Beware That Bouquet: The Victorian Secret Language of Flowers

Flowers have always carried meaning, but during the Victorian era from 1837 to 1901, that meaning became a secret language. Known as floriography, this coded system assigned messages to nearly every flower, turning bouquets into carefully constructed statements rather than simple gifts.

With the right combination of blooms, Victorians could declare passionate love, expose betrayal, accuse someone of dishonesty, or even wish death upon an enemy. Tussie-mussies, the small symbolic bouquets of the era, often said what etiquette forbade people from speaking aloud. Some flowers meant romance. Others meant ruin.

Join Elmwood Cemetery Executive Director Kim Bearden for Beware That Bouquet: The Victorian Secret Language of Flowers, an engaging in-person talk that uncovers the surprising meanings hidden in plain sight. Nationally-acclaimed floral designer and educator Julie Spear will create a live arrangement based on floriography, revealing how intention and symbolism are layered stem by stem. The program will also feature a special performance by Germantown City Historian Andrew Pouncey.

Discover a time when affection could be deadly and, sometimes, bouquets came with warnings.