Many folks ask us to "tell me the meanings of flowers." In the 1800s, the victorians, those poor, repressed souls, assigned specific meanings to all the flowers available at that time-- usually from one's garden or from the countryside. Most of those varieties are no longer available-- as horticulture makes new advances, old varieties are not grown commercially, and as greenhouse or field space becomes ever more expensive to maintain, the varieties that take extra time or attention to thrive are discontinued. A prime example of this is the lavender rose called "Sterling silver." The original of the lavender roses grown commercially, it hasn't been available except from gardening catalogs as a plant for a couple of decades now. It was extremely susceptible to mildew; so to keep the plant thriving enough to produce enough roses to make growing it worthwhile. . . you get the idea. There are many other lavender roses available today, and some are similar in color and scent to the original "sterling." One of the last meanings to hang on is red roses for Love. If you were raised in America, this is most likely still true. All of the new hybrids really don't have a meaning assigned to them, although in the 1980's we sold quite a few of orange roses when we announced that they stood for "Lust." The good news about all this is, it's a new millenium; so you get to make up your OWN meaning! If your special someone loves pink gerbera daisies, that's the flower to give her for love. If sunflowers are his absolute joy, then send those for his birthday, or your special occasion. There are enough varieties and families of flowers to suit everyone. Just keep trying new ones on-- the world will still turn if you take home a variety that isn't your absolute favorite-- and you can make a different choice next time.

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