Lavender

What the lavender means

Lavender's name is usually traced to the Latin lavare, to wash, and Romans are thought to have scented baths and laundry with it. That long association with cleanliness and calm carried into later folklore, where lavender was tucked into linens and used to deter moths. In the Victorian language of flowers its meaning was surprisingly cool, sometimes given as distrust, while in modern use it more often signals devotion, serenity, and grace. Lavender is also one of the few bouquet flowers that dries in hand and keeps its scent for months.

Flower meanings come mostly from Victorian floriography, and they vary between books, eras, and cultures.

Often sent for

• Get well
• Thank you
• Mother's Day
• Just because

By colour

• Purple Traditionally, devotion and serenity.
• White Associated with purity and calm.
• Pink Sometimes read as gentle affection.