When I had a full service flower shop there were three floral varieties I never carried- Carnations, Daisies and Babies Breath. My shop was in a small college town and I needed to distinguish myself from the other (5!) shops in town and I chose to do so by taking a more upscale approach to flower selection. I have to admit, though, that I really like the fragrance of Carnations. They are very textural and have a long vase life, so I do like to use them in pavé designs, especially green Carnations. My absolute favorite variety is Green Trick, a non-flowering form of Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus), that is unscented, but it’s such a beautiful way to add texture and dimension to a floral design that I chose it for the article photo.
Dianthus caryophyllus, otherwise known as Carnations, generally symbolize love, but each color has a meaning, too.
Carnation- Fascination; distinction; love
Red Carnation- Deep romantic love, passion
Green Carnation- Secret symbol of the followers of Oscar Wilde
White Carnation- Sweet and lovely, innocence, pure love, faithfulness
Pink Carnation- A woman’s love, a mother’s love
Yellow Carnation- Rejection, disdain, disappointment
Purple Carnation- Capriciousness, whimsical, changeable, unreliability
Mauve Carnation- Dreams of fantasy
Striped Carnation- Refusal
Solid color Carnation- Yes, affirmative