Inspiration: Green Is The Colour

Let's interpret this still-life arrangement together starting with this golden, ripening green. The jumping off point was drawing inspiration for colour from the green grape ceramic vase. In general, the colour green in nature, and green flowers, are associated with rebirth and renewal. Additionally, this colour can also symbolize good health, good fortune, and youthfulness.

In floriography, the Language of Flowers, the zinnia flower symbolizes strength, endurance, and long life. The common zinnia is also called 'youth and old age.' No matter how much you cut zinnias, they keep growing back. This signifies that no matter how difficult life gets, one must constantly fight and come back. 

Can you spot the sweet pea vine twining through this arrangement?  The sweet pea flower meaning is blissful pleasure. Other meanings of the sweet pea flower include friendship, gratitude, and goodbye.

Carnation meaning varies depending on the flower colour. But at its heart, basic carnation flower meaning embraces the ideas of fascination, distinction, and love.

The green carnation became a queer symbol in 1892 when Oscar Wilde instructed a handful of his friends to wear them on their lapels to the opening night of his comedy Lady Windermere's Fan. From then on, wearing a green carnation on your lapel became a secret, subtle hint.

Also in 1892, Wilde’s lover Lord Alfred Douglas wrote a poem called 'Two Loves.' It is reminiscent of Sappho’s poetry, painting an image of a flower-filled utopia:

I dreamed I stood upon a little hill,

And at my feet there lay a ground, that seemed

Like a waste garden, flowering at its will

With buds and blossoms. There were pools that dreamed

Black and unruffled; there were white lilies

A few, and crocuses, and violets

Purple or pale, snake-like fritillaries

Scarce seen for the rank grass, and through green nets

Blue eyes of shy pervenche winked in the sun.

And there were curious flowers, before unknown,

Flowers that were stained with moonlight, or with shades

Of Nature’s wilful moods; and here a one

That had drunk in the transitory tone

Of one brief moment in a sunset; blades

Of grass that in an hundred springs had been

Slowly but exquisitely nurtured by the stars,

And watered with the scented dew long cupped

In lilies, that for rays of sun had seen

Only God’s glory, for never a sunrise mars

The luminous air of Heaven.

The poem continues on, describing a young man, whose "wind-tossed hair was twined with flowers, and in his hand he bore a purple bunch of bursting grapes,” and "red were his lips as red wine-spilith that dyes" and "His eyes were bright, and 'mid the dancing blades of golden grass his feet did trip for joy."

It's not only plants and flowers that have symbolic meaning - grasses also have symbolism. They stand for generosity, health, and togetherness. Setaria is a widespread genus of plants in the grass family. The name is derived from the Latin word seta, meaning 'hair'.

Like many fruits, grapes have long possessed connotations of abundance and fertility. The ripe harvest shows the promise of the fruits rewards being reaped and turned into the production of sustenance for the future as well as a product which promotes happiness; in reference to wine. In this, there is the link towards Dionysus, a Greek god closely connected to wine-making, vegetation, festivity, insanity, and ritual madness.

In general, the tomato is a symbol of love, fertility, and emotions. Dreams about tomatoes can be a symbol of your inner wish to become healthier and start working on yourself. For example, let's look at dreaming of picking green tomatoes. If you were picking immature tomatoes in your dream, it means that deep inside you know that are not ready for something. There is enough time for everything, including rebirth and renewal, when the right time comes. We could say the brink between readiness and ripeness.

There is one flower in this still-life arrangement that we did not touch on. Read more about the meaning of Queen Anne's Lace here.