Such a lovely book! Extremely readable with beautiful illustrations. I really enjoyed the history of the different flowers. Each flower has a short description on the name's origins, connection to myths, and what other flowers to pair with. I found it so interesting that Basil is actually for hate because the Greeks associated the leaves with a basilisk opening its jaws. Floriography has a beautifuly simple book design, and I really enjoyed the preservation of the symbol of flowers.

So, now we have social media and everything is always out there. But, long before our time, people found their own unique ways to communicate. One of these was via the message of flowers. For those who yearn for a more peaceful time or who would just like to have a bit of fun, this title offers a perfect guide.

Readers learn that this practice began in 1819. From there, it became quite popular as a (clandestine) form of communication. The author notes that, although floriography has not been so popular since WWI, remnants remain. Two of the given examples were that roses still signify love while lilies are often used in mourning.

This book includes numerous gorgeous illustrations. The text offers “definitions” of what each symbolizes.

I enjoyed this title. It can be viewed as a general guide to flower identification or as a way to think about communication.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own

I loved reading through Floriography!
I've always enjoyed reading about the Victorian flower language and reading this book brought it all back.
The illustrations are beautiful, and make for a great display to leave on a coffee table.
Thank you #NetGalley for letting me have an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

An absolutely beautiful book full of Roux's characteristic lush illustrations. I'm especially fond of the section at the back that easily sections flowers into their meanings.

How many times have we read about the lady getting a bouquet from her beloved with a variety of flowers and each with its own meaning? All those victorian era romances definitely have one of these scenes.
Floriography was a such a delightful read since I have read such books, and also enjoy gardening. It was an excellent choice for me. And the illustrations!
All around a great book! Will be an excellent addition to any library.

A very unique book that will be a true art gem in every library. It is fun to see different historic meanings and to learn the secret language of flowers. But to me, the art is the selling point for this book and I would consider buing a physical copy of this book. Truly full of inspiration.

Unfortunately, I couldn't access this book so I cannot give feedback on this book. There was an issue with the file type and I had requested another file type but no-one got back to me with the correct file type..

#'Floriography by author # Jessica Roux is wonderful and interesting guide. You can enjoy beautiful illustration and learn the historical uses and secrets. Actually a perfect gift!!🎁🌟🐾🐾
Thank you,
#Netgalley, # Jessica Roux, and # Simon & Schuster for the advanced copy

My absolute favourite part about this book is the stunning art. The cover, the end pages, the illustrations… All of it combines to create a truly special, vintage-feeling book perfect for floral and vintage lovers alike. I would love to frame some of the prints, but alas I will settle for admiring them within the book. The art is simple yet lovely, perfectly highlighting the beauty of the flora.

I really enjoyed learning about the meanings and origin stories of the various flowers and plants. I say flowers AND plants because the book doesn’t strictly cover flowers. There are also ferns, eucalyptus, etc. featured within its pages. It was really interesting to see how the Victorians would’ve regarded these flowers and used them not only in their daily life through things like decor but also with their clothing. I do wish some of the descriptions had been a little bit more in depth, and that the book explored floral meanings beyond the Greek gods. For instance, for the section on heather and thistles, Scottish history and folklore could’ve been explored more. Also, a couple flowers only got one or two sentences and I found that to be a little jarring amidst the flowers that got a full page of information. Some of the floral pairings did become a little repetitive so you can definitely see the author’s preference in flowers.

The majourity of the book is about individual flowers, but at the end there’s also a guide to bouquets with specific meanings/messages. I thought that was cool to learn about. Usually when I make bouquets, I don’t really consider traditional meanings so much as appearance, what I like/the person likes, etc. But as I said, the book was a fun, lovely way to learn about flowers and their meanings throughout history. The meanings don’t seem to be strictly tied to the Victorian era, as much of the “origins” we’re given seem to come from Greek mythology and more ancient times. If that sounds like your cup of tea, you need this book in your life.

I think "Floriography: An Illustrated Guide to the Victorian Language of Flowers" would make a lovely addition to any vintage lover and plant lover’s shelf, and even a really nice coffee table book. It’s a quick read, with gorgeous illustrations and interesting information on the flowers we all know and love. I just wish the origins had not been quite so simplistic and repetitive. But overall, I really enjoyed the book.

Okay, this book is such a gem! Everything about it screams beauty and makes you think about fragrant things. I love the format in which it was organized - the meaning, brief description, uses and what to pair it with, followed by a beautiful illustration of said flowers. I've always had a soft spot for the Victorian era and associate it with romance, regality, poise with a shade of flamboyance. I've never aspired to experience what the world once was but reading this book made me think twice, if only see firsthand this charming thing they call the language of flowers!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

A beautifully illustrated book! In addition to to a short description and common flower pairings, it also has a short note about the history of each meaning. I especially loved the bouquet meanings at the end, whenever I'll be bringing flowers, I will consult this and secretly enjoy that no one else knows what they mean. And if someone else knows, well I guess we'll become friends then.

This book was GORGEOUS! Filled with beautiful illustrations of flowers and their meanings. Would definitely make a great coffee-table book or gift for the gardener in your life!

The language of flowers is one of those quirky things you might have read about in a Sherlock Holmes novel, the clue with which he solves the murder for example, but haven't thought of outside of that setting. In this book, Jessica Roux shows that this language could be of interest to us now.
She shows that the meanings flowers hold are very specific and quite interesting.
With everyone stuck at home, not allowed to physically attend birthdays, weddings, or wakes, it could be a great idea to send a bouquet with some extra meaning. Or a least, after reading this lovely book, I will be putting some extra thought into which flowers I will be sending.

Each flower entry consists of a GORGEOUS illustration accompanied by a little overview in which meaning, origin, and possible pairings are discussed.
After Roux has discussed all of the flowers, she has arranged some example bouquets for events such as celebrating a friendship, a marriage, or to accentuate an apology.
To my delight, the book ends with an index sorted by meaning, making it far easier to make your own flower arrangements.

This book has one of the most beautiful illustration's I've seen in a book this year. I was always interested in the language of flowers and this book satisfied my curiosity very well. It's a treasure for every library.

I had no idea I needed this book in my life as a life long flower lover, I’ve pressed them, admired them etc but didn’t know all of the meanings and stories behind the types of flowers, Floriography explains that and so much more. Beautifully illustrated a must have for any flower lover.

A charming little volume on the hidden language of flowers. Arranged alphabetically by flower/plant type, with hand-drawn illustrations. Includes the meaning and origin of each, and suggestions to pair with other flowers for a more complicated meaning.

Floriography: An Illustrated Guide to the Victorian Language of Flowers by Jessica Roux is a stunning collection of artwork and explanations of how these flowers were used to express feelings.

I absolutely loved the illustrations, full page and beautifully rendered. The muted colors add to the appeal in two ways for me. First, it just seems more in keeping with the Victorian theme of the book. Second, I think it allows a lot of the detail to come out, we aren't assaulted by bright colors that distract from nuance and subtlety.

The entries include the basic meaning, why they have that meaning (anything from folklore to how the flower looks or grows), and what to pair it with to tweak the meaning to suit specific situations. The bouquets section highlights some of the more popular combinations of more than two flowers and explains why each is part of the bouquet.

I came mainly because I vaguely remembered something from coursework years ago about flowers and meaning. I wanted to learn more about that. I found that the brief entries served that purpose wonderfully. Enough information to understand but not so much that it ended up going off on tangents. The artwork, however, is what really made the book for me. I think I have mentioned and shown this to most of my friends and they have all been equally impressed with the book.

I highly recommend this for both the information (presented by flower alphabetically) and the art. I looked up the author/illustrator online and she does a lot of amazing work, take a look if you have the chance.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

I received an eARC from Andrews McMeel Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Floriography: An Illustrated Guide to the Victorian Language of Flowers by Jessica Roux is absolutely stunning. Every illustration is gorgeous.

For some reason I expected this book to be a bit different, perhaps a bit more detailed, but enjoyed it nonetheless.

The descriptions are interesting, especially the pairing suggestions to help convey something more specific. I really liked the bouquet section and found that the index being organized by meaning extremely useful.

If you're interested in the language of flowers Floriography: An Illustrated Guide to the Victorian Language of Flowers would be a great place to start.

Thank you so much Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for the review copy!

Beautiful book with amazing illustration. It's really interesting to know the meaning of every flower.
This is a perfect coffee table book! Very fascinating

QOTD: Do you like making bouquets of flowers? 💐

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Thank you to @andrewsmcmeel and @netgalley for this free copy of Floriography by Jessica Roux! Out September 15th 2020.

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Description from the publisher: Floriography is a full-color guide to the historical uses and secret meanings behind an impressive array of flowers and herbs. The book explores the coded significances associated with various blooms, from flowers for a lover to flowers for an enemy. The language of flowers was historically used as a means of secret communication. It soared in popularity during the 19th century, especially in Victorian England and the U.S., when proper etiquette discouraged open displays of emotion. Mysterious and playful, the language of flowers has roots in everything from the characteristics of the plant to its presence in folklore and history. Researched and illustrated by popular artist Jessica Roux, this book makes a stunning display piece, conversation-starter, or thoughtful gift.

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I had never thought much about the meaning of individual flowers before reading this book, but I absolutely love the idea of the additional meanings and intent in growing different flowers. The illustrations in this book are straight up pieces of art! I would happily frame any of these pages and hang them on my walls. I fully plan on using the information from here to pick which flowers I grow next spring. I love how I was already growing herbs for their different uses but now I can incorporate flowers for their meanings. This book would be perfect for any gardener or witchy individual in your life. Also a perfect present for anyone you normally give flowers to. Just make sure the flowers you are gifting don’t represent an ill wish!!!!