Gather Ye Rosebuds: Lessons from Yesteryear

Victorians.
A people of eloquence and chivalry. A picture of beauty and intricacy. A style I long for but can not afford! :-)
I love to watch movies set in Victorian times. I love the way the Victorians spoke. Not just their dialect (though that is wonderful too) but in the way that they speak. They speak with such refinement. Words were thought about and pondered, refined and shaped within the mind so as to bring forth from the lips the most powerful message with the most subtlety. Broad-sweeping statements were not carelessly thrown out, in fact, there was nothing careless about the Victorians.
Another such fascination is not what they spoke or how, but rather, what they did NOT speak, and why. Gestures and images were very important. Often, the most effective and powerful conveying of intentions and messages were seen through a means other than verbal communication. Such is true in our time as well, though in a different sense. While it is true that we have become a much more blatant and unimaginative culture, relying solely on the obvious and simply-put, we do also communicate through a means apart from words. While the Victorians relied on meanings of images and concepts, it is our inclination to rely on actions. We see one person say something and do quite another and we think “What a hypocrite!” That person’s actions were inconsistent to his words and so we grasped the TRUE meaning of his message in a round about way. The 19th century Victorians, communicated in a different way; one way is through the use of flowers to convey thoughts, emotions, and wishes. Flowers were given specific meanings and by simply giving a flower to a person you could reject them, degrade them, say goodbye, apologize to them, compliment them, encourage them, declare your love for them, and yes, the most romantic notion ever: propose to them.
If you are as interested in Flower meanings as I, here is a website that I found that has an incredible (though not exhaustive) list.
Here is what my favorite flowers say about me:

~Hydrangea: Heartlessness (This isn’t good….)
~Calla Lily: Regal Beauty
~Lilac: First Love
~Rose: different colors mean different things-
Pink: friendship
Red: passionate love
Red & White: unity
White: Purity
Yellow: Zealous
*Different characteristics of Roses mean different things as well:
~Rosebuds mean beauty and youth.
~Bouquet of Roses means Gratitude.
~Thornless Roses mean Love and First Sight.
~Tulips also have many different meanings for different colors.
There are so many more! All flowers are beautiful and uplift my soul!
I daresay, there is not a flower I wouldn’t mind getting-ill intentioned or not. Well, maybe MONKSHOOD…it declares “Beware! A deadly foe is near!”

I think my most chivalrous gentleman friend would do good to include in my “tussie-mussie” some Orange Blossoms (marriage and fruitfulness), Hydrangea (perseverance), ivy (fidelity), and a little Primrose throughout (I can’t live without you)!

"Sweet violets, whose fragrance is the first
in garden and in woodland wild awaking,
Before the birds their new songs have rehearsed,
before the green trees into leaf are breaking-

They speak my wish for yo-a fragrant year,
by hope and happy promise sweetly scented;
And ever,ever when the skies are drear,
the perfume of a heart with life contented.

No soft prayer, no stately measured phrase,
Sonorous words of grandeur here shall meet you:
A simple wish that grew in happy ways
is all I send-Sweet Violets to greet you."
Clifton Lingham