Most people know that a red rose is the universal symbol for love. But have you ever thought about all the other flower meanings? You would have if you had lived in the Victorian age, when flower symbolism was taken very seriously—so seriously, in fact, that entire "Flower Dictionaries" were published to help people decipher this so-called "flower language" (also known as floriography). Victorians often used flower language as a way to send secret messages to one another, such as "I love you" or "I accidentally used your toothbrush", and it was the popularity of this practice that gave rise to flower arranging as an art form.

Luckily, you don't need an entire dictionary to decipher common flower meanings and flower color meanings today–you just need this handy guide. Below, we labeled some of the most popular blooms with their symbolic meanings to help you say the exact right thing every time.

Flower Symbolism Chart

Now that you're familiar with all these flower meanings, you can start to put them together into bouquets meant to convey all sorts of special messages. We brainstormed a few to get you started.

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This article was originally written by staff writer Stephanie McDaniel in 2015. It has since been updated.