Communication in the Language of Flowers

Abstract

Flowers communicate information and emotion. When people were asked what messages they associated with given floral arrangements, they reliably connected six meanings with particular arrangements. When similar people were asked which floral arrangements they would choose to convey given messages, they reliably associated three arrangements with particular messages. These findings are consistent with previous studies of the psychology of personality and color; with further elaboration, they should be useful in floral advertising and marketing, advertising, and marketing in other fields, and communications research.