Flowers & herbs and their meaning

Design and InstallationGarden Caregarden TriviaIndoor plantsPlant Health Care
Written By Peter Morris

What do yellow roses mean ? How about red roses  ?  The language of flowers has been around forever.  Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, and Chinese myths are all full of the subtle meaning of flowers.We nowadays give flowers to our moms for Mother Day or to our loved one for St Valentines - as an expression of love.  Victorians were really into this as well and had all sorts of guides to decipher the meaning of flowers. They even used flowers to deliver a silent message.  Below is a list of a few common flowers and herbs and their meaning. I invite you to Google this ! It's fascinating !!! 

Houseplants

Amaryllis

Pride

Cyclamen

Resignation

Fern

Magic

Gardenia

Secret love

Hibiscus

Beauty

Jasmine, white

Sweet love

Lady’s Slipper

Capricious

Herbs

Sweet Basil

Good wishes

Borage

Blunt

Chamomile

Patience

Chives

Usefulness

Coriander

Merit

Dill

Powerful against evil

Fennel

Flattery

Lavender

Distrust

Lemon balm

Sympathy

Marjoram

Joy

Mint

Virtue

Oregano

Substance

Parsley

Festivity

Rosemary

Remembrance

Sage

Wisdom

Thyme

Courage

Garden plants

Anemone

Forsaken

Angelica

Inspiration

Arborvitae

Friendship

Aster

Daintiness

Bachelor’s button

Single blessedness

Black-eyed Susan

Justice

Clematis

Intelligence

Columbine

Foolishness

Coreopsis

Always cheerful

Crocus

Youthful gladness

Daffodil

Unequalled Love

Dahlia

Good taste

Daisy

Innocence

Forget-me-not

True love memories

Goldenrod

Good fortune

Holly

Foresight

Purple Hyacinth

Sorrow

Yellow Hyacinth

Jealousy

Hydrangea

Heartlessness

Hyssop

Cleanliness

Iris

A message

Ivy

Fidelity

Lily-of-the-valley

Sweetness, purity, pure love

Marigold

Despair

Morning glory

Affection

Nasturtium

Patriotism

Oak

Strength

Pansy

Thoughts

Peony

Bashful

Pine

Humility

Rhododendron

Danger

Rose, red

Love

Rose, pink

Happiness

Rose, white

I’m worthy of you

Rose, yellow

Jealousy

Salvia, blue

I think of you

Salvia, red

Forever mine

Snapdragon

Graciousness

Sunflower

Haughtiness

Sweet pea

Delicate pleasures

Tulip, red

Passion

Tulip, yellow

Sunshine in your smile

Willow

Sadness

Yarrow

Everlasting love

Violet

Loyalty

Zinnia

Thoughts of absent friends

Cut flowers

Apple blossom

Preference

Red carnation

Alas for my poor heart

White carnation

Innocence

Pink carnation

I’ll never forget you

Striped carnation

Refusal

Yellow carnation

Disdain

Mum, red

I love you

Mum, yellow

Slighted love

Mum, white

Truth

Gladiolus

Remembrance

Hollyhock

Ambition

Lily, calla

Beauty

Plant Specialists' team of talented gardeners can shower you with plants that will evoke the senses! 

Personally I'm planting lots of Dill !!!!!!  How about you ?

PLANT SPECIALISTS

GREENING NEW YORK FOR OVER 51 YEARS !

  Article written by our Staff Horticulturist, Peter B Morris, BSc, MSc, MBAAll photographs used with permission @SHUTTERSTOCK  

Peter Morris

Peter was born and raised on a beautiful green island in the midst of a tropical rainforest. He was introduced into the world of plants at the age of six when his grandmother, an avid Spanish gardener herself, asked him to help her grow seeds for her pepper garden. He was hooked! By the time he was a teen, he had his own rose and orchid collection numbering in the hundreds. Botany was in his blood, and that is what he set out to study.

His passion brought him to NY in the late seventies to further his education. His tenacity allowed him to work full time at Plant Specialists while he completed a MS in Plant Biology. As a manager at the time he felt unsatisfied with his knowledge of business and business processes. Peter felt compelled to learn, so he then pursued and completed an MBA in Quality Management within a few short years.

Peter’s other passion is teaching. His natural ability is quickly consumed by our staff in all subjects in Botany, Horticulture, and Landscaping. He created an immense reference library of more than 3,500 plants providing an invaluable resource for our staff.

Peter’s breadth of knowledge and wisdom allows him to effectively diagnose the needs of plants. Sometimes just by walking into a garden he can create a prescription that fixes even the hardest issue. He is our Staff Botanist, Diagnostician, and all around Mentor. Recently, he has put his immense knowledge and skills into developing a new department that focuses on Plant Healthcare. As he puts it, “Magic through Science”. The PHC staff that surround him have avidly consumed his teachings. Substantially developing their own plant wisdom, many have taken on difficult plant health issues with spectacular results.

Plant Healthcare has been an instant success with customers! The proper treatment of insects and diseases including Organic methods has made pest control a necessity for every plant. Correcting hormonal imbalances caused by planting in containers or refurbishing soils leached of nutrients by irrigation systems are big challenges PHC has become quite comfortable addressing. The scientific approach to the complex demands of keeping plants healthy in our harsh city environment has made many a customer say WOW!

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