Q.

Happy 2026! All hopes for a healthy, peaceful, prosperous, joy-filled New Year 🙏🏼. As we consider celebratory bouquets for friends, family, or ourselves: which flowers might be considered auspicious for this new beginning?

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A.

When it comes to assigning meaning to flowers, the Victorians get the bay wreath. Author and illustrator Kate Greenaway, born 1846 in London, lists out some of these assigned meanings in her ‘Language of Flowers’, captured in ‘The Kate Greenaway Treasury.’

Working through her extensive list, here are some floral options that we might include in our ‘Welcome to 2026’ bouquets…

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Acacia, Yellow – Secret Love
Balm of Gilead – Cure. Relief
Bearded Crepis – Protection
Beech Tree – Prosperity
Bell Flower, Small White – Gratitude
Bridal Rose – Happy love
Cactus – Warmth 🙃
Camelia Japonica, Red – Unpretending excellence
Damask Rose – Freshness
Dew Plant – A serenade
Dittany of Crete – Passion
Fern – Fascination
Ficoids, Ice Plant – Your looks freeze me
French Willow – Bravery and humanity
Genius – Plane Tree
Hawthorn – Humanity
Hope in adversity – Spruce Pine
Iceland Moss – Health
Kennedia – Mental Beauty

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King-cups – Desire of Riches
Liverwort – Confidence
Lupine – Imagination
Moss – Maternal Love
Olive – Peace
Ranunculus, Garden – You are rich in attractions
Rose – Love
Rose, Cabbage – Ambassador of love
Saffron – Beware of excess
Sweet Basil – Good wishes
Venice Sumach – Intellectual excellence and splendour
Violet, Blue – Faithfulness
Volkamenia – May you be happy
Wheat Stalk – Riches
White Pink – Talent
Zinnia – Thoughts of absent friends

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www.justcurious.ca

Header Art: Laura Diez
Illustration #2: Getty Images