Your Ultimate Guide to Common Flowers and Their Meanings to Make Your Next Bouquet Say Something Truly Special

We try not to play favorites when it comes to flowers (that’s a lie, we’re obsessed with gardenias) and always love picking up a fresh batch for the table whenever we can find the time. Of course, floral preferences can always change depending on mood or the desired aesthetic, and some of us even love to inject a little significance into our bouquets. Whether you’re looking for flowers that signify a fresh start in your personal life or want to pay reverence to a beloved friend, scroll down for a quick guide to common flowers and their special meanings.

Calla Lily Meaning

Absolutely elegant in its simplicity, a collection of calla lilies is the perfect gift to your most effortlessly regal friend.

Carnation Meaning

Hue is really important to consider when it comes to carnations; like many flowers, their meaning is typically colored by, well, color. But on its own, it can still mean a variety of things. The combination of fascination, distinction, and love means the common filler piece signifies affections for a special and totally uncommon individual!

Daffodil Meaning

An Easter favorite, the daffodil is typically one of the first blossoms to pop up after an especially long winter. This tie to springtime and rebirth makes it an ideal flower to celebrate a fresh start in someone’s life.

Daisy Meaning

Fresh and pure daisies have a lovely connotation of youth. They’re an ideal flower for kids or for when you’re feeling nostalgia for a carefree time.

Freesia Meaning

Speaking of which, we imagine that gifting your childhood best friend a freesia plant would be the perfect birthday present this year!

Gardenia Meaning

In Victorian times, the gardenia was a common token from a secret admirer, a way of courting someone without them knowing your identity. Today the gardenia is still a very viable (and sweet smelling) way of showing someone you think they’re lovely.

Lavender Meaning

Though it’s typically known for it’s calming properties in the home, lavender also works for when you’re embarking on a new journey.

Lily Meaning

White lilies are an emblem of purification, both appropriate to honor for life and death. They’re a fitting flower for funerals to signify a soul entering a heavenly realm, and perhaps a perfect bouquet for young mothers because of its ties to the Virgin Mary. All that aside, it’s a classic and a fan favorite across the board.

Orchid Meaning

Exotic and distinguished, orchids were known in the Victorian era as a marker of luxury. Never a flower to be sandwiched in a bouquet, the orchid stands alone and proud: it’s meant for someone similarly special. Just keep an eye on the color coding there, too: blue means rarity, red means passion, pink means grace and joy, white means reverence, and yellow means friendship. And as for orchid-colored orchids, the purple blossom means admiration, respect, and dignity. Another flower for someone truly stately.

Rose Meaning

Roses, amusingly, can’t stand on their own without color. Although we universally tend to associate the red rose with romantic love, a rose by any other shade could mean something completely different. We color coded each definition so you can choose wisely.

Peony Meaning

The full-bodied peony is a blossom of bounty. It signifies good fortune and hopes for a prosperous new life. We can’t think of anything more ideal for a wedding centerpiece!

Sweet Pea Meaning

Delicate and feminine, the sweet pea plant is a charming reminder to enjoy all the little things in life.

Tulip Meaning

The ever-popular tulip is another flower that tends to fall on colors to express itself, but the origin of the springtime standard is all based in romance. There’s a Turkish legend that states a prince named Farhad was in love with a maiden named Shirin. Upon learning his beloved had been killed, he took his own life. From his droplets of blood sprang a red tulip. We clearly don’t see this as a “perfect” love story, but with its harmonious, balanced shape, we can understand why the tulip can signify a happy, comfortable, and certainly more stable union.

More from Woman’s World

Surprising Health Benefits from Eating Flowers You Didn’t Know About

6 Ways to Make Flowers Last Longer

10 Plants That Are Less Needy Than Your Kids