“Floriography” 101-Part 3

Last time I shared about the meanings of some more obscure flowers which might prove difficult for a florist in Northern Nevada to obtain. So today, I have decided to share about three more common flowers; ones which are more readily available to that florist in Northern Nevada!
The first one is the prominent Sunflower. I call it prominent because they are so easy to spot, both in a garden and in the wild. They are tall and stout, and in my humble opinion, they are quite regal. Have you ever noticed how the Sunflower’s head seems to droop or bow? This is because every day the Sunflower’s head does a 360 rotation. Every morning the Sunflower’s head starts out facing east. As the sun rises and moves from east to west, so does the head of the Sunflower! At the end of the day, it moves its head back to an eastward position to await the sunrise. This is one flower who is devoted to the sun! It only makes sense that in the flower-giving world, the Sunflower is a symbol of homage and/or devotion!

Another beautiful flower common to the floral industry is the Gladiolus. Its root word, gladius, means “a sword”. No wonder I find this flower to be quite majestic looking! The Gladiolus symbolizes strength of character. So it seems quite fitting to me that this flower is often used in funeral arrangements. What a wonderful way to honor someone who was strong and of good character.


And finally, I would like to talk about the Iris. No garden is complete without it. In full bloom, the bud fans out and is, thus, often called “the flag flower”. Each petal, as it fans out, provides a nice landing pad for the insects which come to pollinate it. The design of its bloom is very specific to the pollination process. With many flowers, much of the nectar necessary for pollination falls off as the insect removes itself from the bloom, but this is not so with the Iris, thus, making it quite hearty. In the flower-giving world the Iris is a symbol of faith and wisdom. No wonder I have always loved Irises!





Oh! And by-the-way, Irises come in a variety of colors and is often referred to as “the rainbow flower”! Interesting, indeed, if you’ve always thought that they only bloom in blue or purple!

With many warm and fragrant thoughts,
Lysa