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The Language and Sentiment of Flowers
As recorded in
Hill's Manual of Social and Business Forms (p. 136-137)
1891

Acacia, Rose... Friendship

Acanthus... Art

Adonis, Flos... Painful recollections

Agnus Castus... Coldness; life without love

Agrimony... Gratitude

Almonds... Giddiness; heedlessness

Aloe... Bitterness

Amaranth... Immortality; Unfading

Amaryllis... Beautiful but timid

Anemone, Garden... Forsaken; Withered hopes; Illness

Amethys... Admiration

Anemone, Windflower... Desertion

Angelica... Inspiration

Apple Blossom... Preference

Arbor Vitae... Unchanging friendship

Arbutus... Thee only do I love

Ash... Grandeur

Aspen... Sighing

Asphodel... Remembered beyond the tomb

Aster, Double German... Variety

Aster, Large flowered... Afterthought; love of variety

Bachelors' Button...  Hope; Single Blessedness

Balm, Mint...  Pleasantry

Balm of Gilead...  Healing; I am cured

Balsamine...  Impatience

Barberry...  Petulance; Ill temper

Basil...  Give me your good wishes

Bay Leaf...  I change but in death

Beech...  Lovers' tryst; Prosperity

Begonia...  Deformed

Bindweed...  Humility; Night

Birch...  Grace; Elegance

Bittersweet Nightshade... Truth

Blackthorn, or Sloe...  Difficulties

Bladder Tree...  Frivolous amusement

Blue Bell...  Constancy

Blue Bottle...  Delicacy

Borage... Abruptness

Box...  Stoicism

Briers... Envy

Broom... Neatness; Humility

Bryony, Black... Be my support

Buckbean...  Calmness; Repose

Bugloss... Falsehood

Bulrush...  Docility

Burdock...  Touch me not; Importunity

Buttercup...  Ritches; Memories of childhood

Cabbage...  Profit

Calla... Delicacy; Modesty

Camillia...  Gratitude; Perfect loveliness

Camomile...  Energy in Adversity

Candytuft...  Indifference; Architecture

Canterbury Bell... Constancy

Cardinal Flower...  Distinction; Preferment

Carnation...  Pure and deep love

China Aster...  Love of variety

Cedar Leaf...  I live for thee

Cherry...  A good education

Chestnut...  Do me justice

Cercus, Night Blooming...  Transient Beauty

Chiccory...  Frugality; Economy

Chrysanthemum...  A heart left to desolation

Cinnamon Tree...  Forgiveness of injustice

Cinquefoil...  A beloved daughter

Cistus...  Surety

Clover, Red...  Industry

Clematis...  Mental beauty; Artifice

Clover, White...  I promise

Clover, Four Leaved...  Be mine

Cockle...  Vain is beauty without merit

Coltsfoot...  Justice shall be done you

Columbine, Red...  Anxious and trembling

Coreopsis...  Always cheerful

Coriander...  Hidden merit

Corn...  Riches; Abundance

Cornelian, Cherry...  Continuance, Duration

Cowslip...  Native grace; Pensiveness

Coxcomb...  Foppery
​

Crocus...  Cheerfulness

​Cresses...  Stability

Crowfoot...  Ingratitude

Currant...  Thy frown will kill me

Crown, Imperial...  Power; Pride of birth

Cucumber...  Criticism

Cypress...  Despair; Mourning

Dahlia...  Dignity and elegance

Daffodil...  Unrequited love   

Daisy, Garden...  I share your feelings

Daisy, Single Field...  I will think of it

Dandelion...  Oracle; Coquetry

Datura...  Deceitful Charms

Dew plant...  Serenade

Dittany of Crete...  Birth

Dodder...  Meanness; Baseness

Ebony Tree...  Blackness

Eglantine...  Poetry; I wound to heal

Elder...  Compassion

Elecampane...  Tears

Everlasting...  Always remembered

Everlasting Pea...  Will thou go with me?

Fennel...  Force; Strength   

Fern...  Sincerity    

Fir...  Elevation

Flos, Adonis...  Painful recollections

Forget-me-not...  Do not forget    

Foxglove...  Insincerity; Occupation

Fraxinella...  Fire

Fuchsia...  Taste; Frugality

Gentian...  Intrinsic worth

Geranium, Ivy...  I engage you for the next dance

Geranium, Oak...  A melancholy mind

Geranium, Rose...  I prefer you

Geranium, Scarlet...  Silliness

Gilliflower, Common...  Lasting beauty

Gladiolus... Ready armed

Goats' Rue...  Reason

Gold Basket... Tranquility

Goose berry...  Anticipation

Grape vine...  Intemperance   

Grass...  Utility; Submission

Greek Valerian...  Rupture

Golden Rod... Encouragement

Gorse, or Turze...  Anger

Harebell...  Retirement; Grief

Hawthorn...  Hope

Hazel...  Reconciliation

Heath...  Solitude

Heliotrope...  I adore you; Devotion

Henbane...  Blemish; Fault 


Hibiscus...  Delicate beauty

Hoarhound...  Fire

Holly...  Am I forgotten?  Foresight

Hollyhock...  Fecundity; Ambition

Honey Flower...  Sweet and secret love

Honeysuckle...  Devoted love; Fidelity

Hop...  Injustice    

Hornbean...  Ornament

Horse Chestnut...  Luxury

Houstania...  Innocence; Content

Houseleek...  Domestic economy

Hyacinth...  Constancy; Benevolence

Hydrangea...  Vain-glory; Heartlessness

Ice plant...  Your looks freeze me    

Indian plum...  Privation

Iris, Common Garden...  A message for thee    

Iris, German...  Flame

Ivy...  Friendship; marriage

Jasmine, White...  Amiability

Jasmine, Yellow...  Grace and elegance

Jonquil...   Desire; Affection returned

Jumper...  Asylum; Aid; Protection

Laburnum...  Pensive beauty

Ladyslipper...  Capricious beauty

Larch...  Boldness; Audacity

Larkspur, Pink...  Lightness; Fickleness

Laurel, American...  Words, though sweet, may deceive

Lantana...  Rigor

Laurel, Mountain...  Glory; Victory; Ambition

Laurestine...  I die if neglected

Lavatera...  Sweet disposition

Lavender...  Mistrust

Lemon Blossom...  Prudence; Discretion

Lettuce...  Cold hearted; Coolness

Lichen...  Dejection

Lilac, Purple...  First emotions of love

Lilac, White...  Youth

Lily, Water... Eloquence

Lily, White...  Majesty; Purity

Lily of the Valley...  Return of happiness    

Linden, or lime...  Conjugal; Marriage

Liverwort...  Confidence

Locust Tree, Green... Love beyond the grave

Lotus Leaf... Recantation

Lucern...  Life

Lupine...  Dejection

Madder... Calumny

Magnolia...  Love of Nature

Maiden Hair... Discretion

Majoram...  Blushes

Machineel Tree...  Falseness

Mandrake...  Rarity

Maple...  Reserve

Marigold...  Sacred affection

Marigold, Garden...  Grief; Chagrin    

Marigold, Rainy...  A storm

Marigold and Cypress...  Despair

Marshmallow...  Beneficence

Marvel of Peru...  Timidity

Mayflower...  Welcome

Meadow Saffron...  My best days are past

Mezercon...  Desire to please

Mignonette...  Your qualities surpass your charms

Milfoil...  War

Mint...  Virtue

Milkweed...  Hope in misery

Mistletoe...  I surmount everything

Mock Orange...  Counterfeit; Uncertainty

Monkshood...  Treachery; A foe is near

Morning glory...  Coquetry; Affection

Mountain Ash...  I watch over you

Moss...  Maternal love

Mourning Bride...  I have lost all

Mugwort...  Good luck; Happiness

Mulberry, Black...  I shall not survive you

Mulberry, White...  Wisdom

Mullen...  Good nature

Mushroom...  Suspicion    

Musk plant...  Weakness

Myrtle...  Love in Absence

Myrrh...  Gladness

Narcissus...  Egotism; Self-love

Nasturtium...  Patriotism; Splendor

Nettle...  Cruelty

Nightshade...  Dark thoughts; Sorcery

Oak...  Hospitality; Bravery

Oleander...  Beware

Olive...  Peace

Orange flower...  Chastity

Orchis, Bee...  Error

Orchis, Spider...  Skill

Oster...  Frankness

Osmunda...  Reverie

Oxalis...  Wood sorrel

Pansy, Purple...  You occupy my thoughts

Parsley...  Festivity; Banquet

Passion Flower...  Devotion; Religious fervor  


  

Peach Blossom...  I am your captive

Peony...  Ostentation; Anger

Peony photo courtesy April Daprile

Persimmons...  Bury me amid Nature's beauties

Peppermint...  Warmth of feeling

Pennyroyal...  Flee away

Periwinkle...  Sweet memories    

Phlox...  Our hearts are united

Pimpernel...  Rendezvous; Change

Pine...  Endurance; Daring    

Pine Apple...  You are perfect

Pink, Red...  Pure love

Plane, or Plantain...  Genuis

Plum Tree...  Keep your promises

Plum, Wild...  Independence

Polyanthus...  Heart's misery

Pomegranate...  Conceit

Pompion, or Pumpkin...  Grossness; Coarseness

Poplar, Black...  Courage

Poplar, White...  Time

Poppy, Corn...  Consolation

Poppy, White...  Sleep; Oblivion

Potatoe [sic]...  Benevolence

Primrose...  Modest worth; Silent love    

Privit, or Prim...  Prohibition

Purple Scabious...  Mourning

Queen of the Meadow...  Uselessness

Quince...  Temptation

Ranunculus, Garden...  You are radiant with charms

Reeds...  Music

Rest Harrow...  Obstacle

Rhododendron...  Agitation    

Rhubarb...  Advice

Rosebud...  Confession of love

Rosebud, White...  Too young to love

Rose, Cinnamon...  Without pretension

Rose, Hundred leaved...  The Graces

Rose, Austrian...  Thou art all that is lovely

Rose Leaf...  I never trouble

Rose, Monthly...  Beauty ever new

Rose, Moss...  Superior merit; Voluptuosness    

Rose, Musk...  Capricious beauty

Rose, Red...  I love you    

Rose, White...  Silence    

Rose, Wild, Single...  Simplicity    

Rose, Yellow...  Infidelity; Unfaithfulness    

Rosemary...  Remembrance; Your presence revives me    

Rue...  Disdain

Rush...  Docility

Saffron, Meadow...  My best days are past

Saffron, Crocus...  Do not abuse me

Sage...  Domestic virtue; Esteem

St. John's Wort...  Animosity

Sardonia...  Irony

Satin Flower...  Forgetfulness

Scratch Weed...  Roughness

Scotch Thistle...  Retaliation

Sensitive Plant...  Sensitiveness; Modesty

Serpent Cactus...  Horror

Service Tree, or Sorb...  Prudence

Shepherd's Purse...  I offer you my all

Silver Weed...  Naiveté

Snapdragon...  Presumption

Snowball...  Goodness; Thoughts of Heaven
​

Snowdrop...  Consolation; A friend in adversity

Sorrel...  Parental Affection

Speedwell...  Fidelity

Spindle Tree...  Your charms are graven on my heart

Star of Bethlehem...  Reconciliation; Purity

Straw, Broken...  Quarrel

Strawberry...  Perfect excellence    

Sumach...  Splendid misery

Sunflower, Tall...  Lofty and wise thoughts

Sunflower...  False riches

Sunflower, Dwarf...  Adoration

Sweet Flag...  Fitness

Sweet Pea...  A meeting

Sweet Sultan...  Happiness

Sweet William...  Gallantry; Finesse; Dexterity    

Syringa...  Memory; Fraternal love

Sycamore...  Curiosity

Tare...  Vice

Teasel...  Misanthropy

Thistle...  Austerity

Thorn Apple...  Disguise

Thrift...  Sympathy

Thyme...  Activity

Tremella...  Resistance

Tube Rose...  Dangerous Pleasure; Vuluptuousness; Sweet Voice

Tulip, Variegated...  Beautiful eyes    

Tulip, Red...  Declaration of love    

Valerian, Common...  Accomodating disposition

Valerian...  Facility

Venus's Looking Glass...  Flattery

Verbena...  Sensibility; Sensitiveness

Verbena, Purple...  I weep for you; Regret

Verbena, White...  Purity; Candor; Modesty

Vervain...  Enchantment

Vernal Grass...  Poor, but happy

Vetch...  I cling to thee

Violet, Blue...  Faithfulness

Violet, White...  Purity; Candor; Modesty

Volkamenia...  May you be happy

Wall Flower...  Fidelity in misfortune

Weeping Willow...  Melancholy

Wheat...  Wealth

Whortleberry...  Treachery

Willow, Common...  Forsaken

Willow Herb...  Pretension

Wood Sorrel...  Joy

Woodbine...  Fraternal love

Wormwood...  Absence

Yarrow...  Cure for the heartache

Yew...  Sadness

Zinnia...  I mourn your absence    

If you liked this page, you might also enjoy the following:

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A Plea For the Old-Fashioned Lavender (1880)

Marguerite (Poem—1886)

Language and Sentiment of Flowers (1891)
​
Out-door Botanizing (1878)

In a seaport town in the late 19th-century Pacific Northwest, a group of friends find themselves drawn together —by chance, by love, and by the marvelous changes their world is undergoing.  In the process, they learn that the family we choose can be just as important as the ones we're born into.  Join their adventures in

The Tales of Chetzemoka

First Wheel in Town:
A Victorian Cycling Club Romance​​
In the summer of 1881, a Pacific Northwest town is buzzing with curiosity over a mysterious package received by handsome young Dr. Brown. Kitty Butler, the town dressmaker, is as curious as anyone else. She only knows one thing about that crate in the post office: everyone else's guesses about its contents are all wrong. 

When Dr. Brown unpacks the crate and reveals the first bicycle the town has ever seen, he wants to share his enthusiasm for this revolutionary new piece of technology —but encounters overwhelming hostility instead of the excitement he'd expected. The only one who seems positively interested is the pretty young widow Kitty Butler, and Dr. Brown soon realizes how much he needs her support…

Love Will Find A Wheel:
A Victorian Cycling Club Romance

            "I'm sure he'll be glad you're here —once he gets used to it." 
            When Jacob Simmons arrives in Washington Territory in the summer of 1882 and receives a glacial reception from his uncle Silas, he appreciates Dr. Brown's encouraging prediction but doesn't have much faith in it.  Jacob's not even sure Silas will have time to get used to his presence, let alone consider him welcome.  If the young man can't meet the draconian requirements of a contract with his business investors, he'll face exile and financial ruin, thus fulfilling old Silas' prediction that he would be just as dismal a failure as his father.  His whole future rests on finding a market for a remarkable new machine —and he'll need help selling them.
                                                                                     ***
            Addie Kellam is an incredibly lonely young woman.  She's more comfortable with books than with other people, yet she longs for the sort of romance she reads about in stories.  It's something she fears she'll never experience herself, since even friendship seems elusive.  She envies the cameraderie her brother finds in his cycling club, but the only bicycles in the town of Chetzemoka are specifically designed for men.  There aren't any wheels for women anywhere —are there?

​
A Rapping At The Door:
A Victorian Cycling Club Suspense Story

         When the delivery of a mysterious letter to Silas Hayes' mansion is followed by the arrival of a beautiful young woman who claims she can communicate with the dead, Nurse McCoy sniffs trouble in the wind. It's obvious to her that the newcomer is after Silas' fortune, but he is helplessly in awe of the medium's eerily intimate knowledge of his past and her seemingly supernatural abilities. Meanwhile, Kitty Brown's yearning to reach out to the departed spirit of her first love is making her push away her new husband, just when she needs him the most. The whole situation is a dreadful mess, and McCoy's got to straighten it all out before Silas' nephew and his bride come back from their honeymoon. Honestly, she doesn't know how any of the fools in this world would get along without her…

Delivery Delayed:
A Victorian Cycling Club Romance

It's obvious to everyone in the Chetzemoka cycling club that Lizzie and Isaac could make each other very happy —but does anyone really listen to their friends about affairs of the heart?  A prim schoolmarm and a stoic steamship captain are hardly the people to discuss their sentiments, especially with each other.  The smallest challenges seem like huge obstacles, even with everyone else trying their best to bring them together.  When progress finally seems possible, a well-intentioned little girl steps in with the kind of help they'd be better off without.  Will the situation be resolved in time, or will Isaac ship out for good?

*****

Love's Messenger
A Choice Collection of 
Victorian Love Poetry

The verses embraced within these pages have been kissed awake after a long slumber.  Copied from the fragile pages of nineteenth-century books and magazines, they are the whispers of lovers long entranced.  In this beautifully diverse collection of Victorian love poetry high-born ladies and their eloquent beaux keep company with simple maids whose sweethearts pledge their love in simpler —and often much funnier— terms.  Prepare for your happy sighs to be joined by occasional giggles while you hold this book close to your heart.
 
Compiled, edited and introduced by Sarah A. Chrisman, author of the charming Tales of Chetzemoka historical fiction series, This Victorian Life, Victorian Secrets, and others.

Quotations of Quality
A Commonplace Book of Victorian Advice, Wit, and Observations on Life Eloquent statements are like the seeds of beautiful flowers: in the fertile garden of the mind they grow and blossom into inspiration, reflection, and rewarding conversations. The Victorian era was a time when people expressed themselves skillfully and beautifully, and the writings of that age are a rich legacy from the past. This little volume is a collection of sentiments on an array of subjects, among them:

Books: "A minute's reading often provokes a day's thinking." —W.H. Venable, 1872. "Books are those faithful mirrors that reflect to our minds the minds of sages and heroes. A good book is the precious life-blood of a master spirit treasured up on a purpose for a life beyond." —J.F. Spaunhurst, 1896.
Writing: "Every new book must have, in the consciousness of its author, a private history that, like the mysteries of romance, would if unfolded have an interest for the reader, and by unveiling the inner life of the volume show its character and tendencies." —Sarah Josepha Hale, 1866.
Language: "The [Ancient] Greeks said that barbarians did not speak, they twittered." —Charles DeKay, 1898.
The Sexes: "It is better for men, it is better for women, that each somewhat idealize the other." —Gail Hamilton, 1872.
Love: "True love is that which ennobles the personality, fortifies the heart, and sanctifies the existence. And the being we love must not be mysterious and sphinx-like, but clear and limpid as a diamond; so that admiration and attachment may grow with knowledge." —Henry Frédéric Amiel, 1880.
Optimism: "Refuse to dwell among shadows when there is so much sunshine in the world." —Hester M. Poole, 1888.
History: "The past is our wisest and best instructor. In its dim and shadowy outlines we may, if we will, discern in some measure those elements of wisdom which should guide the present and secure the welfare of the future." —Frederick Douglass, 1889.
Work: "Make the most of your brain and your eyes, and let no one dare tell you that you are devoting yourself to a low sphere of action." —Anonymous, late 19th-century

Keep this book in a place where its wisdom can refresh your spare moments, or buy a copy for a friend to brighten their day. May the flowers of thought thus planted bear rich fruit for you.

​Compiled and edited by Sarah A. Chrisman, author of The Tales of Chetzemoka, This Victorian Life, and others.

The Wheelman's Joy
Victorian Cycling Poetry and Words About Wheels
There is something inherently romantic about cycling, and there has been since the first riders set their wheels to the road. This collection of nineteenth-century poetry, prose quotes and bon-mots about cycling reflects both the ardent passion and the innocent affection cycling inspires. From the glory days of high-wheel cycling through the boom of the safety bicycle, riders were falling in love with their wheels, with new-found freedoms, and above all with each other. This delightful little collection tells of those days in their own words, and evokes sentiments which every cyclist will find timeless. Compiled edited and introduced by Sarah A. Chrisman, author of the charming Tales of Chetzemoka cycling club series, This Victorian Life, Victorian Secrets, and others.

Words For Parting
Victorian Poetry on Death and Mourning
 Love and grief and the two most private, and at the same time the most universal of all human emotions. It is for love that we remember the dead: love of their spirits, love of their vibrancy, love of the good deeds which they did and which live on after them. The poems in this collection were all written by grieving hearts who have now themselves passed over into that great mystery. We can not truly know what death is, yet we know it will come to all of us. In ancient times when a friend told the philosopher Socrates that his judges had sentenced him to death he responded, "And has not Nature passed the same sentence on them?"
          Inasmuch as there can ever be any comfort for those left behind, part of it lies in knowing that death is a reflection of life. When it comes we cry, then we take our first faltering steps towards understanding. In time we become accustomed to this manifold enigma which nature has given us, and then ultimately we look towards the future with hope.
          If this little book of poems may be of some help to those in sorrow by reminding them they are not alone, then it will have done its work.
​
          Compiled and edited by Sarah A. Chrisman, author of the Tales of Chetzemoka series, This Victorian Life, and others.

Victorian Secrets
(Non-fiction)
​

True Ladies
and
Proper Gentlemen

​

This Victorian Life
(Non-fiction)

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