“Be honest, be nice, be a flower, not a weed.”
Aaron Neville, an American singer and musician
Flowers play a significant role in many cultures. They are given as gifts, brought to special ceremonies and considered to have a symbolic meaning. For example, the lotus is associated with purity in Buddhism, the hibiscus means a perfect woman in North America, and the red rose is often associated with love and passion all over the world. Some flowers have become national – the cherry blossom (Japan), iris (France), lily (Italy), twinflower (Sweden), sunflower (Ukraine), etc. See those and other flowers in the table below ⬇️.
| Flower | Picture | Example sentences / interesting facts |
| Twinflower |  | The twinflower is highly fragrant and lasts about seven days. |
| Lily /ˈlɪli/ |  | The most common meaning of the lily is purity. |
| Lily of the valley |  | The room is filled with the sweet smell of the lilies of the valley. |
| Iris /ˈaɪrɪs/ |  | The purple iris brings a message of wisdom and compliments, while a bouquet of blue iris blossoms speak of hope and faith. |
| Cherry blossom |  | Japan can’t get enough of its iconic cherry blossoms – people don’t just view them during the daytime, but also at night! |
| Hibiscus /hɪˈbɪskəs/ |  | Hibiscus buds and flowers are edible, with a lemony taste, and are rich in vitamin C! |
| Lotus |  | Lotus is India’s national flower. |
| Peony /ˈpiːəni/ |  | Peonies are native to Asia, Southern Europe and Western North America. |
| Carnation |  | Carnations have been cultivated for 2,000 years, which makes them some of the world’s oldest cultivated flowers. |
| Aster /ˈæstə(r)/ |  | Many people mistake the aster for a daisy; however, the aster is actually a member of the sunflower family. |
| Daisy |  | As a plant, daisies symbolize innocence, purity, loyalty, patience, and simplicity. |
| Chamomile /ˈkæməmaɪl/ |  | Chamomile tea is a healthy beverage. |
| Dandelion /ˈdændɪˌlaɪən/ |  | Dandelions are more nutritious than most of the vegetables in your garden. |
| Gladiolus /ˌɡlædiˈəʊləs/ (plural – gladioli /ai/) |  | Gladioli are sometimes called sword lilies. |
| Forget-me-not |  | Forget-me-nots symbolize true love and respect. |
| Lavender /ˈlævəndə(r)/ |  | We have an extensive range of lavender-scented products. |
| Poppy |  | Poppy seeds are commonly used as toppings for bread, rolls, cookies, cakes and other baked goods. |
| Sunflower |  | Sunflowers symbolize unwavering faith and unconditional love. |
| Orchid /ˈɔː(r)kɪd/ |  | Your pot orchid does best with regular fertilizing. |
| Chrysanthemum /krɪˈsænθɪməm/ |  | Chrysanthemums are sometimes called mums. |
| Petunia /pəˈtjuːniə/ |  | Petunias come in many colors and patterns. |
| Bluebell |  | Over half the world’s populations of bluebells grow in the UK! |
| Violet /ˈvaɪələt/ |  | Violets symbolize modesty. |
Adjectives commonly used to describe flowers
What adjectives come to mind when you hear the word flower? You might think of beautiful or fragrant. Here are some more ideas to make your speech a bit more flowery 😊. (Flowery language or writing uses many complicated words that are intended to make it more attractive; in the context of this article, we use the word “flowery” for a particular stylistic effect.)
- Brilliantly-colored = (dazzlingly) colorful = bright
- Cheery
- Sweet-smelling
- Delicate [‘delɪkət] = tiny
- Elegant
- Gorgeous = stunning = magnificent
- Exotic
- Lovely = pretty
- Dried = pressed
- Faded
- Artificial [ˌɑːtɪ’fɪʃ(ə)l] = fake
- Closed / open
Idioms
To help you make your speech even more flowery, let us teach you a few idioms related to flowers.
- As fresh as a daisy – healthy and energetic: She is as fresh as a daisy after the holiday.
- Something (e.g. life) is not a bed of roses – used for saying that something is not always easy and pleasant: I know you think that my work is a piece of cake, but it’s actually not a bed of roses.
- To come up roses – used to describe a situation which has developed in a very favorable way: His career has come up roses.
- Shrinking violet – a very shy person: Don’t be such a shrinking violet – everybody wants to know your name.
- To cut down the tall poppies – to criticize people who are extraordinary in some way and stand out from the crowd: Gossips always cut down the tall poppies – that’s the thing they do best.
- To gild [gɪld] the lily – to decorate something that is already decorated: There’s a picture on the wall – we shouldn’t try to gild the lily.
- Late bloomer – a person who achieves success late in life: This actor is a late bloomer but it’s better to become a star late than never.
- To deserve a bouquet [bu’keɪ] of orchids – to deserve praise: You have done a great job and deserve a bouquet of orchids.
- Hearts and flowers – sentimentality: I like this hearts and flowers part of the film.
- Flower of the flock – the best person/thing is a group of people/things: He is the flower of the flock. We should do our best to retain this employee.
What is your favorite flower? Does the country you come from have a national flower? We’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to leave your comments below. Till next time! Thank you for reading! 😉
Enguroo Online English School 