardenias can be used in a non-romantic way, as they also symbolize joy.

Gladiolus

These vibrant flowers, which go by the nickname “glads," symbolizes moral character and faithfulness. In ancient times, Roman warriors would wear them into battle for protection. Today, the flower has a plethora of additional meanings according to its color. White gladioli represent purity and spirituality, yellow and orange symbolize congratulations, purple mean grace and nobility, and pink and red honor love and romance.

Gypsophila

Also called “baby's breath," gypsophilia is a beautiful, delicate flower perfect for wedding bouquets. In fact, white baby's breath symbolizes young love, whereas its pink counterpart stands for appreciation, femininity, and elegance.

Hyacinth

The gorgeous hyacinth is one of the most iconic flowers, but be careful sending one, as each color dictates a different message. Blue hyacinths represent care, purple flowers say you are seeking forgiveness, and yellow hyacinths symbolize jealousy.

Hydrangea

Hydrangeasrepresent many feelings. One is gratitude, but they don't always symbolize something sweet. They can reflect narcissism or vanity, depending on the situation.

Hypericum

Hypericum, also known as St. John's wort, has been used medicinally for centuries. The ancient Greeks even believed it had the power to ward off evil spirits! Today, you can use this symbol of protection to bring beauty and volume to your garden — just know that it spreads rapidly and isclassified as a weedin many areas.

Iris

The iris, named after the Greek goddess of the rainbow, embodies faith, courage, and honor, and is a wonderful flower to add to yourspring garden.

Larkspur

Larkspur is an iconic bloom, and is even theJuly birth flower! It embodies youthfulness and positive spirits, but different colors have their own meanings as well. Blue larkspurs symbolize dignity, white represent happiness, and purple stand for someone's first love.

Lavender

Calminglavenderis the perfect flower for any occasion. Its vibrant purple hue represents serenity, grace, calmness, and royalty, making it a great gift for that person who is your rock in life.

Liatris

Looking for a flower for your beau? Liatris comes in both purple and white, and symbolizes feelings of happiness in a romantic relationship, making it the ideal gift for Valentine's Day or an anniversary.

Lily

Liliesare generally symbolic of purity and refined beauty, but we can take their meaning one step further and break it down by color. Orange lilies, for example, symbolize passion, whereas white lilies are an indicator of modesty.

Lisianthus

The rose-like lisianthus is a symbol of appreciation and gratitude, and can be used for everything from anniversary gifts to wedding bouquets. Some associate this flower with thezodiac sign Sagittarius, so it's a great birthday present for anyone born between Nov. 23 and Dec. 21.

Marigold

Marigolds' beautiful orange and gold colors symbolize a desire for wealth and to succeed. They can also be used when grieving over the loss of a loved oneor celebrating those who have passed.

Myrtle

The myrtle is a staple at wedding ceremonies, and it's no wonder why. This plant has embodied love and romance since the time of ancient Greece, when it was the sacred flower of Aphrodite, the goddess of love.

Photo credit: "Creative Commons queen's crape myrtle" by Dinesh Valke is licensed under CC BY 2.0 / Cropped from original

Orchid

Orchidssymbolize love, fertility, thoughtfulness, and charm. Long associated with femininity, these flowers also suggest anelement of exotic beauty.

Pansy

The perennial pansy is another flower that exemplifies romantic love. In fact, receiving a pansy in Victorian times meant that your lover was thinking of you!

Peony

The prettypeonyis one of the most well-known blooms in the world. It symbolizes prosperity and good luck, so it's a wonderful flower for anyone starting a new chapter in their life. The peony can have other meanings depending on the culture as well. InChinaand Japan, it is widely used in celebrations and symbolizes wealth.

Periwinkle

Periwinkles embody faith, trust, and love in the language of flowers. In Christianity, they also symbolize chastity and purity, and are associated with the Virgin Mary.

Phlox

A garden staple, phlox embodies unity, partnership, and harmony. The Victorians even used these blooms to propose! Give your lifelong love phlox to show them how much you care.

Polemonium

Also known as “Jacob's ladder," polemonium is a blue flower that grows in loose clusters. It gets its name from the biblical story of a ladder going toward heaven, and symbolizes the connection between humans and the divine.

Pomegranate

The vibrant red pomegranate isn't just a fruit — it's also a flower! The pomegranate, featured in the Greek myth of Persephone, symbolizes fertility and abundance, and is associated with the goddess of spring.

Photo credit: "Creative Commons pomegranate flower" by Lars Hammar is licensed under CC BY 2.0 / Cropped from original

Ranunculus

Ranunculus, iconic for its soft and colorful flowers, is the epitome of romance. It symbolizes charm, love, and attraction, making ita wonderful flower for the special someone in your life.

Snapdragon

The towering snapdragon is a uniquely shaped and beautiful flower that symbolizes grace under pressure. Honor the toughest person in your life with a beautiful snapdragon — they deserve recognition!

Stock

Stock symbolizes a happy life and contentment, and is a great gift for everyday and special occasions alike. In Victorian times, these flowers represented everlasting beauty and affection.

Sunflower

Who doesn't lovesunflowers? The gorgeous yellow and black bloom is recognized worldwide, but its symbolism may not be as well known. Whereas sunflowers have a variety of meanings depending on the culture, in the United Statesthey generally signify loyalty and adoration.

Tulip

A popular flower found in spring gardens,the tulip symbolizes a perfect love, one that can be between family members, friends, or romantic partners. Tulips can alsorepresent charity and royalty.

Yarrow

Want to send flowers to someone recovering from an injury or illness? Send them a yarrow bouquet. These flowers, known by the scientific nameAchillea millefolium, are named after the invincible hero Achilles. These unique blooms symbolize healing, courage on the battlefield, and recovery.

Yarrow comes in a rainbow of shades, each with their own meaning. White yarrow represents regeneration and starting a new chapter in life, pink represents joy and excitement, yellow stands for friendship and positivity, red signifies love, strength, and endurance, and orange represents admiration and companionship.

Zinnia

It makes perfect sense that zinnias symbolize endurance considering they are one of the species that lasts the longest during their bloom— sometimes up to five months! These flowers can also be used simply to show that you are thinking of someone.