The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UCD chapter.
Mother’s Day is coming up in the U.S. on May 12th. The best way to show appreciation for your mother—in a vintage way—is to tap into the Victorian language of flowers to find the perfect message for your bouquet. Though these meanings aren’t as widely used anymore, it’s still a fun way to show some extra thought and care in your mother’s day gift! I even color-coded it for you, choosing plants within a pink, yellow, periwinkle, or white color range to make a bouquet perfect for May!
- Pink Roses: We all know that roses represent love. Pink in particular represents a healing relationship and innocence, which works perfectly for the relationship between mother and child. It also represents the happiness side of love, which works the best for family relationships!
- Amaranthus: This flower represents immortality and unfading beauty, which is perfect, because no matter what, your mom is always going to be there for you! We often don’t acknowledge the attachment that we have to our family members, too focused on break-ups or friendship betrayals. But if you have a good relationship with your mom, you will likely always have a good relationship with your mom! It’s also, notably, bright fuchsia pink, and one of the most gorgeous flowers I’ve ever seen.
- Angelica: This flower is less resplendent, and more of a bouquet filler. It is often overlooked. However, angelica means inspiration, and I think we all take some form of inspiration from our moms. This is especially perfect for those who share a hobby or even occupation with your mom!
- Clematis: Also known as a Leather Flower, these buds represent mental beauty. This is the perfect way to show appreciation for all of the internal things that you love about your mom. It’s also customizable: do you love your mom’s kindness? Her patience? These are the perfect flower for anything special you might think of!
- Forsythia: Similarly to the clematis, this flower represents good nature, and has more of an appreciation for your mom’s personality traits. It’s a pretty yellow shade, which goes perfectly with a spring bouquet!
- Goldenrod: Adding onto that yellow tone, this flower is bright gold and works as another type of filler flower. It represents encouragement, which is perfect to show appreciation for a lifetime with your biggest cheerleader: your mom!
- Larkspur: These flowers come in a variety of colors, and all of them mean the same thing: levity and laughter. This shows an homage to not only the happiest memories of your childhood, but also the happiest points of your future with your mom.
- Moss: Now, I know that moss isn’t something you’d usually see in a bouquet, but it literally means “maternal love!” It’s also the easiest and cheapest to find, too, and some people keep moss around in a jar or container as a pet. If you’d dare to include this one, make sure to specify to your mom that the mossy rocks in the corner of the bouquet have the most special meaning!
- Cinquefoils: If the moss is too weird for you and you can get your hands on these little shrubs, they also represent maternal love. They also match the yellow spring theme that the two earlier plants made!
- Red Rosebud: We started this list with roses, so we’ll end it with roses, too. Red rosebuds mean “pure and lovely,” which is a nice, simple way to end off a message of appreciation to your mom!
I hope this list inspired you to make a bouquet perfect for mother’s day, or at least to find some inspiration in the meaning of flowers.