What Flower Colours Mean

Colour does more work than the flower itself. Most people can tell you what red roses mean and then hesitate over everything else, so here is the short version, and the more useful version underneath it.

Red

Romantic love, and nothing else. Red is the one colour almost everybody reads identically, which makes it perfect for a message you want understood and slightly awkward for one you do not. Red roses to a colleague say something you may not have meant.

White

Elegance, sympathy, reverence, new beginnings. White is the traditional choice for funerals and condolences and equally the classic choice for weddings, which surprises people until you notice both occasions are asking for the same quality: dignity rather than exuberance.

White is also the safest choice for a hospital room, where strong scent and strong colour are not always welcome.

Pink

Affection, gratitude, admiration. Warmer than white, softer than red, and it carries none of red's declaration. Pale pink reads as gentle and is the standard for new babies. Hot pink reads as celebration and belongs at a birthday.

This is the most useful colour in floristry, because it says "I am thinking of you" without committing to anything more specific.

Yellow

Friendship, cheer, congratulations. Yellow is the "well done" and the "cheer up" colour, and the one to reach for when the message is warm rather than romantic. It photographs brilliantly, which matters more than people admit.

One caveat worth knowing: in some cultures yellow flowers are associated with grief or with jealousy. If you are sending across cultures and you are unsure, pink is safer.

Orange

Energy, enthusiasm, warmth. Underused, and terrific for a new job, a new business or anyone who would find pastels a bit polite.

Purple

Admiration, dignity, a little bit of ceremony. Historically the colour of nobility because the dye was ruinously expensive. It still carries a formality the other colours do not.

When to ignore all of this

Nearly always, once you know the person.

The colour that means the most is the one that is already meaningful to them: the colour of their kitchen, the flowers they carried at their wedding, the yellow they wear constantly. Symbolism is a fallback for when you do not know someone well. It is not a rule that outranks knowing them.

The single best instruction you can give a florist is not a colour at all. It is "she loves anything blue and hates carnations, spend this much, surprise me". We can do a great deal with that.

Not sure? Tell us the occasion and the person and we will choose for it. Call us on 0402 522 505, or start with the florist's choice and let us use whatever is best that morning.