The International Home & Garden Show want’s to share with you the Language of Love!  Flowers have a meaning depending on the variety you select! Make sure you purchase the right flowers for the message you want to share! 

Kate’s Garden - Tussie-Mussies & The Language of Flowers

What is a Tussie-Mussie? A tussie-mussie is a small hand held bouquet that sends a message.   Tussie Mussies give new meaning to the phrase “Say it with Flowers”.   The root “tus” suggests a relationship to tussock, while mussie refers to the damp moss pressed around the stems to keep them fresh.  A Tussie Mussie is a circular nosegay or posy, usually hand-held, whose foliage and flowers communicate messages.

Some Background History:

• Began long before the Victorian Era, nosegays were popular with the Aztecs, in medieval Europe, Turkey and the Near East. In the early Middle Ages, “tuzzy-muzzys”, neat little bunches of herbs and flowers were carried as a protection against disease.  They also provided a refuge for the nose from the smells of the open sewage of everyday life. In Elizabethan England, courtiers carried small posies of herbs and flowers to ward off disease and bad smells. By the time Queen Victoria took the throne in England, tussie-mussies were considered an essential accessory for women of all ages.

• With the increasing popularity of the tussie-mussie in Victoria’s time, proficiency in the floral arts became a vital part of every young lady’s education.  By the early 1700’s, each flower was assigned a meaning in floriography or the Language of Flowers.  By the mid 1800’s, tussie mussies became vehicles of communication in the language of courtship.  Throughout much of the nineteenth century, young ladies were taught how to tie tussie-mussies at home and how to decipher them upon receipt.  In one 1836 missive, mothers were told to “teach their daughters religion and the art of making a well-made hand bouquet”.  

• Since the language of flowers became an essential part of a polite education, floriography dictionaries abounded.  In an era when young ladies were never left unchaperoned, tussie-mussies became a clever means of courtship communication.  Blooms were carefully selected by young men to convey heartfelt messages to the young women they admired.

• Charlotte de LaTour wrote the most popular Language of Flowers dictionary in 1819.  The Language of Flowers has often been called the language of the love affair. 

• A message could be modified by the manner in which it was presented.  If the flower was presented upside down, the opposite meaning was intended.   If a woman stripped off a petal upon receipt, the answer was no.  Where a girl wore a tussie-mussie presented by an admirer signified her feelings toward him. If she pinned it in her hair, it meant caution.  If she wore it in her cleavage, this signified Friendship.  If the tussie mussie was pinned below the right shoulder it meant tentative consideration.  However, if it was placed over her heart, it was an unambiguous declaration of love

The Language of Flowers:

Baby’s Breath – Innocence and Constancy

 

 

 

 

Bells of Ireland – Good Luck

 

 

 

 

Carnation – Divine Love

 

 

 

 

Chrysanthemum – You’re a Wonderful Friend

 

 

 

 

Daisy – Innocence

 

 

 

 

Daffodil – Unrequited Love, Regards

 

 

 

 

Fern – Fascination

 

 

 

 

Hydrangea – Heartless

Iris- Hope

 

 

 

 

Ivy – Fidelity

 

 

 

 

Lavender – Devotion

 

 

 

 

Lilac – First Love

 

 

 

 

Lilies – Purity

 

 

 

 

Lily, Calla – Beauty

 

 

 

 

 Lily of the Valley- Return of Happiness

Magnolia – Dignity

Orchid – Thoughts

 

 

 

 

Peony – Happy Marriage

 

 

 

 

Primrose – I can’t live without you

 

 

 

 

Rose, Orange – Desire

 

 

 

 

Rose, Pink – Grace, Beauty

Rose, Deep Pink – Appreciation, Gratitude

 

 

 

Rose, Red – Love

 

 

 
 

Rose, Yellow – Friendship

 

 

 

 

Rose, White – You’re Heavenly

 

 

 

 

Stock – You are beautiful to me

Sweet Peas – Departure, Tender Memory

Tulip Red – Declaration of Love

 

 

 

 

Tulip, Yellow – Waning Love 

By Kates Garden
www.katesgarden.ca

Media Release – Posted by Don Douloff on July 19, 2012 ·

Meetings Canada Magazine ..Click HERE

Rendering of the proposed new Hall 1 entrance.
The International Centre, in Mississauga, Ont., is undertaking a $3.5-million
renovation that will transform the main entrance to Hall 1 and introduce a
new connection between Hall 3A/4A and Hall 5.

With a new design and the creation of a bright, updated lobby, the Hall 1
entrance will include stone flooring and updated architectural features.

Slated for completion in early 2013, this new lobby area will be able to host
events ranging from product showcases to receptions.