naked notes

 

In the Victorian era, the idea of giving your special someone a tussie-mussie had a couple purposes.  The translation of individual flower meanings could convey what you have always wanted to say and it was a bit of an air freshener.  One would hold the poesy in front of their nose, filtering the air from bad smells and tuberculosis. Common greens in these bunches were rosemary, thyme and rue.  The original aroma therapy.  In England during Elizabethan times, judges carried tussie-mussies into their courtrooms to protect against “gaol fever.”  Judges at England’s highest court, the Old Bailey, still celebrate this tradition by carrying a tussie-mussie into court six times a year.

My tussie-mussie language is all over the place.  What I lack in actual meaning I make up for with whimsy and character because my ‘mussies don’t always follow the flower talk.  I essentially gather left overs from my garden clean ups or pick from a heavily blooming plant in a friends garden, whatever is available.

I pick wild flowers whenever possible.  Phlox and queen anne’s lace are my favorites from beach adventures. Together they say: unanimity & delicate femininity.

Here are a few flowers and the language they speak.

rosemary: remembrance
ivy: fidelity
lilies: purity
laurel: victory
parsley: festivity
red rose: love
white rose: secret love
basil: best wishes
hydrangea: devotion
sage: wisdom
pine: loyalty
red geranium: comfort

To find out more about the language of flowers, check out
http://victorianbazaar.com/meanings.html

Category: NY Green

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