The trend of using flowers to express emotions, which popularized the idea that red roses mean love, is credited to Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, an 18th-century English poet and the wife of a British ambassador to Turkey. Interest in the concept of floriography grew across Europe and eventually led to a French book, published in 1819, called Le langage des fleurs by Charlotte de Latour.
2 The messages that flowers were used to convey weren’t always about love and happiness: Marigolds meant contempt, according to some manuals, and yellow roses could mean jealousy. (Florists now market yellow roses as a symbol of friendship.)
3 Flowers can also have religious significance. For example, the Lilium longiflorum (Easter lily) is mentioned in the Bible as a symbol of purity and rebirth and is associated with the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The lotus flower signifies enlightenment for Buddhists because it grows in the mud but remains clean, thanks to its naturally water-repellent leaves.
4 Blooms are big business: The industry’s leading auction company, Royal FloraHolland, sells more than 20 million flowers and plants each day. The Netherlands has dominated exports for decades, but the market is growing in Kenya, Ethiopia, Ecuador and Colombia. There’s even a dedicated cargo area for flowers at the international airport in Nairobi, Kenya. The Indian floriculture market size reached `231.7 billion in 2022. Altogether, the global flower industry earns more than US$30 billion.
Esta historia es de la edición June 2023 de Reader's Digest India.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición June 2023 de Reader's Digest India.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Why Water Workouts Work
Swimming and other aquatic exercises have special benefits
Surf's Up... Again
A Hawaiian helps victims of a devastating fire in the most Hawaiian way possible
HUMOUR in UNIFORM
I got sloppy with my shaving one morning and nicked my skin.
NEXT STOP: WHO KNOWS?
We wanted to do a once-in-a-lifetime trek in northern Laos. Just getting there became the adventure
Leave the WILD Things Be
Wild animals have been made to serve a variety of human needs, including recreational ones. It’s up to everyday folk to decry the use of animals for entertainment
GOTCHA!
We asked for it: What’s the best prank you ever pulled?
Doing Dad's Bucket List
Laura Carney's father died suddenly, with unfinished business. So she started checking off the items for him
Buried beneath a Mountain
The amazing 17-day-long, multi-agency effort to rescue 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara-Barkot tunnel
IS EVERYONE ON OZEMPIC?
Everything you need to know about the new diabetes drugs shaping the weight-loss revolution
DO MORE WITH YOUR TECH
You're undoubtedly missing out on cool features that can help make life easier, safer and even more fun