The language of flowers

These flowers were nature’s gift to me thoughout the month of May … the peony and the iris have special meaning to me personally.

The next time you want to send a gift with a special message … “say it with flowers.” According to FactMonster.com, floriography is the language of flowers. Hundreds of flowers and trees have been given meanings and this site shares a small bouquet. For example, the iris below means “Power.”

I made another Google search and found on wikipedia.org that in floriography, peony means “Shame, bashfulness; Prosperity, honor (in China); and Masculinity, bravery (in Japan).

I have no clue what flower this is … It still grows unattended in one of my mom’s flowerbeds. (She moved into town. Good thing she only planted perennials, because I have a black thumb.)

Update: Thanks to blogger Sheila 365 for identifying this wildflower. It is evening primrose. (See comment below.)

I do know the pink is a peony because it is Indiana’s state flower, and for as long as I can remember it has been a favorite of my mother, grandmothers and great-grandmothers. I took this photo with my phone on Mother’s Day. (I don’t own a smart phone, so that’s the best I could do.) Personally, I prefer the meaning “Prosperity, honor (in China).”

And this is an iris, planted years ago by my mom. A large bouquet of these long-stemmed beauties would send a powerful message!

This is a wildflower I’m not sure about. So please feel free to I.D. it as well. If it is in the daisy chain, it means “We feel the same.”

Update: Blogger Deb Platt at TrekOhio.com also knows her wildflowers. This is daisy fleabane.

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