What Flowers Mean: Universal Symbols of Love, Death, and Friendship

Flowers have played important roles across cultures for centuries. Giving/receiving flowers resonates worldwide.

Universal Meanings

• Red rose: Romantic love and passion globally. Cultivated in Asia 5,000+ years; likely evolved there. Ancient Rome/Greece linked red rose to love via Venus/Aphrodite.
• Poppies: Death symbol in modern cultures—Remembrance Day (WWI/WII) in Britain, France, Allies. Ancient Greece/Rome used blood-red poppies as offerings to the dead.

Simple Messages

Flowers accompany big themes (love, death) but also say simply: "I'm thinking of you" or "get well soon."

Flower shops in Liverpool, Limerick, London help send that unequivocal message: you have a friend thinking of you.

Maricruz Tennill, author on symbolic flower meanings. Find flower shops in Liverpool and elsewhere at Interflora.