Flowers For Every Valentine: Learn The Other Language of Love

This Valentine’s Day, we put together a list of our favorite alternative ways to say “I love you” with flowers that aren’t generic red roses. Consulting the 1834 edition of the iconic Language of Flowers, we came up with the following inspirations. Whether you’re sending flowers to a lifelong friend or a new romantic partner, we’ve got you covered.

Woodbine — “Fraternal Love”

Woodbine, another name for honeysuckle, is the symbol for fraternal love. It is associated with close bonds of love because of the way it grows, “clinging” to fences and walls. Among cultures across the world (everyone from the Druids to Native Americans), honeysuckle is considered a portent of good luck and fidelity.

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White Lilac — “First Love”

With its pale color, white lilacs are a logical emblem for the innocence of first love. The mythology of lilacs is somewhat less wholesome: the Greek god Pan, enamored by the beauty of the nymph Syringa (the genus for lilac), chased her down until she transformed into a lilac to escape his advances. Her beauty, it is said, lives on in lilac’s sweet fragrance.

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Myrtle — “I Love You”

Sacred to the goddess Aphrodite (the Greek goddess of love), the myrtle flower is used to convey love at its most essential, with the three words, “I love you”. Among the English royal family, it is tradition to carry myrtle in the bride’s wedding bouquet. But not just any myrtle: this myrtle is sourced from Queen Victoria’s 175 year old garden.

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Tuberose — “Distance Strengthens the Bond of Love”

Closely associated with nightfall, twilight, and death, the tuberose has the most sinister connotations of all the flowers in this list. (Victorians often placed them on grave sites.) Tuberose, when cut, symbolizes how distance can strengthen the bond of love, speaking to the passion the gifter feels towards the recipient.

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Rose of Winter — “Platonic Love”

Known also as Camellia Japonica, the Rose of Winter connotes platonic love. Camellias in general are associated with the Chinese New Year, while in Japan (the country to which it is native), camellias invite business success and luxury. According to legend, the first cup of tea in China used camellia leaves. Emperor Shennong would boil his water as a sanitary precaution and while he was enjoying a cup under a camellia tree, a gust of wind blew a few leaves into his glass, ushering in the tradition we all enjoy today.

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Dwarf Sunflower — “Devotedness”

Dwarf sunflowers– the stouter cousin of sunflowers– signify devotedness. This meaning originates in a Greek myth that tells of a nymph so enamored with Apollo (the sun god) that she would watch him, unblinking, from dawn til dusk, moving only to watch him cross from one horizon to the other. But her love went unrequited– Apollo grew angry at her constant watchfulness and transformed her into a flower. Yet even death could not stay her gaze; the sunflower still turns each day to watch the sun make its way across the sky.

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Heath — “Love of Solitude”

Not to be confused with heather, heath communicates a love of solitude. The plant is highly regarded among Scottish, whose early Iron Age and Medieval ancestors (the Picts) were known for their heath beer. As Christians arrived to convert the Picts, a great deal of blood was shed on the Scottish hills (where heath is known to grow), thus showering the plant with “heathen” blood. With time, “heathen” was shortened to “heath,” the name by which the plant is known today.

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Houseleek — “Friendship for Life”

The houseleek– also known as a live-forever— exemplifies friendship for life. Known for its durability and luck, the French emperor Charlemagne ordered Houseleek to be grown on roofs (as it had been in ancient times) to offer protection against witches, lightening, and fire.

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Yarrow — “Cure for Love”

Named for Achilles (Achillea millefolium) who allegedly used it to heal his wounds on the battlefield, yarrow is known as a cure for love. It is believed to have therapeutic qualities, and is sometimes used in place of hops in brewing. In China, yarrow stalks are used in traditional I Ching divination.

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