The Language of Flowers

Author: Vanessa Diffenbaugh
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ISBN: 0345525566
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 338

Book Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion, asters for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it’s been more useful in communicating mistrust and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings. Now eighteen and emancipated from the system with nowhere to go, Victoria realizes she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But an unexpected encounter with a mysterious stranger has her questioning what’s been missing in her life. And when she’s forced to confront a painful secret from her past, she must decide whether it’s worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness. Look for special features inside. Join the Circle for author chats and more. Praise for The Language of Flowers "Instantly enchanting . . . [Diffenbaugh] is the best new writer of the year."—Elle “I would like to hand Vanessa Diffenbaugh a bouquet of bouvardia (enthusiasm), gladiolus (you pierce my heart) and lisianthus (appreciation). In this original and brilliant first novel, Diffenbaugh has united her fascination with the language of flowers—a long-forgotten and mysterious way of communication—with her firsthand knowledge of the travails of the foster-care system. . . . This novel is both enchanting and cruel, full of beauty and anger. Diffenbaugh is a talented writer and a mesmerizing storyteller. She includes a flower dictionary in case we want to use the language ourselves. And there is one more sprig I should add to her bouquet: a single pink carnation (I will never forget you).”—Washington Post "A fascinating debut . . . Diffenbaugh clearly knows both the human heart and her plants, and she keeps us rooting for the damaged Victoria."—O Magazine "Diffenbaugh effortlessly spins this enchanting tale, making even her prickly protagonist impossible not to love."—Entertainment Weekly

A Victorian Flower Dictionary

Author: Mandy Kirkby
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ISBN: 0345532864
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 194

Book Description
“A flower is not a flower alone; a thousand thoughts invest it.” Daffodils signal new beginnings, daisies innocence. Lilacs mean the first emotions of love, periwinkles tender recollection. Early Victorians used flowers as a way to express their feelings—love or grief, jealousy or devotion. Now, modern-day romantics are enjoying a resurgence of this bygone custom, and this book will share the historical, literary, and cultural significance of flowers with a whole new generation. With lavish illustrations, a dual dictionary of flora and meanings, and suggestions for creating expressive arrangements, this keepsake is the perfect compendium for everyone who has ever given or received a bouquet.

The Complete Language of Flowers

Author: S. Theresa Dietz
Publisher: Wellfleet
ISBN: 1577152832
Category : Crafts & Hobbies
Languages : en
Pages : 258

Book Description
The Complete Language of Flowers is a comprehensive and definitive dictionary/reference presenting the history, symbolic meaning, and visual depiction of 1,001 flowers and botanicals from around the world in one volume—now in a pocket-size edition for easy, on-the-go reference.

The Language of Flowers

Author: Dena Seiferling
Publisher: Tundra Books
ISBN: 0735270546
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 29

Book Description
An adopted bumblebee learns the language of flowers from her floral family in this enchanting picture book, inspired by floriography, that celebrates one of nature's most important relationships. Deep within a magical meadow, some lonely flowers receive a very special gift: a baby bumblebee in need. The flowers name her Beatrice, they care for her and help her find her wings. And as she grows older, Beatrice learns the language of her floral family — messages of kindness and appreciation that she delivers between them. With each sweet word, the flowers bloom until the meadow becomes so big that Beatrice needs help delivering her messages and decides to set out in search of her own kind. But this little bee’s quest takes her beyond the safety of the meadow and into the dangerous swamp the flowers have warned her about, a swamp inhabited by strange plants with snapping jaws and terrible teeth . . . will these prickly plants let her pass? Could they just be in need of a little sweetness themselves? A gently fanciful tale of the miracle of pollination and the important relationship between flowers and bees, this sweetly affirming story, inspired by the Victorian practice of floriography, suggests the secret to flourishing is kindness and appreciation.

Floriography

Author: Jessica Roux
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ISBN: 1524866342
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 219

Book Description
A charming, gorgeously illustrated botanical encyclopedia for your favorite romantic, local witch, bride-to-be, or green-thumbed friend. Floriography is a full-color guide to the historical uses and secret meanings behind an impressive array of flowers and herbs. The book explores the coded significances associated with various blooms, from flowers for a lover to flowers for an enemy. The language of flowers was historically used as a means of secret communication. It soared in popularity during the 19th century, especially in Victorian England and the U.S., when proper etiquette discouraged open displays of emotion. Mysterious and playful, the language of flowers has roots in everything from the characteristics of the plant to its presence in folklore and history. Researched and illustrated by popular artist Jessica Roux, this book makes a stunning display piece, conversation-starter, or thoughtful gift.

The Language of Flowers

Author: Beverly Seaton
Publisher: University of Virginia Press
ISBN: 9780813934532
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 258

Book Description
The author traces the phenomenon of ascribing sentimental meaning to floral imagery from its beginnings in Napoleonic France through its later transformations in England and America. At the heart of the book is a depiction of what the three most important flower books from each of the countries divulge about the period and the respective cultures. Seaton shows that the language of flowers was not a single and universally understood correlation of flowers to meanings that men and women used to communicate in matters of love and romance. The language differs from book to book, country to country. To place the language of flowers in social and literary perspective, the author examines the nineteenth-century uses of flowers in everyday life and in ceremonies and rituals and provides a brief history of floral symbolism. She also discusses the sentimental flower book, a genre especially intended for female readers. Two especially valuable features of the book are its table of correlations of flowers and their meanings from different sourcebooks and its complete bibliography of language of flower titles. This book will appeal not only to scholars in Victorian studies and women's studies but also to art historians, book collectors, museum curators, historians of horticulture, and anyone interested in nineteenth-century popular culture.

The Secret Language of Flowers

Author: Samantha Gray
Publisher: CICO Books
ISBN: 9781800651937
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 128

Book Description
This beautifully-illustrated gift book reveals the hidden meanings of over 50 popular flowers. Did you know that the type of flowers you give can speak volumes? The Secret Language of Flowers is a fascinating insight into the Victorian tradition of using flowers to convey secret messages in a society where feelings often had to be suppressed. Samantha Gray reveals how over 50 blooms acquired their meanings in folklore and how they became the language of courtship, love, friendship, beauty, and more—discover how lily of the valley symbolizes the return of happiness, how bluebells stand for constancy and everlasting love, and how daffodils represent high regard and chivalry. With stunning illustrations by artist Sarah Perkins that capture all of the beauty of flowers, this is an exceptionally lovely and fascinating gift book.

The Language of Flowers

Author: Odessa Begay
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0062873210
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 347

Book Description
With gorgeous full-color illustrations, ornate decorative elements, lettering in metallic ink, and engaging text, The Language of Flowers: A Fully Illustrated Compendium of Meaning, Literature, and Lore for the Modern Romantic is a treasure for flower lovers. A sumptuous, contemporary anthology of 50 of the world's most storied and popular flowers, each of its entries offers insight to the meaning associated with the flower, and is a fascinating mix of foklore, classic mythology, literature, botanical information and popular culture. Following an introduction that provides a short history of the language of flowers, a fad which reached its peak during the reign of Queen Victoria, each uniquely illustrated and designed entry is an enjoyable read full of history and little-known facts. Here is the story of Tulipmania; how the pansy got its "face," and why the most particular pollination process of a certain orchid has made the vanilla bean a very dear commodity. You'll also dicover how Christian Dior's passion for lily of the valley inspired his classic perfume Diorissimo and its extraordinary bottle; why Oscar Wilde had a penchant for wearing green carnations in his lapel; and how Greeks and Romans believed snapdragons could ward off witchcraft, so they planted them at entryways to their homes. With more than a dozen two-page paintings evoking the romance of noteworthy Victorian gardens and symbolic bouquets, a cross-referenced index of flowers and meanings, and suggestions for further reading, this book is a must for lovers of floriology and Victoriana.

Language of Flowers - Illustrated by Kate Greenaway

Author:
Publisher: Read Books Ltd
ISBN: 1446548562
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 123

Book Description
This enchanting glossary of flowers, and their hidden meanings and symbols, is accompanied by Kate Greenaway’s wonderfully rich illustrations. This fascinating insight into a bygone era shares the traditional method of communication popularised in the Victorian age. Featuring 82 beautifully colour-illustrated pages, Language of Flowers reveals which plants are a declaration of war and which express true love. This volume is a treasure trove of charming and quaint artwork by the incredible children’s book illustrator Kate Greenaway.

The Language of Flowers

Author: Marina Heilmeyer
Publisher: Prestel Publishing
ISBN:
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 104

Book Description
"The author outlines the mythology of flowers in the ancient and early Christian worlds and explains their special significance for love and marriage, in customs and festivals and the use of flowers as status symbols, as symbols of the seasons of the year or as metaphors of human qualities. Thirty-five beautiful depictions of flowers taken from the Renaissance and Baroque periods are reproduced as full-page illustrations accompanied by descriptive texts which analyse their symbolism, mythological importance, use and meaning in our present times."--BOOK JACKET.