Before the late 19th Century, when purple dye was more accessible and the colour became a trend, it was common for ladies to gift each other violets as a subtle expression of love.
Ancient Greek poet Sappho mentioned “violet crowns”, lavenders and the colour purple frequently in her poems about women and so violets became synonymous with desire. Similarly, violets were a popular symbol of love between women up until the early 1900s. It then became a light-hearted code for men who were attracted to other men. Gay writer and poet Oscar Wilde popularised the symbol when he asked his friends to wear them on their lapels to a showing of his play Lady Windermere’s Fan in 1892. Many flowers have been associated with LGBTQ+ movements, but most famously is the green carnation.
Depending on where you’re from, a bouquet arrangement could express anything from friendship to romantic love to detailed declarations of dislike! Floriography is a fancy term for the coded language of flowers, and has been used for thousands of years in Europe, Asia and Africa.
