Bringing back the posy

I’ve been drawn to the meanings of flowers, the Victorian way of sending messages through a gathering of certain flowers. The “posy”, as it were, conveyed feelings of love, loss, friendship and forgiveness. I’m sure there were many more sentiments conveyed in these little tufts of florals but it was a very tricky thing to get right. After all, one would hope the recipient had the same knowledge and reference as to a flowers meaning as the senders intent, or it could be a bit of a disaster! For example, blue lobelia sends a message of dislike. Hops, which I love using in arrangements, indicates apathy and a yellow chrysanthemum says “I cannot be with you”. Oops. Getting it right in the age of florals by courier must have been stressful and nail biting. Fast forward to our myriad ways of communicating in today’s world, I’m determined to bring back the posy as a way to connect to a simpler time and communicate in a beautiful, meaningful way. I’m excited to continue studying the meanings of flowers and planting specific varieties I can use in creating posies with a message.

A college student sendoff: Daphne (joy), Cedar (strength, drives negative energy away), Lavender (luck, happiness), Oregano (joy, kindness, happiness) Hydrangea (courageous woman, feminine vitality) Viburnum (a token of my love)