Florigraphy is known as the language of flowers. During the Victorian era, people often utilized flowers to declare their feelings. A romantic and “secret” way to communicate with members of the opposite sex, this custom developed into a language of flowers. This floral language was based on the traditions of older mythology and folklore.
There are many different modern versions of florigraphy to choose from. However, I wanted something with a little history. While researching this subject I came across several lists, all of which had been published in the late 1800s. By far, my most interesting find was an antique, massive “floral vocabulary” that was noted in the back of a modern-day gardening book, published about ten years ago. The modern author credited his source as belonging to a Miss Mary M. Griffin, from her book Drops from Flora’s Cup. My curiosity was piqued.
The full title of the book is Drops from Flora’s Cup, or the Poetry of Flowers. Published in Boston by G. W. Cottrell and Company, in the year 1845, Miss Griffin’s book is considered rare by both the author who perpetuated her work and the main branch of the St. Louis Public Library. As of the spring of 2001, there were no copies of it available within Missouri’s library systems. They could confirm that the book did indeed exist and that at one time the library did have a copy of it. Unfortunately, that might have been as long as over one hundred years ago.
This sent me on a quest for other antique “language of the flowers” lists. But where to find them? I contacted the Missouri Botanical Garden’s library and hit paydirt. The gracious ladies who work there informed me that they had at least thirteen books on the subject, many dating from Victorian times. The books were not available to check out, however they did have a copy machine. Was I interested? I assured them that I was. As soon as our work schedules permitted, my husband and I coordinated our days off and drove into the city to see what we could find.
We spent some interesting hours at the botanical library. You’d be amazed at what you discover when you look hard enough. There is older information on folklore and magick. Contrary to what you may have been told, you can uncover interesting magickal folklore that was published before the 1980s. Yes, sometimes it is over-romanticized or prejudiced, but it is there. I feel that a good-natured warning is appropriate here. When searching through antique books, you need to keep your sense of humor handy. You will need it.
During the time period of the mid to late 1800s, the Druids, it seems, were looked upon as noble, romantic figures, while witches were considered thoroughly evil. (No big surprise there.) When I found an entire chapter dedicated to plants used by witches in their “cruel sorcery,” not to mention their “nefarious trade,” I grumbled and hissed.
Nefarious trade? Oh, please . . . My husband just grinned at me, quietly made a rude remark, and made me laugh. Still, we kept researching. I took many notes and found some interesting information on faeries, weather lore, and floral love charms.
Many of the flower folklore books at the botanical library were indeed over 120 years old and fragile. Filled with the fanciful style of poetry that was popular at the time and some beautiful color plates of botanical drawings, what I would have given for a color copier! A few of the books that had floral languages matched up word for word with Mary Griffin’s. It is interesting to note that these books had been published approximately twenty to forty years later than Griffin’s.
I believe that Miss Griffin’s work deserves to see the light of day once again. Her original floral vocabulary is immense, and many of the plants are difficult to find. Listed below are some highlights of the more familiar plants. From Mary M. Griffin’s Drops from Flora’s Cup, in the language of the period (1845).
Miss Mary's Floral Vocabulary
Allysum: Worth beyond beauty
Angelica: Inspiration
Aster: Beauty in retirement
Bachelor's Button: Hope in misery
Betony (Lamb's Ear): Surprise
Bluebell: Constancy
Buttercup: Ingratitude
Chamomile: Energy in adversity
Chrysanthemum: Cheerfulness
Clematis: Mental beauty
Columbine: Folly
Coreopsis: Ever cheerful
Daffodil: Delusive hope
Daisy: Innocence
Dahlia: Dignity and elegance
Dandelion: Oracle
Dogwood: Durability
Elder: Compassion
Elm: Dignity
Fern: Symmetry
Fennel: Strength
Forget-Me-Not: True love
Foxglove: I am ambitious for your sake
Fuchsia: Confiding love
Geranium, Rose: Preference
Geranium, Scarlet: Consolation
Heartsease (Pansy): Think of me
Heliotrope: Devotion
Honeysuckle: Bonds of love
Ice Plant: Your looks freeze me
Iris: A message for you
Ivy: Friendship
Jasmine, White: Amiability
Jasmine, Yellow: Elegant gracefulness
Larkspur: Fickleness
Lavender: Acknowledgment
Lilac: First emotion of love
Lily of the Valley: Return of happiness
Lily, White: Purity and modesty
Love-in-a-mist: Perplexity
Magnolia: Love of nature
Marigold: Inquietude
Mimosa: Sensitiveness
Peony: Ostentation
Periwinkle: Sweet remembrances
Phlox: We are united
Primrose, Pink: I am more onstant than thou
Rosemary: Remembrance
Rose: Beauty
Sage: Domestic virtues
Snapdragon: Presumption
Tansy: Resistance
Thistle: I will never forget thee
Thyme: Activity
Tulip: Declaration of love
Verbana: Sensibility
Violet, Blue: Modesty
Violet, White: Candor
Witch Hazel: A spell
Yarrow: Thou alone canst cure
Zinnia: Absence
A kiss of the sun for pardon,
The song of the birds for mirth,
One is nearer God’s heart in a garden
Than anywhere else on earth.
Dorothy Frances Gurney
Cottage Flower Folklore
Old cottage gardens were thickly planted with flowers and herbs, not only for their appearance but for their magickal properties. Part of the tradition and mystique of the wisewoman was her cottage garden stuffed full of aromatic and mysterious herbs and plants. Oldfashioned, romantic, and a reminder of less-complicated times, cottage-style gardens are once again becoming popular.
Forget the slick, modern, and formal garden. A cottage garden places the emphasis on comfort and easy maintenance. There are no hard and fast rules on plant arrangement and color combinations in cottage gardening. Do you like orange marigolds and purple petunias together? Go ahead. Plant some silvery betony (lamb’s ears) with them as a neutral blending color and enjoy. A cottage garden offers a miscellany of plants, all with different heights, colors, textures, and bloom times. Vegetables, flowers, and herbs may be grown together in a whimsical arrangement. The more the merrier!
A cottage garden can be any size and shape. Think of an enchanted garden, complete with ivied walls and old clay pots overflowing with flowers . . . rustic privacy fences for seclusion or charming white picket fences to frame the garden . . . trellises and arbors that support climbing roses, clematis, and morning glories . . . a bird bath for the songbirds to splash about in, and . . . oops! Sorry, I got carried away. Back to cottage garden flowers.
When choosing plants for your new co
ttage garden, or for pumping up your established garden, look for easy-to-grow varieties. Be sure to add wildflowers that are native to your area, such as California poppies for the West Coast or purple coneflowers for the Midwest.
Roses in cottage gardens are traditional. If you’re leery of growing roses, consider English or Rugosa roses for a low-maintenance rose. Usually disease resistant, they require no spraying and are more cold hardy than fussier hybrid teas. Rugosa and some varieties of English roses may only bloom once per season; however, they are carefree and their blooms are very old-fashioned.
The symbolism of cottage garden flowers can be a useful tool for the garden witch. Growing a magickal garden is easy if we know something of the old flower folklore. Refer to this list of blooming shrubs, garden plants, and flowers as you design spells of your own creation. You may care to coordinate these flowers with color magick for an extra boost. This fragrant vocabulary may include the following nostalgic favorites.
“We can talk,” said the Tiger-lily,
“when there’s anybody worth talking to.”
Lewis Carroll,
Through the Looking Glass (1871)
The Language of Cottage Flowers
Alyssum: Sweet purity
Apple Blossom: Beauty and goodness
Astilbe: Earthly pleasures
Azalea, White: First love
Balloon Flower: Faraway friends
Begonia: Premonition
Black-eyed Susan: Fairness
Bleeding Heart: Brokenhearted
Bee Balm: Irresistible
Bridal Wreath Spriea: Victory
Butterfly Bush: Wantonness
Caladium: Joy
Carnation, Pink: Encouragement
Carnation, Red: Passion
Carnation, White: Pure devotion
Cinquefoil: Beloved daughter
Cockscome: Humor
Coneflower, Purple: Skill and resilience
Coral Bells: Study and hard work
Crepe Myrtle: Eloquence
Daylily: Siren
Dusty Miller: Respected grandmother
Enchanter's Nightshade: Witchcraft
Evening Primrose: Humble devotion
Everlasting Flower: Death of hope
Fern: Tempestuous passion
Feverfew: Protection
Flowering Almond: Hope
Forsythia: Good nature
Hollyhock: Enthusiasm and zeal
Hosta: Devotion
Hydrangea: Moodiness
Impatiens: Speed
Lamb's Ear: Support
Lavender: Distrust
Lemon Balm: Health
Lupin: Overassertiveness
Meadowsweet: Lovely bride
Mock Orange: Virgin bride
Morning Glory: Greet the new day
Nigella: Kiss me
Pansy, Purple: Happy memories
Pinks (Dianthus): Forever lovely
Plum (Blossoms): Fertility
Pussy Willow: Friendship
Queen Anne's Lace: Return home
Quince: Temptation
Rose: Love
Santolina: Protection from harm
Sedum: Peace
Sunflower: Royalty
Sweet Pea: Tenderness
Sweet Woodruff: Eternal life
Tansy: Safe pregnancy
Tiger Lily: Erotic love
Trumpet Flower: Fiery passion
Verbena: Spellbound
Vervain: Witchcraft
Weigela (Bloom): A heart that’s true
Yarrow: Witch’s herb
Zinnia: Faraway friends
I met a Lady in the Meads
Full beautiful, a fairy’s child
Her hair was long, her foot was light
And her eyes were wild—
Keats
Flowers for the Lady: Goddesses and Associated Plants
If you are calling on a particular goddess, it certainly doesn’t hurt to have as many things in sympathy with her as you can find. I have found that the Lady seems to appreciate the extra work and thoughtfulness of the gesture. Most modern magickal books have a candle and color correspondence chart, and the text will tell you what lunar associations the goddesses have. But what about plant, flower, and even fruit correspondences for the ladies? Those are harder to find. Never fear, I’ve got some for you.
In keeping with our backyard magick, these everyday plants are easy to obtain. The fruit shouldn’t be any more difficult to produce (sorry, bad pun) than a trip to the grocery store. If you have trouble locating vervain, try growing annual flowering verbena—you may use those brightly colored blooms as a substitute.
Artemis: Artemesia, daisy, and cypress
Astraea: Aster, Michaelmas daisy
Bast: Catnip
Brighid or Bride: Dandelion, crocus, helebores, and blackberries
Cerridwen: Vervain/verbena
Demeter or Ceres: Red poppy, wheat
Diana: Apple, rue, and rose
Freya: Maidenhair fern, daisy, rose, primrose, and strawberries
Hathor: Rose, grapes
Hecate: Cyclamen, willow, and monkshood (aconite)
Hera: Iris, willow, and apples
Holda: Rose in full bloom
Iris (Greek goddess of the rainbow): Iris (in all colors), rose
Isis: Rose, heather, and purple iris
Lady of Guadalupe: Red and pink roses, poinsettias
Lilith: Lily; deep-red, thorny, garden-style roses; and the willow
Minerva: Thistle, olive, and mulberries
Nephthys: Lily
Persephone: Parsley, pomegranate
Selene: Rose, bluebell, nicotiana, and all white and night-blooming flowers
Venus or Aphrodite: Violet, morning glory, rose, and all true blue flowers
The more simple we are,
the more complete we become.
August Rodin
Flower Fascinations: The Art of Simpling
Fascination is defined as “to bewitch and hold spellbound by an irresistible power.” Flower fascinations are elementary flower spells and charms for various magickal uses.
A simple is described as a medicine plant. A simple is also known as a basic element, having only one ingredient, such as a flower or an herb. The yarrow love charm in chapter 8 is one example of a simple. The art of simpling consists of working with select magickal herbs and flowers. You can sew them up into charm bags, or fashion flowers, foliage, and herbs into a small enchanted bouquet, or posy.
Working within the legacy of the folklore of plants, you can create your own simples and flower fascinations. Try herbs for protection and prosperity, or flowers for love and healing. These flower fascinations and charms, of my own design, were inspired by my research into the 1800s flower folklore. Work these enchantments with positive intentions and they will make you smile. Basically, these are fun, fast, and—dare I say it?—simple.
A small nosegay of lily of the valley, bleeding hearts, and violets, arranged in a tiny jar, will bestow blessings from the faeries and help cheer you up after a hard day at work. Tie the flowers up with a white satin ribbon, and breathe in the scent! (All of these flowers should be blooming at the same time in your garden, late April through early May.) My daughter calls these miniature flower arrangements “faery bouquets.”
Faery posy of white, pink, and blue
Help me out here, my boss is a shrew.
Safe now at home, I’m so glad to be
Rid me of anger and negativity.
Walking around a blooming snapdragon three times in
a widdershins (counterclockwise) direction is thought to cure you of any bewitchment. Likewise, a few stems of snapdragons in a vase will help to protect you from manipulative intentions.
An archaic example of a simple is to place snapdragon seeds inside of a small blue linen bag and wear the bag around your neck. This will prevent any negative energy from affecting you. Nowadays, tuck the little bag in your pocket or purse. Try this charm to go along with it.
Snapdragon seeds in a pouch of blue,
I request your magick, my need is true.
Now protect me from hatred, send evil away,
Lord and Lady, bless and guide me each day.
Heliotrope has the folk name of “cherry pie,” and was thought to grant the power of invisibility. If you plant this herb in the garden close to the area where you perform magick, it will help you to keep a low magickal profile. Your discreet magickal actions should pass unnoticed by those curious neighbors or your in-laws. (Of course, if you are lighting a huge bonfire and the coven is dancing around the backyard skyclad on Friday nights, I don’t know how effective this will be.) Ahem. Anyway, try planting this perennial in the waning moon. As you add this herb to your gardens, intone the following:
Heliotrope was called cherry pie,
Help shield my magick from mundane eyes.
By the dark of the moon and power of the sun,
Grant me privacy and peace, an’ let it harm none.
A decorative broom adorned with ribbons, dried yarrow, and rosemary would be a excellent gift for a wedding or a handfasting. The herb yarrow was thought to have the power to keep a couple happily together for seven years. Rosemary signifies faithfulness and remembrance.
Place a clover in your lover’s shoe before they leave on a trip, and they will remain faithful during their absence.
Carry the flowers of the blue bachelor's buttons’ in your pocket to draw success in love. (This is another example of a Venus flower hard at work.)
Keeping a few acorns in your pocket is a charm for fertility, love, and attraction.
A blooming redbud tree contains great magick. In areas of the Ozarks, it was once thought that to cut branches off a redbud while the tree was in bloom would call down extreme bad luck on yourself. Instead, try tying a ribbon on a blossoming branch as you make a wish.