For weddings, flowers are an expression of joy.  If you are in the doghouse with your sweetheart, flowers can symbolize an effort at peacemaking or an apology. When given on Mother’s Day they can signify respect and the love for a parent, but they can also express sorrow and sympathy at the passing of someone. The versatility of flowers can be seen in their use as a gift anytime, but perhaps the most recognized use of floral gifts is on Valentine’s Day, when they’re given as a symbol of love and passion.

According to the American Society of Florists, “of fresh flower purchases only, Valentine’s Day ranks number one, capturing 36 per cent of holiday transactions and 40 per cent of dollar volume. Valentine’s Day is the number one holiday for florists.” Of those sales, 39 per cent are red roses, 34 per cent are mixed flowers, 27 per cent are roses in a colour other than red, 26 per cent are other types of flowers such as tulips, carnations and lilies and 16 per cent are potted plants.

Floral gifts date back to the 1700s, when Charles II of Sweden introduced Europe to the Persian custom of speaking through flowers. Victorian times in England also saw the most enthusiastic and significant development of the language of flowers or floriography, as it was during this era various flowers and/or arrangements were used to send coded messages. This allowed people to express feelings not allowed to be spoken, in a period when even saying the word “leg” in public was taboo. Verbal or written communication of emotion was also proscribed, and so the language of flowers flourished.

While floriography has faded somewhat in its everyday use, parts of the language of flowers are still very much en vogue and used to express certain feelings or sentiments. Roses are perhaps the most popular floral symbols on Valentine’s Day. Red roses are best known for their message of deep and passionate love as well as beauty, courage and respect. But the Victorians also used many other rose colours in their flower language. Yellow roses were thought to symbolize jealousy. In their book, The Meaning of Flowers, authors Gretchen Scoble and Ann Field refer to yellow roses in the “western United States speaking of love familiar, humble native to the land. The humble yellow rose was immortalized in a popular cowboy song: ‘The yellow rose of Texas is the only rose for me.’ ”

White roses suggested to the Victorians the virtues of purity and silence. A bouquet of white and red roses symbolizes unity. Red and yellow together indicate joy, happiness and excitement. Meanwhile, pink roses speak to grace—with dark pink to gratitude and light pink to desire, joy of life, youth and energy.

Colours are not the only language of roses, quantities sent also send a message. A single red rose sends a message of love, a single white stem says “I’m sorry”, a single peach rose tells someone they are your friend, a single pink rose says “thanks” and a single black rose means the relationship is over. A single thornless rose tells a tale of falling in love at first sight.

While roses have been a very popular choice for Valentine’s Day, many other flowers grace bouquets for this special occasion and each have their own meaning. Some of the common floral varieties used in bouquets, arrangements or on their own include:

-Carnations: Another popular choice for Valentine’s Day and each colour has its own meaning. Pink is a woman’s love, white shows disdain, purple is capriciousness, red says “my heart aches for you,” yellow means rejection or disappointment and a striped carnation means refusal.

-Iris: These flowers can also be used to convey deep sentiments. According to The Meaning of Flowers, the iris brings a message of hope or sorrow. Others say the flower’s primary messages include faith, wisdom, courage and admiration.

-Orchids are another popular floral gift. The Meaning of Flowers gives a single word for what orchids symbolize—ecstasy.-Lilies: White lilies symbolize purity while red mean high aspirations.

-Tulips are another popular flower used by the Victorians in their secret language. Red tulips symbolize a declaration of love, yellow a hopeless one, blue means faithfulness and white, modesty.

-Heather is a popular filler flower for arrangements. Red heather symbolizes promised passion says The Meaning of Flowers.

As most people do not know the underlying language of a floral gift, why not enhance the flowers you are giving with a card that explains what the flowers are saying? The language of flowers is truly a beautiful one, so use it to send your innermost thoughts to a loved one or someone whose eye you are trying to catch. Make this Valentine’s Day an occasion where flowers do the talking.