The Little Book of Floriography

Floriography — the language of flowers — is the ancient art of encoding hidden messages in the type, colour and arrangement of plants, allowing individuals to express emotions and sentiments that they may not be able to articulate through words. Featuring 100 of the most popular and available blooms from around the world, this beautifully illustrated gift book gives the botanical name for each plant, a description of its significance and place in folklore, and the story behind its meaning. It also reveals how floral symbolism has been used over the centuries in literature and art, from Hamlet’s Ophelia handing out rosemary ’for remembrance’ and pansies ’for thoughts’, to Oscar Wilde urging his friends to wear green carnations as a subtle code for homosexuality. The idea that flowers have secret meanings would have been well understood by contemporary audiences — and we are seeing a revival of the practice today.