Flower symbolism helps us to express our emotions without even speaking one word. Every flower has something special to tell to the person we are gifting it to, and we sometimes need to be careful not to send the wrong message. Our ancestors knew the importance of nature and what it can do for us. When they had medical issues, they would turn to nature and heal themselves with the use of powerful plants and flowers.
Even though we have strayed away from nature and its help, flowers and plants are still important to us. Probably now more than ever we use flowers to express ourselves in every possible way. Artists and designers are constantly inspired by the beauty they see in nature and they use that beauty to create their own works of art.
Geranium flower can easily be recognized in a field, because his bright and bold colors bravely stand out on the big lands of green. Geraniums belong to a wide family and there are many different species of this flower growing all around the world.
Because of such wide habitat, Geranium flower became a part of many cultures and their folk stories. Some of the stories were positive and others not so much, but each one teaches us about the importance and respect our ancestors had for this particular plant.
Meaning of the Geranium flower
Geranium flower has several symbolic meanings and each one is special. These meanigns were created by people and cultures that used to live next to this bautiful flower and had the opportunity to use it in various ways.
Geranium flower meanings are:
- Expected meeting
- Unexpected meeting
- Bridal favor
- Foolishenss
- Melancholy
- Ingenuity
- Friendship
Expected meeting – Geranium flower can be used as a gift for someone with whom you have planned a meeting. This simple flower won’t send a particularly strong message to the receiver, but it wil lstill be a nice gift to surprise someone.
Unexpected meeting – Geranium flower is also a symbol of an unexpected meeting. Same as the explanation above, you can gift it to someone you weren’t expecting or perhaps to someone who entered your home or garden for the first time and you want to make this person feel welcomed.
Bridal favor – Geranium flower symbolizes bridal favor as well. This symbolic emaning is probably tied to an old folk story and because of that, Geraniums can be gfted to brides as gifts.
Foolishenss – Geraniums are also symbols of foolishenss and behavior that is not really thought through. People often link this flower to the personalities of people who act stupidly at times and don’t really pay attention to the way others see them.
Melancholy – This symbolic meaning is derived from old stories as well, and Geranium flowers can often be taken to graves as symbols of sadness or meanlcholy.
Ingenuity – Geraniums symbolize clever minds and ingenuty as well, and you can gift this flower to someone you consider to be worthy of this attribute.
Friendship – Our friends will be delighted when the see this flower in their hans, because the Geranium flowers sends a clear message of love and friendship.
Gentility – Since geranium flowers are gentle and fragile, it is no wonder that this flower in particular is the symbol of gentility and kind nature.
Geranium flower – Etymological meaning
Geranium flower got its name from the Greek word geranos, which intransaltion means crane. The flower reminded ancient Geecians of a crane’s bill, so they names it after it.
Geranium flower belongs to the genus of geranium, and there are many different species. Common Geraniums belong to the Pelargonium genus.
Geranium flower – Symbolism
Geranium flower has many different meanings in various cultures. Because of the fatc that this flower grows in various places across Earth, it is no wonder that many different symbolism have emerged. To some, the Geranium flower was a symbol of something positive and others saw it as something negative.
Geranium flower has many different species and each of them represented soemthng different to people. The Horseshoe Geranium was a symbol of stupidity and foolishness. This symbolic meaning dates back to the Victorian times. Another species of Geranium called the Ivy Geranium represented favor. It is not quite sure why people linked these flowers to certain symbolic meanings, but it probabyl has something to do with customs that were important back in those days.
The Lemon Geranium represents unexpected meeting while the Oak Leaf Geranium is a symbol of true friendship. When picking up a flower to gift to someone special, make sure you go though these symbolic meanings. It is always good to know what every flower species represents, in order to avoid sending a wrong message to someone really important to you.
Geranium – Color meaning
Geranium flower comes in several different colors. Each color has a special message behind it and you need to be careful when gifting someone a certain flower color. Sometimes the color of a flower we are gifting is equally important as the flower species itself.
We can accentuate the message we want to send by picking the right color or change the message completely by choosing the wrong color. Geranium flower comes in these three colors:
White
- Color white usually symbolizes purity, innocence, spirituality and it is often used in wedding ceremonies. With that being said, the white Geranium flower can be used as a gift for someone who is special to you in any way, and you want to let this person know how much it means to you. These is no particular rule for the white flower color, since it is a neutral message you will be sending. Planting white Geranium flowers around your garden can also be helpful, since they were used to repel snakes and keep them away from your home. This way, you will have a useful and beautiful flower at the same time.
Red
- Re i the color of love, romance and passion. Red Geranium flowers were also used to announce visitors coming, because, according to legends, the red Geranium flowers would turn and point to visitors when they got near your home. Red Geranium flower can also be a great gift for someone, and sicne it is usually gifted as a potted plant, you won’t send a particularly wrong message to someone, no matter whta kind of relationship you two have.
Pink
- Color pink symbolizes romance, love and affection as well. Because of this, pink Geraniums were used as ingredients in love potions and according to stories, they had a really strong effect. Whether this is or isn’t true, pink Geraniums are certainly beautiful as gifts for someone dear to you.
Purple
- Color purple is a symbol of royalty, nobility and this Geranium flower color can be used as a gift for almost anyone. You can gift this to someone who is going on a retirement or even make your own balcony a bit bighter and more colorful with this flower. Purple geranium can also be found in combination with color white, and together them make a truly beautiful flower color.
Geranium – Botanical facts and characteristics
Geranium flower is mostly used as decoration. People often put it on their balconies and rarely in their homes. Geraniums love the sun and the warmer weather, and their blooming period is late spring and early summer. When they decide to spread their beautiful petals and surprise us with their beautiful scents, we can’t be happier.
Geraniums flowers need regular watering but not excessive amount. The msot improtant thing is not to put them in direct sunlight, because they can’t handle too warm temperatures. It is best to put them in semi-shade where they will get sunlight and shade throughout the day.
Geranium flowers and other parts are foten used in aromatheraphy and in medicine. Especially in the past when people used plants and herbs as medicines, some species of Geranium had an important healing property. Other species of Geranium are used in production of perfumes and leaves of Geranium supposedly heal vounds. Dried leaves can be used for herbal teas that can relieve pain. You can either drink the tea or use it to make a compress to ease the pain.
Geraniums are mostly used as decoration on window boxes and on balconies. Most people don’t even know the healing power of this beautiful flower, since it has mostly become an eyepiece more than anything else.
Geranium – Secret message
Each flower has something special to tell us and usually the message behind the flower is surprising. The humble Geranium flower can have several different meanigns, depending on the occasion. If you are bringing Geraniums as housegifts, then you are wishing this person happiness and offering him a sign of friendship. If you are bringing Geraniums for someone who is retiring or doing some kind of promotion, then you are wishing this eprson all the best in life.
Geranium flower usually has a positive symbolic meaning and people love it because of that. In times when it is hard to survive with al lthe daily stress, a beautiful basket of geranium flowers can make een the grumpiest person smile. The beauty of geranium flowers is in their simplicity and humbleness. They are usually plants that grow outside, but we had to make them a part of our lives and homes.
Flower symbolism pushes us to get closer to each other and make our lives more colorful and beautiful. Instead of wasting time arguing, pick a beautiful bouquet of flowers and gift them to someone dear to you. This will make both your day and your loved ones da, much happier.
