The meaning of flower colors

Flower colors are like a fistful of paintbrushes – color your world with their various meanings and be inspired!

The meaning of flower colors is a unique aspect of symbolism you can use to send/carry a special message. Long before it became the social fashion in the Victorian era, flowers and their coloration were used to enhance meanings, and even interpreted as oracles. For example, the ancient Greeks interpreted the meaning of flower colors as mood indicators of their gods (like mood rings). Similarly, ancient Celts consulted flowers as portents of weather and predictions of genders in childbirth. These days, our purpose of flowers may be a bit more practical (but they don’t have to be). Learning about the meaning of flower colors gives you the opportunity to send/carry an uncommon sentiment – in your wedding bouquet. Be creative with your flower antics. Mix different color meanings in your bouquet.

Red Flowers: There’s an indisputable energy to the color red – an energy that has the power to transform an otherwise unassuming flower into the essence of desire, strength, and passionate love. With beauty, courage and heat as its symbolism, it’s no surprise that a bouquet filled with rich, red blooms knows no restraint. There is good reason red roses are given to sweethearts. It’s because red is symbolic of passion, love, and energy. Red runs through our bodies in raging rivers of blood. Red rushes to our cheeks when we feel the heat of our feelings. Red resonates with the root chakra and reminds us of our animal instincts. Indeed, red is the spark that kindles our most fervent flames of desire. RED is the jolt of energy – this shock of color is sure to get some engines revving!


Orange Flowers: There’s nothing bashful about the color orange–its message is clear and blatantly proud. Symbolizing energy, enthusiasm, and warmth, an arrangement of blooms in this vibrant color conveys confidence, satisfaction and a passion for life. Orange is the closest match to the shade of the sun, so it is symbolic of expansion, growth, and warmth. It is also a color of friendship and community. The the overall feeling of orange; it beckons us to go out and play with friends, remember good times, enjoy the company of like-minds, and share big smiles all around.

Yellow Flowers: Yellow is associated with gold, and is considered a symbol of purity, clarity truth and intellect. There’s a good reason why it can feel all but impossible to refrain from smiling when you spot a bouquet of bright daffodils or a pot filled with sun-drenched chrysanthemums–the color yellow evokes feelings of joy and lightheartedness. Also a symbol of friendship, a bouquet bursting with yellow blooms sends a message of new beginnings and happiness. Mayans viewed the color in yellow to be associated corn, thus it holds symbolism of provision, sustenance, and all things that are wholesome. Scientific studies indicate writing on yellow tablets increases memory retention. This ties the meaning of flower color in yellow to intelligence and reason.

Green Flowers (or ivy, vines) Synonymous with nature–and the perfect complement to any other bloom–the color green represents health, resilience, good fortune and youth. Whether used to throw together a diverse mixture of shapes and hues or as a restful tone-on-tone bouquet, green flowers send a message of optimism and renewal. Anybody who has endured a long winter will tell you how jazzed they get at the first glimmer of green in spring. The meaning of flower color in green is about renewal, growth, hope, health and youth. Think of luscious emerald lawns, the smell rich with juicy goodness. You can’t help but smile at the thought. Green is also the color of the heart chakra, and so it takes on the meaning of good health. Bright green is the color of Mother Nature at her highest peak.

Blue Flowers: Blue symbolizes – the clarity found in our dreams, thoughts, and imaginations. The color blue speaks to the dreamers in our world, and blue flowers are the perfect gift to call out the muse in the poet, artist or musician in your life. Gather up a bunch of blue flowers when you need a boost of inspiration. They are also the perfect hue for enhancing calm and tranquility. Pale blue hues of a hydrangea or the deep blues of an iris can calm worries and preoccupation representing peace, openness, and serenity, fresh floral arrangements filled with blue flowers offers a cooling antidote to anxiousness.

Purple Flowers: With its origins tied to royalty and ceremony, purple flowers represent dignity, pride and success. Whether grouped alone in a bold range of rich hues or mixed in with other colors to provide depth and contrast, an arrangement filled with purple blooms represents accomplishment and admiration. This color in flowers is both energizing and spiritual at the same time. When we see purple our eyes open wider – we allow its vibrancy to flow into our aura. This natural reaction opens our spiritual senses and reminds us that we are all connected to an infinitely divine system. Violets are the perfect sentiment that says to someone “you are unique, special, and part of a perfect whole.” Purple/Violet is also considered a color of royalty and nobility in ancient symbolism. Incorporate purple/violet flowers in your life as a symbol of faith, and a reminder that nobility of the heart is the greatest aspiration.

Lavender Flowers: While purple is the color of royalty, and pink the color of youth, lavender is femininity all grown up. Representing refinement, grace, and elegance, lavender holds an almost sacred place in nature—with violet flowers often considered the most delicate and precious. An arrangement filled with these genteel blossoms send a message of feminine beauty.

White Flowers: Often associated with innocence, humility, and reverence, white flowers evoke simple beauty. Whether they take their shape as the luxurious, silk petals of fragrant gardenias, the small, white bells of a lily of the valley, or the quiet drama of a dozen white roses, fresh floral arrangement dominated by white blossoms conveys modesty and elegance.

Pink Flowers: Think pink and you think of grace, gentility, and happiness. Regardless of the shape of the flower – from the tight, small buds of a pink garden rose to the delicate, open petals of a pink caellia in full bloom – pink blossoms convey youth, innocence, and joy.