RHS Journals

The Garden
July 2002

Language of love

Tussie-mussies are posies assembled from a carefully chosen selection of flowers and herbs, usually to convey a specific message. Lesley Bremness traces their history and suggests some meaningful combinations Images: David Lloyd

A flower's beauty speaks to us directly - this is the poetry. Its fragrance and that of aromatic herbs affects our nervous system: this is the science. Aromas trigger vibrations which travel from the nose into the brain. This then signals the hypothalamus to release soothing, stimulating or romantic messages, depending on the fragrance: this is the process.
One technique for capturing the beauty and scent of flowers and herbs is the historical practice of making tussie-mussies, aromatic posies which also conveyed secret messages.

Historical significance
The name 'tussie-mussie' evolved from the 15th century when these bouquets were recorded as a 'tumose of flowrys or other herbys'. Elizabethan tussie-mussies included thyme, lavender, marjoram, mints, balm, rosemary and camomile for their fresh fragrance and the belief that they refreshed the head and stimulated the memory.
In Britain in the mid-17th century, small bunches of aromatic herbs were carried to combat unpleasant odours and the 'bad air' that was widely believed to cause the plague.
They reached their peak of popularity in Victorian England as fashionable accessories. As admirers combined them with the floral 'language of love', so they became known as word-posies or articulated nosegays.
Edwardian belles had silver-filigree posy holders with a ring attached, allowing them to hold the posy as they danced. Young ladies were well versed in floral meanings but as a single pink indicated 'perfection' and a variegated pink conveyed 'rejection', dangers lurked in slight errors. However, clarification was provided in Arthur Freeling's Flowers, Their Use and Beauty, Language and Sentiment in 1857 (see below). Tussie-mussies' ceremonial significance continued into the 20th century, as HM The Queen received one at her coronation.

Multiple uses
Even though the secret language of flowers may be outdated, tussie-mussies continue to make charming gifts. A careful selection of flowers would be suitable to give to loved ones, those celebrating a birth or marriage, or bringing cheer to someone who is unwell.
A pick-me-up posy might include a red rosebud of delicious Rosa 'Madame Isaac Pereire' with rings of blue forget-me-nots and white sweet cicely flowers and leaves.
By understanding how scents influence temperament, certain flowers and herbs can be used to create a specific mood. A posy of lemon- and mint-scented herbs, along with cheerful yellow primroses, orange calendulas and white camomile or elderflowers, can create a stimulating, refreshing blend.
It is said that clean, sharp-scented angelica, hyssop, rosemary and basil assist clarity and focus - ideal for concentration - and that the scent from the leaves will help clear the head.
The beauty, fragrance and historical charm of flowers and herbs have long been enjoyed, but by understanding the mood-enhancing power of scents, a tussie-mussie can become an even more potent and precious gift.

Making a tussie-mussie

Appropriate flowers and herbs need to be selected, depending on the message being sent. In this bridal posy, the following plants have been used: cream rose (pure love), rosemary (remembrance), southernwood (good humour), camomile (energy), peppermint (warmth of feeling), lemon balm (compassion), sweet myrtle (love), applemint (virtue), white clary sage (spiritual growth), lady's mantle (protection), oregano (blushes) and purple sage (wisdom and domestic virtue).

	Pick stems 23-30cm (9-12in) long, strip the lower half and store in 12cm (5in) of tepid water. Begin with the centre flower - here (and traditionally) a rose, but peonies, Parrot tulips, opium poppies or geranium heads could be used. Next, encircle the central flower with stems of contrasting leaves such as groups of three stems of rosemary and southernwood. Bind each layer as you go with raffia, starting high up the stems, or wait until the posy is fully assembled.
	Continue to add circles of contrasting flowers and leaves such as variegated euonymus to link the green and cream, button-flowered camomile Chamaemelum nobile 'Flore Pleno', dark leaves of peppermint, scented lemon balm and sweet myrtle. Cream and white tones are provided by gypsophila, clary sage, variegated Origanum vulgare 'Country Cream' and lady's mantle, while colour is introduced with Zinnia 'Persian Carpet' and purple sage, ringed with the cream flowers of Santolina chamaecyparissus 'Lemon Queen'.
	As the circles become wider, increase the leaf clusters to five stems in groups around the ring and finish with raffia bound close under the leaves. Trim the stems to the same length. Traditional tussie-mussies were backed by a paper or lace doily, but here a collar of Brachyglottis 'Sunshine' and variegated applemint has been used. Large-leaved herbs such as lady's mantle, strawberry leaves, variegated ivy, angelica, rose geranium, loops of ribbon grass or gardener's garters, or silver artemisias are also suitable.
	The finished tussie-mussie will stay fresh in water for about a week. To carry it, wrap damp kitchen towel around the stems and cover with clingfilm or foil. Eventually the posy can be hung up to dry in a warm, dark, dry place when it will slowly assume muted antique tones.

Thanks to Susan Davies and Valerie Everard of the American Museum, Bath

Combination suggestions

Blue and cream
Cream rose, rosemary, annual echium, cornflowers, marjoram, Verbena bonariensis, euonymus, Chamaemelum nobile 'Flore Pleno', purple sage, golden marjoram, santolina, mint, variegated sage, lavender, leaves of Brachyglottis (Dunedin Group) 'Sunshine'.

Pink, white and blue
Pink rose, purple sage, Origanum vulgare 'Country Cream', marjoram, annual echium, Achillea ptarmica 'The Pearl', lemon balm, mint, golden marjoram, cornflower, clary sage, santolina, verbena, lavender, rosemary, brachyglottis foliage.

Orange and yellow
Orange rose, golden marjoram, nigella seed pods, rosemary, Chamaemelum nobile 'Flore Pleno', Origanum vulgare 'Country Cream', purple sage, feverfew, Zinnia 'Persian Carpet', Alchemilla mollis, white clary sage, pineapple mint, lemon balm and santolina

Selected definitions

Lesley Bremness is a garden designer, herb grower, broadcaster and author


Floral linguistics

Don't expect to read a bouquet like a book, says Brent Elliott

At the Lindley Library we are often asked about the 'meanings' of flowers, but it is rarely possible to offer a definitive reply.
Between the 1840s and the 1880s many books on 'the language of flowers' appeared in Britain and America; the library has only a fraction of the total published yet they occupy nearly 60cm (2ft) of shelf space. The meanings they give, however, often vary widely from book to book - daffodil, for example, can be 'delusive hope' or 'deceitful hope', 'folly', 'regard' or 'unrequited love'.
The language of flowers is often said to have originated in Turkey. In 1718 the famous traveller Lady Mary Wortley Montagu sent a box full of objects to a friend in England. In this 'Turkish love-letter' each object's name acted as a mnemonic to recall a specific line of poetry. Only a few were flowers, but Lady Mary commented, 'There is no colour, no flower, no weed, no fruit, no herb, pebble or feather, that has not a verse belonging to it'.
The Victorian fashion, however, seems to stem from Le Langage des Fleurs by 'Charlotte de la Tour' (Louise Cortambert). Published in Paris in 1818 and translated into English in 1834, the book inspired a vast number of imitators. Robert Tyas adopted de la Tour's system intact in The Sentiment of Flowers (1853); later, in Language of Flowers (1869) he made some alterations. Other authors, many of them anonymous, added to the original or interpreted it differently, either to fit in with their own religious beliefs or other agendas, or simply to create meanings for the latest popular plant introductions. Never was a 'language' so open to misinterpretation.

Brent Elliott is RHS Librarian and Archivist

The RHS Lindley Library holds more than 50,000 books, 1,500 periodicals, 25,000 botanical drawings and the
UK's largest collection of horticultural trade catalogues

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