In addition to my reading within the romance genre, I spend a lot of time looking through primary sources from the nineteenth century for details to use in my own writing. I share a few snippets each month with my newsletter readers – click on over here if you’d like to join that crew. One of the texts I made use of in writing Anyone But the Earl was an 1850 reference for Victorian Flower Language called The Flower Vase: Containing the Language of Flowers, and Their Poetic Sentiments, by Sarah Carter Edgarton Mayo. I’ve collected Edgarton’s meanings into a Victorian Language of Flowers List here, for my reference and for yours. I even got fancy and made a printable pdf.
The poetic sentiments are, umm, flowery by modern standards, but I was amused by the different meanings assigned to some of the plants. Grass is for “Submission.” Presumably because it gets walked all over? Rose buds signify a “Confession of Love,” which makes more sense of Dorothy Parker’s snappy little poem, “One Perfect Rose.” My favorite entry is snapdragons: “You are dazzling, but dangerous”. Maybe I should add some snapdragons to my garden this year!
Victorian Language of Flowers List
Amaranth (Amaranthus) – Immortality
Anemone (Wind flower) – Frailty
Aster (Star flower) – Beauty in retirement
Acacia – Platonic Love
Apple Blossom (Pyrus) – Fame speaks you great and good
Ash (Fraxinus) – Grandeur
Alyssum – Worth beyond Beauty
Bachelor’s Button (Gomphrena) – Hope in Misery
Balm (Melissa nepeta) – Sweets of Social Intercourse
Balm of Gilead (Pupulus balsamifera) – I am cured
Balsam (Impatiens) – Impatience
Barberry (Berberis) – Petulance
Bay Leaf (Laurus) – I change but in dying
Birch (Betula) – Gracefulness
Bindweed (Convolvulus) – Humility
Blue Bell (Campanula) – Constancy
Box (Buxus) – Stoicism
Broome (Genista) – Neatness
Burdock (Arctium) – Importunity
Calla (Arum) – Feminine Modesty
Chamomile (Anthemis) – Energy in Adversity
Candytuft (Iberis) – Indifference
Cardinal Flower (Lobelia) – Distinction
Carnation (Dianthus) – Pride
Catchfly (Silene) – A snare
Cedar Tree (Juniperus) – Spiritual Strength
Cherry Blossom (Prunus) – Spiritual Beauty
China Aster – Your sentiments meet with a return
Chrysanthemum – A heart left to desolation
Columbine (Aquilegia) – I cannot give thee up
Corn (Zea mays) – Riches
Cowslip (Dodecatheon) – Native Grace
Coreopsis – Always cheerful
Coriander (Coriandrum) – Concealed Merit
Cypress (Cypressus) – Disappointed Hopes
Dandelion (Leontodon) – Coquetry
Dew-plant (Mesembryanthemum) – A Serenade
Everlasting (Gnalphium) – Always remembered
Evergreen (Wintergreen, Chirraphila, Pyrola, Gaultheria) – Poverty and Worth
Fir (Pinus) – Time
Flowering Reed (Canna augustifolia) – Confidence in Heaven
Forget-Me-Not (Viola cucula) – True Love
Foxglove (Digitalis) – I am not ambitious for myself, but for you
Fuchsia (Ladies’ Ear-drop) – Humble Love
Gentian (Gentiana) – Virgin Pride
Geranium – Rose (Pelagorium capitatum) – Preference
Geranium – Scarlet (Pelagorium inquinans) – Thou art changed
Geranium – Oak (Pelagorium quercifolium) – True Friendship
Geranium – Lemon (Pelagorium acerifolium) – Tranquility of Mind
Geranium – Silver-leaved (Pelagorium argentifolium) – Recall
Gilly Flower (Cheiranthus) – Lasting Beauty
Golden Rod (Solidago) – Encouragement
Grape (Vitis) – Charity
Grass (Gramina) – Submission
Hawthorn (Crataegus) – Hope
Hazel (Corylus) – Reconciliation
Heliotrope (Heliotropium) – Devotion
Hibiscus – Beauty is vain
Hollyhock (Alcea) – Ambition
Honeysuckle (Lonicera) – Fidelity
Hop (Humulus) – Injustice
Houstonia (Houstonia cerulea, Venus’ Pride) – Quiet Happiness
Hydrangea – Heartlessness
Ice plant (Mesembryanthemum) – You looks freeze me
Iris – A message
Ivy (Hedera) – I have found one true heart
Jasmine (Jasmimum) – Amiability
Jonquil (Narcissus) – Affection returned
King Cup (Ranunculus) – I wish I was rich
Laburnum (Cytisus) – Pensive Beauty
Lady’s Slipper (Cypripedium) – Capricious Beauty
Larkspur (Delphinium) – Inconstancy
Lavender (Lavendula) – Acknowledgement
Lemon (Citrus) – Discretion
Lettuce (Lactuta) – Cold-hearted
Lilac (Syringa) – First Emotion of Love
Lily – White (Lilium candidum) – Purity
Lily of the Valley (Convallaria) – The heart withering in secret
Locust (Robina) – Affection beyond the grave
Lupine (Lupinus) – Dejection, Sorrow
London Pride (Silene) – Frivolity
Mallow (Lavatera) – Sweet Disposition
Maple (Acer) – Reserve
Marigold (Calendula) – Contempt
Mignonette (Reseda odorata) – Moral and Intellectual Beauty
Mimosa – Sensitiveness
Moss (Sycopodium) – Maternal Love
Myrtle (Myrtus) – Love in Absence
Nasturtion [Nasturtium] (Tropaeolum) – Patriotism
Nightshade (Solanum) – Dark Thoughts
Oak (Quercus) – Hospitality
Oleander (Nerium) – Beware!
Orange Flowers (Citrus) – Woman’s Worth
Pansy (Viola tricolor) – Tender and pleasant thoughts
Passion Flower (Passiflora) – Religious Fervor
Pea – Everlasting (Lathyrus latifolia) – Wilt thou go?
Pea – Sweet (Lathyrus odoratus) – Departure
Peach Blossom (Amygdalus) – I am your captive
Petunia – Thou art less proud than they deem thee
Peony (Peonia) – Ostentation
Phlox – Our souls are united
Pine (Pinus) – Time and Faith
Pink – White (Dianthus albus) – Lovely and pure affection
Pink – Red (Dianthus rubeus) – Woman’s Love
Polyanthus (Primula auricula) – Confidence
Potato (Solanum) – Beneficence
Poppy (Papaver) – Forgetfulness
Primrose (Primula) – Modest Worth
Primrose – Evening (Oenotheria odorata) – I am more faithful than thou
Rose – Bud (Rosa) – Confession of Love
Rose – Bridal (Rubus rosafolius) – Happy Love
Rose – Burgundy (Rosa parvifolia) – Simplicity and Beauty
Rose – Damask (Rosa damascena) – Bashful Love
Rose – Moss (Rosa muscosa) – Superior Merit
Rose – Multiflora (Rosa multiflora) – Grace
Rose – White (Rosa alba) – Too young to love
Rose – Red-leaved (Rosa rubrifolia) – Diffidence
Sage – Domestic Virtues
Snapdragon (Antirrhinum) – You are dazzling, but dangerous
Snow-ball (Viburnum) – Thoughts of Heaven
Snowdrop (Galanthus) – I am not a summer friend
Star of Bethlehem (Ornithagalum) – Let us follow Jesus
Strawberry (Fragaria) – Perfect Excellence
Sumach (Rhus, Sumac) – Splendid Misery
Sunflower (Helianthus) – Smile on me still
Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus) – Gallantry
Syringia – Carolina (Philadelphus inodorus) – Memory
Thistle (Carduus) – Never forget
Tulip – Beautiful Eyes
Verbena – Sensibility
Violet (Viola) – Faithfulness
Vernal Grass (Anthoxanthum) – Poor but Happy
Wallflower (Cheiranthus) – Fidelity in Misfortune
Water Lily (Nymphae) – Eloquence
Willow (Salix) – Forsaken
Witch Hazel (Hamamelia virginica) – A Spell
Woodbine (Lonicera) – Fraternal Love
Yarrow (Achillea) – A cure for the heart ache
Zinnia – I mourn your absence
For Anyone But the Earl, I had the hero send chrysanthemums to the heroine, merely because they were in season. Then I discovered that they come with the tragic meaning of “a heart left to desolation” — a detail which ended up working into the plot quite nicely! The book will be out in mid-April, but if you want an early peek I do have 30 e-ARCs to send internationally and 3 print ARCs for North Americans! Fill out this Google form by March 31, 2019 for a chance at one.
