VIOLETS AND IRISES: FEBRUARY FLOWERS OF LOVE

“If a kiss could be seen I think it would look like a violet.” -Lucy Maud Montgomery

February is the month of love and loving. With Valentine’s Day approaching, we await the most romantic day of the year with bated breath, hoping to receive a stuffed bear, a heart-shaped box of chocolates, or, most excitedly, a single red rose from a significant other or secret admirer. We don’t always immediately think of violets or irises when we think of St. Valentine’s Day with all its ostentatious pinks and reds. This February, let the lovely bruised hue of indigo be your inspiration for showing love and affection.

Violets

Move over, roses: Violets are actually the OG February bloom. Victorian valentines are famous for their depictions of blue violets. Tied with ribbons and held against a woman’s bosom in adoration or floating amidst cherubim, little blue violets adorning paper greetings used to be as popular as red roses. Violets are known as much for their emerald heart-shaped leaves as their indigo blossom and are actually edible, too. Infusing cocktails and teas with violet syrup and liqueur is a wonderfully romantic treat to make your Valentine’s Day a little sweeter.

Tied together to make tussie-mussies or nosegays, violets were Eliza Doolittle’s favorite flower (made famous by George Bernard Shaw’s play, “Pygmalion”) and synonymous with flower girls of Covent Garden. Because of their long stems (especially Parma violets), they make the perfect tiny bouquet to clutch or embellish with as a corsage. By the early twentieth century, hothouses filled with violets were growing ever more popular due to high demand. Even Victor Hugo included violets in Les Misérables as a character sang (translated from French), “Violets are blue, roses are red, violets are blue, I love my loves.”

In the Victorian language of flowers, violets represent faithfulness and everlasting love. It’s no wonder they’re associated with romantic attachment and rapturous love if even Keats wrote of their beauty, calling the flower “the queen of secrecy,” and Elizabeth Barrett Browning penned that “Deep violets, you liken to the kindest eyes that look on you, without a thought disloyal.” Violets are quite full of meaning and symbolic importance to be so demure in stature. Just think of one of the most beautiful Hollywood movie stars and her signature perfume: Elizabeth’s Taylor’s Violet Eyes was inspired by her otherworldly complexion and inspired by the colour of our favourite little blue flower. The scent of violets is unmistakable by perfumers and at once associated with romance and elegance because of its powdery sweetness.

Irises

“What in your life is calling you, When all the noise is silenced, The meetings adjourned… The lists laid aside, And the Wild Iris blooms By itself In the dark forest… What still pulls on your soul?” -Rumi

Some of the sexiest, most rapturous depictions of irises in art include Georgia O’Keeffe’s oversized bearded varieties, while Van Gogh’s are dreamily sensual because of their lurid colour. Irises have special loving connotations based on hue. For example, yellow irises represent happy love, while blue ones symbolize love that is especially tender, and reddish-brown irises are ideal offerings for a passionate lover.

In Ancient Egypt, irises were thought of as a powerful symbol of majesty, while the Greeks saw the blossom as a token always bearing good news (an olive branch, if you will). Irises mean love and trust in the Language of Flowers, so what better posy for Valentine’s Day or a February birthday? Gift that special someone in your life—no matter who it is—with a big bouquet of irises this winter to conjure the feelings of flight and fancy associated with spring. Japanese irises are much smaller than showier bearded varieties but no less alluring. Known for their marshy environment, a pond or lakeside dappled with bright yellow or cerulean is a common but always captivating sight.

For floral bouquets to make your month of February extra special, look for arrangements from Chelsea Flowers featuring irises and other romantic additions that pair effortlessly (such as carnations, tulips, lilies, and roses).

To learn more about violets and irises (and their loving connotations), click the links below:

https://www.floraqueen.com/blog/the-iris-flower-meaning-is-full-of-love-and-deep-trust