
The meaning of Cut flowers to different cultures of the Blooming WORLD!
With experience comes knowledge & with a career spanning 21 years i came to recognise early on in my career that cut-flowers have different meaning not just to people but more so too their cultural roots.
You don’t want to be gifting Mr November Lily & Ms Chrysanthemum to an Italian because they will only just throw it back at you as it means flowers for the dead.
On other side of the world, the Chinese hold in high regard cut-flowers that are red in colour as it represents the celebration of life. Often the colour red is used in Chinese celebrations. The colour white on the other hand to the Chinese is regarded a colour that represents ghosts & death.
So it’s to no surprise, it pays to do your homework before you gift cut-flowers to others of culture & i also highly recommend you do your homework before you decide to travel to other parts of the cultural world.
So to get you started, i have done some blooming homework for you.
ENJOY!
Japanese – According to Japanese culture, Ms Hydrangea is a symbol of I’m Sorry. It is rumored that the Emperor of Japan gifted Ms Hydrangea to his maids as a symbol of I’m SORRY every time he thought it was needed.
The Japanese also refer to Ms Hydrangea as the mountainous Hydrangea as she originates from the mountainous area of the islands of Japan. It is no surprise why culturally Ms Hydrangea, represents the transformation from old into the new, it’s usually a life changing decision.
Chinese – Mr & Mrs Peony, has be known to enhances your energy, give you the support you need for future times, heal conflict abroad & symbolise good fortune and a happy marriage according to Chinese custom.
Mr & Mrs Peony play’s a significant role in Chinese New Year Celebrations. The Chinese believe that cut-flowers have a significant role in life & play an important role in our day to day life.
Peony means – “BEAUTIFUL” in the Chinese language. It’s no wonder why as the old Chinese proverb states, “A woman who regularly consumes white peony becomes as beautiful as the flower itself.”

Italian – Ms Sweet Pea, is associated with blissful pleasure, departure, goodbye & thank you for the lovely time.
No matter what the occasion is, Italian’s love expressing themselves with gifting cut-flowers to one another. Cut-flowers to Italians are like the interpreters who speak on your behalf when your stuck for words. According to Italian tradition and superstition, Ms Rose gifted in (stem) even numbers represents bad luck and mourning.
Egyptian – Mr Lotus, represented Egypt’s ancient history.
The Pharaohs were passionate about dressing up their war carts with cut-flowers before heading off to war. The Egyptian peasants also continued the trend themselves, their animals as well as the coffins of their dead were adorned with various cut-flowers. Cut-flowers were given as gifts of love and worship, to lovers and gods. Mr Lotus, symbolised, honor, good health, longer life, good luck & purity of the heart & mind.
South African – Mr Bird of Paradise, will help assist you into fine tuning your spiritual connections with the spiritual realm and in house intuition.
Named by Sir Joseph Banks, who was the director of the royal gardens he named genus, Strelitzia, after the wife of King George III, Queen (reginea in Latin) Charlotte who was the Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.(Strelitzia)
It’s no wonder why South African’s associate Mr Bird of Paradise to royalty lineage due to its association with past and present, powerful reining families.