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The
Secret Garden
There
once was a time when flowers spoke a language of their own.
Your are invited to step back into that time, to discover
the message that, to this day, is still enveloped within
the petals of each flower.
If
you wish to open the gate to this, "Secret Garden"
of romance and mystery, you must first reach down into the
pages of your heart...pages that, per chance, you have never
opened before!
Now,
step back in time... Enter now, into the "Secret Garden"
and learn the language spoken by flowers. Invoke the magic
of the twenty first century by scrolling down the page.
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The
Language of Flowers
From
ancient times flowers have spoken a language understood
over eons and across cultures. Their essence can take us
on a sentimental journey through our past, evoke joy as
we celebrate the present and speak of promises for happiness
in our future. Amid times of sorrow, flowers express our
high esteem and honor, celebrate the life of a loved one,
and comfort the bereaved. Flowers speak volumes when words
cannot.
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"Let
the flowers do the talking!" |
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~ The Mythology
of Roses ~
According
to Greek mythology, the rose was created by Chloris, The
Greek goddess of flowers.
One
day, in a clearing in the woods, she found the lifeless
body of a nymph. She asked the help of Aphrodite, the goddess
of love, who gave Beauty. Dionysus, the god of wine added
nectar for a sweet scent. The three Graces gave charm, brightness
and joy. Zephyr, the West Wind, blew away the clouds, and
then Apollo, the Sun god shone and made the flowers bloom.
The Rose was crowned Queen of the Flowers.
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Roses, though the explicitness of the language of yester-year
has slipped into oblivion, the rose has remained immortal
as the symbol of love. The rose became the emblem of love
and beauty for the Greek goddess, Aphrodite and of revelry
for Dionysus.
The
Romans continued to acclaim the rose symbolically
by crowning their heroes and athletes with wreaths. |
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The rainbow
of colors of roses provide for volumes of explanations and
exclamations of sentiments.
The White
Rose bespeaks honesty, integrity, purity and loyalty and to
this day is a favorite for weddings and christenings.
Roses
in the bud stage and miniature Pink Roses celebrate youth
and modesty. Large Pale Pink Roses express grace and joy and
Dark Pink, thankfulness.
Yellow
Roses warn of a jealous heart or congratulate one who has
achieved a goal worthy of recognition. It can, also, celebrate
friendship.
Some
interpretations include “desire” for coral roses
and “fascination” for orange roses.
As with
many flowers, roses have been revered not only for their pleasing
fragrances, but for their medicinal properties. Evidence of
this has been discovered by archeologists from the oldest
tombs and graves. Leaves, petals, seeds and sometimes roots
are used to produce teas, ointments, salves, mouthwashes,
syrups, astringents and essences for treating physical, mental,
emotional and spiritual ailments. |
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There
is hardly a flower or herb that does not have significance,
from the humble daisy to the regal rose. Daisies
symbolize innocence and remind us of the carefree
days of childhood. Plucked
petal by petal, a daisy magically tells whether
“he loves me, he loves me not!”Fashioned
into a halo by a young maiden,
daisies
may speak of her purity
or
reveal
that she is
deciding
whether
to accept a young man’s
heart!
In
the days of chivalry, double daisies
displayed on a knight’s shield denoted that
he had won her heart!
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Daffodil ~
The myths
and legends of the Greeks and Romans were woven with
meaningful flowers and herbs. Narcissus, for example
was a vain mortal who admired his own beauty in the
reflection of water. And thus the narcissus (or daffodil)
became associated with egotism. |
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Noesgay ~
In the
1700’s, the wife of a British ambassador discovered
that Turkish maidens passed secret messages using
flowers. Her friends in England were delighted and
the idea sprang forth into its own life!
The language of flowers, or florigraphy
was greatly refined and a floral dictionary was
actually published which was intended to standardize
the meanings.
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other dictionaries bloomed forth with slightly different
meanings and the language of flowers became quite mysterious
and intriguing. Whole sentences could be “spoken”
by combining varieties and colors. |
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Iris ~
For centuries, flowers have been used
on shields and banners, heralds and
crests as countries’ emblems. The rose is the
national flower of the United States and individual
states have adopted flowers to appropriately represent
their state’s image. The iris, with its three
downward turned petals proclaimed faith, wisdom and
valor as the emblem of King Louis VII of France. It
became known as the fleur-de-lis.
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Violet ~
The violet
took on the meaning of "faithfulness”
when supporters of Napoleon Bonaparte began wearing
the blooms to express secretly their faithfulness
to Napoleon and their hope that he would return
from exile. The heavenly fragrance of a petite nosegay
of violets carried these delicate flowers to the
pinnacle of their popularity during Victorian times.
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Tussie Mussie ~
It became
customary for both ladies and gentlemen to carry a
tiny bouquet or “tussie-mussie” of aromatic
blossoms or herbs to counter the other frequent and
abundant unpleasant odors of their environment.
Fancied
for their unforgettable fragrance are gardenias, sweetpeas,
stephanotis, stars of Bethlehem, lilies of the valley,
lavender, carnations, lilacs, of course, roses and
many others. Each has its own message to purvey in
the universal language of flowers. |
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