Traditional Victorian Floral Arrangements

A bold flower arrangement enlightens a garden or a room.

The elegant traditional Victorian floral arrangements often seen at weddings are more than just an arrangement. The Victorians knew the meaning of flowers and gave flowers to friends and lovers according to the message they wanted to convey. The arrangement often fitted into a footed, glass or ornate gilded vase. Giving a traditional Victorian floral arrangement takes the recipient back to days of elegance.

Tussie Mussie

In the Victorian era, gardens were an important part of life.

A tussie mussie arrangement, or hand-held arrangement, was traditionally used by Victorian brides as a bridal bouquet. It consisted of a variety of flowers that conveyed different messages. According to the Eras of Elegance website, the Victorians typically used a white doily tied with a colorful ribbon to secure the bouquet, or placed the arrangement in a decorative holder, often of silver or gold.

A typical Victorian wedding bouquet included a cluster of roses, one large rose, or other flowers that set off the arrangement, surrounded by one or two varieties of smaller flowers, such as baby’s breath, pansies and ivy. Ivy stands for fidelity, in the language of flowers, and is a popular addition to the wedding bouquet. Arrangements were tightly packed and circular with flowers massed together with a focal point, according to the Garden Club of Virginia website.

Language of Flowers

Chrysanthemums means love in the language of flowers.

Victorians knew the language of flowers and carefully selected their arrangements or single flowers according to the message they wanted to convey to the recipient. A gift of a bouquet of chrysanthemums meant love; a red carnation meant that feelings weren’t mutual and lavender meant luck or devotion.

Victorian Floral Centerpieces

Poinsettias was a favorite floral centerpiece in the Victorian age.

Many Victorian floral centerpieces, generally located in the the center of the dining room table and a focal point for entertainment, included a large ornamental platter made of silver or mirrored to reflect the arraignment. During Christmas, one of the favorite flower centerpieces was the poinsettia, keeping with the Victorian’s penchant for bold floral colors.

The science of botany was in favor during the Victorian age and gardens were of great importance, with exotic plants and flowers most desired for holiday centerpieces or formal gatherings. Exotic varieties of orchids and lilies often adorned the dinning room table, according to From Time Past website. Other arrangements included fruit in topiary style with greenery scattered around the centerpiece.

Victorian Christmas

Arrangements for flowers during a typical Victorian Christmas included lots of greenery that nearly covered every inch of the home. Spruce, laurel, mistletoe and holly decorated banisters, fireplaces, tables and archways. Picture frames covered with evergreen rope and mistletoe hanging from the ceiling were common during the Victorian age.

The living room transformed into a virtual fairyland with garlands of holly or cranberries and cedar boughs that scented the room. Ribbons of gold or silver decorated garlands and wreaths in the parlor.

Victorian Gardens

Baskets filled with delicate flowering plants adorned the garden. Urns or pots filled with flowers also were part of the garden. Trellises and arbors covered with ivy or vines were also a common sight.

Gardens were important to the Victorian because cut flowers adorned the home on dressers, tables and mantelpieces. Miniature gardens encased in Wardian cases, which were the precursor of the modern-day terrarium, elegantly decorated was a standard decorative piece.

References

• Eras of Elegance: The Tussie Mussie
• Garden Club of Virginia: Flower Show Handbook
• From Time Past: Dining Floral Arrangements

Resources

• About Flowers: Meanings of Flowers