At Floriography we believe each season possesses its own unique beauty, energy and of course flowers, and flower energy. There is no season, even the very depths of winter that doesn’t bring us treasures of the heart in the form of flowers, herbs and foliage.
We are constantly surrounded by growth, by movement, by life that nature provides us. It is all there to be guided by, held by, comforted by. I believe that the closer we are to nature, more specially for us ‘flowers’, the more connected we are to each other.
And that’s why at Floriography we use seasonal, and local flowers, we want you to feel what is being given to us by nature, to connect more deeply with the landscapes, and the earth around you… to feel the flower energy, to experience the full strength of nature, and it’s many offerings. I want you to start seeing and naming the flowers out and about. I want you to notice, to let the flower love in. It keeps me sane (ish), that’s biggg! We want you to look, touch, smell, hear the flowers and let your senses come alive, and to know that experience is real, it exists around you, all these flowers, right now, today, are growing somewhere near you. That’s a special feeling if you let it in.
Each day this week I’m going to cover a season, it’s flower power, a few meanings and a few flowery rituals …
Summer Flowers
Below are Flowers that we often stock in the Summer, and a few meanings. but remember colour and everything impacts upon that but that’s several more blogs. Also keep in mind what we have might differ, it can change a bit cause it’s nature! Plus we also stock more than what is on the list.
Early Summer
Alstroemeria– devotion and friendship
Astilbe– patience and dedication towards a beloved one.
Astrantia– star…’you are a star’
Brodiea – Triplet lilies- calming and stillness
Campanula– gratitude, humility and everlasting love
Cornflower– hope for the future, the beauty of the life cycle.
Delphinium- cheerfulness, goodwill, joy and protection. Also to remember a loved one no longer with us.
Forget me Not– true love, faithfulness, and memories .
Foxglove– both healing and hurting… like intense love!
Freesia– thoughtfulness, innocence, purity and friendship.
Gladioli– strength and integrity
Iris– messenger to heaven, faith, and hope.
Lavender– purity, silence, grace and calmness.
Lilac– love, passion and spirituality
Lily – humility, innocence and the departing of a soul.
Lupin– admiration, imagination and happiness
Peony– romance, good fortune, compassion and bashfulness.
Poppy – sleep, peace and death.
Ranunculus– attractiveness and charm…
Rose– all the different kinds of love, fertility and beauty.
Scented pinks– love and affection, the flower of God’s.
Statice – Remembrance and Gratitude
Stocks – contented existence, and a happy life.
Sweet Pea– delicate pleasure, goodbye and thank you for the time we had .
Sweet Williams -Strength, Bravery, Home
Mid Summer
Alstroemeria, Astrantia, Cornflower
Calendula– sunshine and fire, creativity and passion
Cosmos– wholeness, beauty and passion
Dahlia– elegance, internal strength, change, warning, and grace.
Delphinium
Eryngium– independence and attraction
Fever Few– healing and protection
Foxgloves, Freesias
Geum– purity
Gladiolus
Godetia– Enthusiasm and charm
Lavender, Lily
Larkspur– strong bond of love, attachment,and an open heart.
Mallow– home, roots, spiritual conection, health and protection.
Nigella – ‘Love in the Mist’- perplexity, openness to love, and kiss me
Oriental Poppy
Phlox– sweet dreams,unity, and harmony
Rose
Salvia– healing, wisdom, integrity and esteem.
Scabious– love, purity and peace
Statice, Stocks
Sunflower -loyalty, adoration, longevity and joy
Sweet Pea, Sweet William
Verbena– healing, creativity and happiness
Veronica– fidelity
Zinnia– endurance, lasting friendship and goodness
What is the Summer Solstice?
On the 21st June in the Northern Hemisphere the sun reaches its northernmost point in the sky, reaching the height of its power. The longest day and shortest night of the year occur on this date, marking the beginning of summer, and is known as Summer Solstice, or Midsummer.
The term ‘solstice’ is derived from the Latin words for “sun standing still”, and refers to the point at which the sun’s visual trajectory north or south across the horizon comes to a halt. Summer Solstice celebrates the abundance of the earth, at a time when nature is ripe, flourishing with offerings of life. It’s a time to express gratitude for the life-giving sustenance the sun provides and all that it manifests. It is a dual celebration, honouring the LIGHT of the Sun, as well as the beginning of a new cycle of decreasing daylight as the sun begins its journey southward. From now on the hours of sunlight will decrease each day, connecting us once again to the inner world.
The longest day brings to us the blessing of more LIGHT, but as we celebrate our dependence on the physical sun, we must not forget to honour the spiritual fire within each and every one of us. It is symbolic of the light of our consciousness shining more brightly in our awareness, and fires up our passions and reminds us to live by our hearts.
The energies of nature have by now reached their highest point; the earth bursting forth an abundance of fruit, vegetables, flowers and plants – ripe and ready for the picking. Just as the rampant fresh growth exists on earth, the same occurs within our own inner worlds. Nature offers a wonderful reflection to our own lives, if only we learn to tune into it’s rhythms. Summer solstice is a time to experience the fullness of our own expressive and expansive selves, to reach our full potential as we open up to unbridled creative flow, and take outward action towards manifesting our dreams. Celebrate all of your achievements and honour who you are right now, and take stock of who you are becoming. Just as nature overflows in abundance, so can we, so Midsummer is a fertile time for raising our energies and receptivity to abundance. How can we do this? By doing something symbolic to honour this time, and most importantly by dancing in the spirit of celebration. I offer some celebratory ideas below to help you connect to the energies of the Solstice with flowers..
Nature Mandala
They are a wonderful way of expressing gratitude for the bounty of life, and to honour the LIGHT of the Sun, and also the LIGHT within you.
Mandala’s are particularly powerful because the symbolism of the circle represents eternity, the ever spinning wheel of the year and wholeness. A mandala is also a sacred vessel; a container of energy that can be filled with intention
HEALING: for self, others, the planet
PEACE: inner peace, world peace
MANIFESTATION: of something specific like a new job, home or relationship. Or a certain quality such as more love, harmony or fulfilment in your life.
Making a mandala is a wonderful way to connect to nature, grounding and earthing you to Mother Earth. It can be a really mindful exercise too; focusing your mind on the present moment, and releasing gratitude for what you do have.
Here are some photos of mandalas we have made
Use natural materials you are drawn too,and just feel the order and chaos within you meet and feel okay… if you need a starting idea start here. Gather or buy some yellow and orange flowers and make a SUN MANDALA offering on the Earth. Pick the petals off and arrange them in circular patterns. The act of creating something beautiful and full of energy is a healing act. As you do it, infuse it with your prayers/thoughts and hold a vision of peace for our planet.
Flower Power
A really lush way to spend Summer Solstice is creating, and wearing garlands or crowns of flowers in your hair
The flower crown making and wearing process definitely gives me a deeper connection to nature, to me it feels magical when I wear flowers.
Flowers that symbolise Summer Solstice: Brightly-coloured flowers, particularly yellow, golden, orange and red hues.
Daisies: These wonderfully uplifting and joyful flowers are the epitome of Summer, and are symbolic of the innocence of youth, as they will imbue your summer days with that light, fresh feeling. This clean, bright flower is an icon for love too. so why not make a daisy-chain and offer as a friendship bracelet, necklace or crown to a loved one as a symbol of your love.
Sunflowers: ‘The sunflower has long been associated with solar energy, and summer months because it’s bright head looks like our own bright cosmic sun. What’s more, the sunflower is physically drawn to the light of the sun. It moves its head to follow the rising and setting sun.’
Late Summer
Achillea– healing of the heart,
Agapanthus – lasting love, I love you
And all of these are also still found into late summer
Ammi
Antirrhinum
Aster
Calendula
Cosmos
Dahlia
Echinacea
Echinops
Erynigium
Geum
Gladioli
Helenium
Hydrangea
Nicotiana
Nigella
Phlox
Salvia
Scabious
Scented pinks
Statice
Verbena
Zinnia
