Why Certain Flowers are a Universal Signifier for Love
{By: Lauren Trunfio} Believe it or not, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, which means that soon you’ll be seeing flowers quite literally at every turn. As a society, we’ve always seemed to associate flowers with being a universal signifier of love, especially roses. Keep on reading for the history behind why certain flowers signify love and affection.
Roses
The most notorious flower of all time, roses have been associated with love and especially romance ever since Greek mythology, where Aphrodite, the goddess of love, walked through a rose garden that had been shot by Cupid’s arrow. Due to the arrow, thorns began to slowly grow on the roses. Although the history of roses ultimately comes from Greek mythology, it is also heavily tied to Roman mythology and The Virgin Mary. However, roses are undoubtedly one of the most iconic symbols of romance. This makes roses are the perfect flowers to give to your significant other in order to say “I love you” in the most profound of ways.
Tulips
Surprisingly, when people think of flowers that symbolize deep love, roses are the first that come to mind. However, interestingly enough, it’s actually tulips that express perfectly deep and everlasting love. This meaning is tied to Turkish and Persian folktales about the love between two lovers named Farhad and Shirin. In this tale, Farhad fell in love with a woman named Shirin, and when Shirin died tragically, Farhad ended up riding his horse off a cliff where red tulips sprouted where his blood touched the ground. A fun fact is that in the 17th-century, there was actually a spectacle called Tulip Mania that occurred in Holland due to the overwhelming demand for the popular flowers exceeding the actual supply available! Since tulips have such a powerful meaning, we recommend giving them to the one you love the most!
Lilies
When most people think of Valentine’s Day, lilies might not be the first arrangement that comes to mind. But after hearing a little about the history of lilies, you may want to immediately opt for gifting your loved one a bouquet. Specifically, you should select calla lilies for your loved one because it is the Greek word for beautiful. When the goddess of love and beauty Venus first saw lilies, she was immediately jealous of their beauty, and vowed to curse the flowers with a large yellow pistil in the middle. Due to this story, lilies are also associated with lust and sexuality. If you want to give your significant other the best of all compliments, give them a bouquet of lilies.
Postal Petals has incredible floral arrangements that we highly recommend checking out (which also include the flowers we mentioned above). Show your loved one just how much you care this year by purchasing a floral bundle.
This post is Sponsored by Postal Petals. Postal Petals provides direct access to farm fresh, high-quality flowers to those who enjoy the mood-enhancing beauty of bold blooms, and appreciate the mind-calming experience of arranging them.
