Coloring Activity – Language of Flowers

Visual storytelling has long played a crucial role in language and communication. Today, we use emoticons, also known as emojis, to communicate an array of thoughts, emotions, and experiences. These symbols have developed both universal and personal meanings that, much like written language, continue to evolve the more they are used. Download all the coloring pages together.

Before we had emojis and texting, people devised other ways to communicate symbolically. During the Victorian era, in the reign of England’s Queen Victoria (1837-1901), flowers were used to send messages much like emojis. Flower meanings could vary depending on many factors including color, species, or simply which guide or ‘flower dictionary’ people referred to at the time. Despite these differences, flowers were widely accepted as a way to tell stories and share messages.

Activity Procedure:

Using the Smithsonian Gardens’ guide to flower symbolism and coloring pages shown below, create your own floral messages. Use these flowers in the same way that you might use emojis while texting.

Follow these steps to make your own:

Print out coloring sheets
Color in the flowers
Cut out the flowers
Arrange the flowers to create unique bouquets that create a story
Give this bouquet to someone you care about so that they can learn about the meaning of flowers, too

Remember to share your flower messages with Smithsonian Gardens social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)!

Click on each flower to open the coloring page:

Name: **Camellia**
Scientific Name: **Camellia japonica**
Meaning: **Pity**
*(Photo: By PumpkinSky – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0)*

Rocky mountain columbine — Name: **Columbine**
Scientific Name: **Aquilegia coerulea**
Meaning: **Resolved to win**
*(Photo: Dr. Thomas G. Barnes, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)*

Name: **Mountain Laurel**
Scientific Name: **Kalmia latifolia**
Meaning: **Treachery**
*(Photo: Katja Schulz from Washington, D. C., USA – Mountain Laurel, CC BY 2.0,)*

Orange Blossom — Name: **Orange blossom**
Scientific Name: **Citrus x aurantium var. sinensis**
Meaning: **Your purity equals your loveliness**
*(Photo: Ellen Levy Finch (Elf), Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.)*

Name: **Hibiscus**
Scientific Name: **Hibiscus brackenridgei**
Meaning: **Delicate beauty**
*(Photo: By KarlM at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0)*

Mock orange — Name: **Mock-Orange**
Scientific Name: **Philadelphus lewisii**
Meaning: **Disappointment**
*(Photo: Oleksandra Deriy – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0)*

Name: **Purple violet**
Scientific Name: **Viola cornuta (purple)**
Meaning: **Thoughts are occupied with love**
(Photo:
David J. Stang, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license)

Name: **Lady’s Slipper Orchid**
Scientific Name: **Cypripedium reginae**
Meaning: **Capricious Beauty**
*(Photo: By NC Orchid from North Carolina, USA – 4 Cypripedium reginae, CC BY 2.0)*

Name: **Peony**
Scientific Name: **Paeonia officinalis**
Meaning: **Bashfulness**
*(Photo: Quartl, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license)*

Name: **Sunflower**
Scientific Name: **Helianthus annuus (Tall)**
Meaning: **Pride**
*(Photo: Sivahari – Own work, *Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license*)*

Name: **Goldenrod**
Scientific Name: **Solidago canadensis**
Meaning: **Encouragement**
*(Photo: By Ryan Hodnett – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0)*

Sweetbay Magnolia — Name: **Sweet Bay Magnolia**
Scientific Name: **Magnolia virginiana**
Meaning: **Perseverance**
*(Photo: By and (c)2008 Derek Ramsey (Ram-Man). Co-attribution must be given to the Chanticleer Garden.derivative work: Bff)*

pine cone — Name: **White pine**
Scientific Name: **Pinus strobus (cone)**
Meaning: **Farewell**
*(Photo: By Keith Kanoti, Maine Forest Service, USA, CC BY 3.0 us)*

Name: **Lilac**
Scientific Name: **Syringa vulgaris**
Meaning: **The First Emotions of Love**
*(Photo: By George Chernilevsky – Own work, Public Domain)*

Common hawthorn — Name: **Hawthorne**
Scientific Name: **Crataegus monogyna**
Meaning: **Hope**
*(Photo: By EugeneZelenko)*

Name: **Red Clover**
Scientific Name: **Trifolium pratense**
Meaning: **Industry**
*(Photo: By Ivar Leidus – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0)*

Name: **Dogwood**
Scientific Name: **Cornus florida**
Meaning: **I am perfectly indifferent to you**
*(Photo: By and (c)2016 Derek Ramsey (Ram-Man) – Self-photographed, CC BY-SA 4.0)*

Name: **Tulip**
Scientific Name: **Tulipa hybrida (red)**
Meaning: **Hopeless love**
*(Photo: Kor!An, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.)*

rose — Name: **Rose**
Scientific Name: **Rosa x hybrida**
Meaning: **Red – Love and devotion Yellow- A decrease of love White – I am worthy of you**
*(Photo: Moheen Reeyad, and released under the free license CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons)*

Name: **Yellow Jessamine**
Scientific Name: **Gelsemium sempervirens**
Meaning: **Grace and elegance**
*(Photo: By KENPEI – KENPEI's photo, CC BY-SA 3.0, )*

Purple Iris — Name: **Bearded Iris**
Scientific Name: **Iris x germanica**
Meaning: **I have a message for you**
*(Photo: By Penubag – Own work, Public Domain)*

Lemon blossoms — Name: **Lemon blossom**
Scientific Name: **Citrus x limon**
Meaning: **Discretion**
*(Photo: Davidbena, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license)*

Name: **Hellebore**
Scientific Name: **Helleborus orientalis**
Meaning: **Scandal**
*(Photo: Tim McCormack, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license)*

Pelargonium Peltatum — Name: **Ivy Geranium**
Scientific Name: **Pelargonium peltatum**
Meaning: **Will you go to the dance with me?**
*(Photo: Stojanoski Slave – Silfiriel, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license)*

Pink striped carnation — Name: **Striped Carnation**
Scientific Name: **Dianthus caryophyllus**
Meaning: **Refusal**
*(Photo: Andy_Mabbett, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.)*

Digitalis Purpurea Vingerhoedskruid — Name: **Foxglove**
Scientific Name: **Digitalis purpurea**
Meaning: **A wish**
*(Photo: By Matthijs van den Berg – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, )*

Name: **Buttercup**
Scientific Name: **Ranunculus spp.**
Meaning: **Riches**
*(Photo: under the license Creative Commons Zero)*

Flowers of Malus — Name: **Apple blossom**
Scientific Name: **Malus domestica**
Meaning: **Preference**
*(Photo: Krzysztof Golik, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.)*

Name: **Pontic rhododendron**
Scientific Name: **Rhododendron ponticum**
Meaning: **Danger**
*(Photo: By Agnes Monkelbaan – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, )*