Carnation Meaning

by Becky
(Mobile, AL, usa)

Dear Avia, Great website you've got here.

I noted your various flower meanings and symbolism. I work in a nursery, and have done a boatload of investigative work about the meaning of flowers.

My favorites are carnations. Did you know different color carnations can be like a secret code to the person you are giving them to? Yep.


White = Purity, innocence, virtue, honesty, devotion, peacefulness
Red = Love, relationships (marriage), passion, amorousness, and admiration
Pink = Motherhood, joy, a simple kind of love, childlike. A pink carnation is a symbol of the Virgin Mary too.

Did you know carnations in the wild do not have a scent? Yes, the ones you buy at your floral shop have been "scented" to smell so nice, but that is not their natural odor. I guess that is not very symbolic, but an interesting tidbit of trivia, no?

Until next time,
Keep stopping to smell the roses (hum, or carnations in this case!)